There is a common misconception about first evenings with a companion: that effort creates impression. The opposite is true.
The most elaborate restaurant, the most unusual activity — all of it is distraction. What sustains an evening is the ease with which both sides find a shared rhythm.
A few principles:
Punctuality is not a detail, but a sign of respect — in both directions. Keeping your companion waiting sends a signal.
Surprises of a public nature — presenting flowers in the restaurant, demonstrative attention — are out of place. Discretion also means not casting your companion in a role she did not choose.
Conversation carries itself when you stop directing it. A question is not an interrogation technique. Interest shows in listening, not in asking.
And finally: it is perfectly fine not to know everything. A good companion accepts that. It is her profession — and in most cases, her pleasure.