From their home in Naglee Park, it’s just a short roll across San Jose State University to La Lune Sucrée for a taste of Europe on a weekend morning: coffee, crepes, quiche and the finest pastries. All baked fresh by chef-owner Bettina, who learned first from her German mother, then honed her skills in Paris and England.

Outdoor seating on the Paseo de San Antonio means easy bike parking and plenty of opportunity to run into friends from the neighborhood. It’s not hard to see why Candice and Carmen are regulars.

The venue: La Lune Sucrée at 116 Paseo de San Antonio, San José, California, USA

What I do know is that our dinner can’t possible top the “farm to table” dining experience we had at JoLē in Calistoga for Dick’s birthday the other night. Three courses chosen from a list of about a dozen plus dessert, with wine pairings for each course carefully selected by their sommelier. It was divine decadence.

With four courses of wine, thank goodness it wasn’t a bike date. We only had to stumble upstairs to our room.

Of course, a meal expertly prepared with quality local ingredients and paired with exceptional wines doesn’t come cheap. It was the most expensive dinner we’ve shared and we aren’t particularly frugal on our weekly bike dates. But why not, birthdays only come once a year and none of us is getting any younger.

What was the best meal you’ve ever shared? What made it exceptional?

Cafe Stritch offers a great beer on tap (IPA for him, hefeweizen for her) and outdoor seating that’s refreshing on a warm evening. Stritch offers a variety of well-priced vegetarian dishes, including a vegan french dip sandwich and fries that’s a favorite. They’ve seen some incredible jazz bands perform there lately too.

Cafe Stritch is on the other side of downtown from their house, so although it’s just a short ride away, there are different routes to choose from and they pass a lot of interesting people and places along the way.

The venue: Cafe Stritch at 374 South 1st Street, San José, California, USA

It was time to get creative with a Bike Date Friday hopping around downtown San Jose on bike share.

As usual, Dick came down on Caltrain and I met him at the station. But this time we locked up our bikes and checked out our first pair of bike share bikes. First course: cocktails at Cafe Stritch on South First Street. Cafe Stritch is a rare place that feels comfortable for both 20-somethings and their parents, so we fit right in. The cocktails straddled old-school and modern, just like their patrons. A good choice for our first course.

From Cafe Stritch it was a short bike share hop up First Street, then across to the comfy bike lanes on Almaden Boulevard where we redocked the bike pair #2 at Santa Clara Street. It took Dick a few tries to get it right.

Our dinner destination was The Farmers Union, a new place specializing in hearty American favorites reinterpreted for a new generation in an upscale sports bar setting. We chose an oversized booth with minimal big screen intrusion and a view of the parade of people walking and biking on San Pedro Street.

I enjoyed my Roast Chicken with Mac and Cheese and Dick enjoyed his Bangers and Mash. But it was the Poutine that has me craving a trip back. Hmm, how long would it take to ride there for lunch?

With all the Poutine and Mac and Cheese, I had very little room left for dessert, but we had another course to go. No bike this time, just a short walk down to the ever-popular San Pedro Square Market.

We grabbed dessert from Chocatoo and managed to find a quiet table on the sidewalk that was perfect for people watching. There were plenty of people out and about on the warm night. Then it was back to our fourth bike share station to grab our third pair of bikes for the trip back to Caltrain. So much fun, we added an extra loop out to City Hall and the wide bike lanes on Fourth Street. As usual, a great finish a lovely night out.

When you go out, are you a hot spot hopper or do you prefer to settle into one place? Would bike share help connect your favorite spots in your city or are they all clustered in one district?

About our route: We covered about four miles in three bike share legs and one walking section (orange). With bike share we were able to not only easily travel from Caltrain to downtown, we were also able to easily connect the South First and San Pedro Street entertainment districts. A win all around.

Going south is trickier. While San Jose has great spots downtown and new bike lanes that make bicycling pleasant, as you go further south, the valley widens and becomes more suburban. The restaurants are more likely to be in strip malls than walking districts, the roads are designed to move cars fast, and neighborhood streets are labyrinths to keep cars from cutting through. Not a recipe for a fun bike date.

But there’s a sneaky way out of downtown San Jose to the trail along Los Gatos Creek, I discovered. So last Friday, we rode south five miles through Willow Glen to the old railroad and orchard town of Campbell. (map)

When the railroad came to Santa Clara Valley, the crops shifted from easy-to-transport grains like wheat to perishable orchard fruits like apricots, peaches, pears and plums. The process for canning fruit was developed in the Dawson family’s woodshed along the Alameda at Taylor Street in San Jose in 1871. Orchards filled the Valley of Heart’s Delight and fruit drying yards and canneries were built along the rail lines.

