The people who succumb to that magical kind of thinking are usually the same ones who camp out at your house when their latest soulmate dumps them. Dating is how you get insight into what a person is like. There's nothing interactive about sitting in a dark room with a bunch of other people, your focus on the action in front of you. Do something that requires conversation. The ideal first date is the coffee or lunch date.
Dinner is just too much pressure.
There's a sort of built-in time limit to the midday date, as well as some flexibility. If it turns out that everything is going along smashingly, one has the option to go with the flow. If, on the other hand, this is a nightmare date from hell, you can excuse yourself gracefully. I don't understand why you're single. You're smart, funny, attractive, I don't get it.