Invite your date to a family outing so he can see you at your most nurturing and fun self. Get a bunch of friends together to play cards, go to a museum, a planetarium, a local play. Do things you enjoy. Sometimes we settle for a dinner and a movie because we don't know what else to do. A more active encounter leaves a little less time for chatter.
Interactive activities produce endorphins that create a sense of well being.
So invite your date to share in a game of touch football at the park, or volleyball, or roller blading, or fishing, or whatever you and your family like to do. Purchase the food ahead of time. The less said the better. Don't make it so prevalent in your life that it spills over into your home, your work, your personal life. It is just a means to an end and doesn't really matter.