The orchards and canneries have been largely replaced by office parks and suburban housing, but we could see signs here and there on our ride down to Campbell: old Del Monte canneries converted to townhouses and lofts in San Jose, and turn-of-the century buildings and the 1928 water tower in Campbell.

When we rolled across the Los Gatos Creek bridge and into Campbell, downtown was hopping. A band was playing on the corner, classic cars were cruising the streets and everyone was out for First Fridays. I was glad we had dinner reservations. It would have been tough finding a table, even though it wasn’t 7 o’clock yet.

After dinner we strolled the avenue checking out the bands, the still-open shops and classic cars before riding back up to San Jose. Next month’s First Fridays theme is “Cyclemania.” We may have to come back then and bring a few bike friends. I even scoped out a couple of restaurants just in case.

When you ride from home, do you favor one direction over another? What makes you turn south vs north or east vs west?

About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

But I knew that writing about fun things to do on a bike might get more people off the couch and into the saddle, so I forged ahead into the unknown. After five weeks, I had only positive comments for stories on topics like how to get an old bike rolling again, the best ice cream shops to bike to, and how to find secret bike-only passages. So I was genuinely surprised which story brought out the bike haters: “The Rolling Romance of a Bike Date”.

Here’s what I wrote. What do you think set the bike haters off?

A few years ago my husband Dick and I were in a dining rut. Unlike when we were dating, we just didn’t go out anymore. We decided that we needed a standing weekly date night, one set in stone on our calendars. Otherwise, it would be too easy to say we were too tired, or to fritter away time at home and then decide to eat in rather than face the crowds and a long wait for a table.

Dick’s day off from work was Friday, so that was an easy decision. I wanted the romance of him picking me up like a real date, so Dick offered to come by my workplace and get me. The twist: since I rode my bike to work, he would ride his bike too.

At the time I was working in Palo Alto, where a seemingly limitless choice of restaurants were a short ride from my office near the Baylands. That first Friday, I waited for him in front of my office building with all the excitement of any first date. When he rolled up I was tickled to see he was wearing a nice sweater and his going-out shoes. He had swapped the clip-in pedals on his bike for flat pedals just for our date.

We rode across the bike bridge over Hwy 101, rolled down to University Avenue for a relaxed and tasty Italian dinner, and then cruised home by the light of a full moon. With rush hour long over, the neighborhood streets were quiet and peaceful so we continued our dinner chat the whole way home. It was a very romantic night.

That’s why nearly three years later, we’re still at what we now call Bike Date Friday. The rules are simple: we eat at a different restaurant every week and we arrive by bike. In the winter we grab heavy coats and bright lights. If it’s drizzling, we grab our raincoats. And if it’s raining hard, we grab a big umbrella and walk the mile to Castro Street.

Now that I work near the airport in San Jose and commute on Caltrain with my bike, our options have expanded. Sometimes we meet at the Diridon Caltrain station and eat in downtown San Jose. Sometimes we meet at the Mountain View Caltrain station and ride across town or to Palo Alto, Los Altos or Sunnyvale. And sometimes we meet on a northbound train for dining in San Carlos, San Mateo and beyond.

In three years, we have yet to exhaust all our dining options. Some restaurants have been better than others and some routes were more fun than others. But one thing’s for sure: our dining rut is now a romantic roll.

The rest of the story gave some tips on where to go for an easy first date, how to pick a route, and a reminder to bring bike lights, including the laws related to riding after dark. Nothing controversial in my book.

The initial comments were not kind. The first was simply: “Or you could just drive.” The second was more harsh.

I just wasted 2 minutes of my life reading this, and probably 2 more responding. Who cares? You have a job you say? And still find time to write this article? When you worked in Palo Alto you said you crossed over 101, did you work in east palo? Or just dine there? Cause I’m sure the latter would make for a better article.

Whoa! Where did that come from? Riding bikes out to dinner is so far-fetched that I must be lying about even having a job? (For the non-locals: East Palo Alto is lower income with higher crime rate than Palo Alto) I responded in a non-challenging way and encouraged a few friends to comment with something positive. I didn’t want readers to only see rude reactions from grumpy people.

When I reflect on these reactions, my take is that I indirectly exposed how far and wide a bike can take you. In three years, we’ve gone out to different places every week through all sorts of weather, after dark, and in dress clothing without a car. I think it make people defensive because it takes away excuses why bicycling can’t possibly work. It’s one thing to talk about recreational rides to ice cream shops or to see a historic farm, but riding to dinner in the rain at night in a dress? That’s radical behavior.

It really doesn’t matter what the haters and naysayers think, we’re finding plenty of people out on bike dates, especially in the warm months. I was only a little surprised to see families with young kids out in downtown San Jose last Friday night. Considering downtown San Jose didn’t have much bike action or action in general a decade ago, that’s pretty darn impressive. And the kids were pretty darn happy too.

