dating bar

"That betrays a preconception about dating bars," I said.

"Hasn't turned into a five-acre dating bar yet."

No. "Probably a dating bar called Entre Nous," I said.

But in a country where shyness runs deep, and loneliness often seems to be endemic, people are flocking to a variety of innovative dating services, like this membership-only dating bar.

In an era when bookstores give dating bars a run for their money and book circles have replaced men's and women's groups as the Tuesday night excuse of choice for getting out of doing the dishes, NBC executives may be forgiven for suspecting that viewers could be hungry for a taste of the classics.