He Took First Dates to PR’s Taco Palace. On Purpose.

## Episode description In this episode, an argument about Elizabeth Holmes and Bernie Madoff turns into a debate over impossible promises, investor responsibility, and how much hype anyone should believe. Dinner offers a change of subject, with Pizza Bruno’s kale salad, Hillstone’s crab cakes, and Enzo’s antipasti all making a case for leaving the house. First-date restaurants become compatibility tests, from a lakeside dinner to the original PR’s Taco Palace. Then the group takes on private clubs and discovers that the table they already share might be membership enough. ## Places Mentioned - Pizza Bruno — The drive to Curry Ford gets complaints; the pizza, kale salad, and wood-fired octopus get considerably better reviews. - The Drake — Nick praises the tender, breaded fried octopus, a preparation he hadn’t tried before. - Hillstone — Edd’s missing French dip leads to a crab-cake discovery. The group weighs the consistently good food against the lakeside setting, with plenty of enthusiasm for taking a drink outside. - Enzo’s — The waterfront setting earns first-date endorsements, while Pragasen talks through his antipasti platter and usual clam pasta order. Nick contributes a dinner memory with a less romantic ending. - PR’s Taco Palace — The original Fairbanks location becomes the centerpiece of a first-date compatibility test, complete with writing on the walls and a train-triggered tequila ritual. ## Timestamps 00:00:00 We get the table talking. 00:01:10 Nick brings up the Holmes film. 00:07:41 Madoff enters the argument. 00:11:15 Edd pushes back on the AI comparison. 00:16:45 Nick shares his blood-test experience. 00:21:06 We compare moviegoing plans. 00:26:09 Pizza Bruno is worth arguing over. 00:28:26 We compare our food limits. 00:40:48 Nick recalls getting stood up. 00:45:38 Enzo’s gets its turn. 00:50:25 A taco place becomes a dating test. 00:57:42 We argue about private clubs. 01:04:47 We already have our own club.