What radical bike behaviors have you been doing? How are you challenging the status quo?

About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

But it wasn’t always sac-a-lait and crawfish for me. I ate my fair share of tuna casserole and fish sticks during Lent and was happy to do it. So it just seemed right that Dick and I are more modestly on Good Friday than on our usual Bike Date Fridays. Our choice: counter-service fish and chips at Cook’s Seafood in Menlo Park.

It was nothing like the frozen fish sticks I ate as a kid. Nice firm, flaky halibut with a crispy, non-greasy batter. But don’t take my word for it, fish & chips is a favorite of Dick’s and he declared them top-tier.

If we were back home for Easter, we’d be having a big meal with my big family, perhaps even a crawfish boil. I usually plan a special dinner for just us two, but this year we rode up to the Gamble Garden for a impromptu bike picnic. Who cares that the weather report said rain by 3 o’clock?

Unlike our last bike picnic at the Gamble Garden, we kept it simple, packing a few things from home and grabbing sushi from Whole Foods on the way. There were a few sprinkles, but the rain didn’t come. The garden was busy with visitors, but we got a quiet picnic table under a big oak tree. It was a refreshing change from the usual holiday meal. And we got to see the glorious tulips and daffodils blooming in the garden.

Do you celebrate Easter or another Spring holiday with a special meal? Where do you go? What do you eat? Do you like to mix it up from year to year or are you a traditionalist?

About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

Teske’s is an institution in downtown San Jose, a family-run restaurant serving traditional German fare for decades. Set on the outskirts of downtown in a Victorian building surrounded by new office buildings and expansive parking lots, Teske’s and its neighbor Trials Pub are an oasis of fun on an otherwise bleak block.

Years ago I ate in the indoor dining room at Teske’s, but celebrating Oktoberfest in the beer garden with a live band was a completely different experience. The band was much more fun than anticipated and the shared long tables had us rubbing elbows with a variety of folks, from octogenarians with noteworthy dancing skills, to a trio of beer loving guys with a hankering for over-sized portions of meat.

For all of them and for us, Teske’s delivered: beer, meat and dancing in unusual setting. Not quite Bavaria, but definitely worth the short ride from the Caltrain station. And if you are drinking your beer from the larger liter-sized steins in true Oktoberfest style, there’s the VTA light rail that runs right past Teske’s front door.

Are you an Oktoberfest fan? If so, what is the biggest attraction for you: music, beer, or hearty German food?

About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

At first, Dick and I weren’t sure if we wanted to see it. Cyclists already get such a bad rap as scofflaws with no regard for safety–theirs or anyone else’s. Why pay to see a movie about the jerks that give us all a bad name?

We went anyway and we’re glad we did. I won’t give out any spoilers, so let’s just say that that aside from promoting the misguided notion that fixed gear bikes can’t stop without a brake, and fueling the anti-bike crowd’s claims that cyclists have ruined New York City, the movie is great fun.

The action is fast, the bike handling is superb, and you genuinely like the heroes even if they ride like crazed, well, bike messengers. And the dirty cop villain alone is worth the price of admission. Unlike most action movies, there were no guns, almost no special effects, and the actors had the skills to do many of the bike stunts themselves. Best of all, the movie proves without a doubt that bikes have the upper hand in heavy traffic.

My only fear: boosted by the popularity of Smokey and the Bandit, sales of the Pontiac Trans Am jumped 70% in two years after the movie release. Let’s hope Premium Rush doesn’t boost brakeless fixie sales in the same way. There are enough bike messenger wannabees out there already.

Do you think that a movie like Premium Rush makes cyclists look bad? What about car chase movies, do you think they make drivers look bad? Is it somehow different?

About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

For this special comeback dinner, we chose the Empire Tap Room in Palo Alto. We wanted to enjoy their patio before summer ended and somehow a place named Empire seemed right during the London Olympics. The ratings on Yelp were only average, but since we’ve eaten at almost everywhere in Palo Alto we took a chance.

Dick met me at the Caltrain station in Mountain View and we rode the seven miles to Palo Alto together, pedaling hard to make our reservation. I always forget to add extra time to account for the strong headwind you face riding up the Peninsula on a summer evening.

We arrived just a few minutes late for our reservation and quickly relaxed at out table on the patio. The cocktails, appetizers, entree, dessert and ambiance were all very good. I don’t know what the reviewers were expecting. But the relaxed ride home in the fading light was priceless. Walking home after a date is romantic, but not as romantic as a twilight cruise on our bikes after an exceptional dinner out.

What would you miss most if you couldn’t ride your bike? Where would you go first once you were back on it?

About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.