In this week’s edition of Nifty Under $50 I break down how you can have a great fun date night out with your boo in the Matthews area all while staying under our $50 budget.

If you’re looking for a casual but very good restaurant I suggest Texas Roadhouse off of Independence Blvd right before you go under the Hwy 51 bridge.

Here’s what you can order:

Appetizer: Fried Pickles $3.99 (and they are good) if you’re not a fan of that you can choose from Tater Skins, Twisted Mozzarella, Rattlesnake Bites or their signature Cactus Blossom all for $4.99.

Meal: You can split the 11oz Sirloin (plenty big) for only $14.49 and it comes with two sides, if you want a little more you can add a “Sidekick” of shrimp for $5.99.

They have a number of chicken dishes that are $9.99 and their burgers are very good and inexpensive as well ($7.99) but for the sake of this blog we’re gonna choose to split the steak.

Dessert: Texas Roadhouse does have a few dessert selections but I would also suggest Sweet Frog (frozen yogurt), 1.2 miles away or Busters Ice Cream, 1.8 miles away. You have a $10 budget here.

Total Price of Date: Appetizer: $4.99 – Dinner: $14.49 – Dessert: $10 = $29.48

Leaving you with a little less that $20 (after tip and taxes) here are a few suggestions of what you could do:

After date festivities: You can go see a movie, Carolina Cinemas and Phillips Place aren’t too far from either Dessert place (However, this will be a little more than the $20 but not by much). Or you could go bowling at AMF Carolina Lanes (If you go after 10pm it’s only $12 per-person). Also Matthews has a very cute “Downtown” area with some really cool bars and places you could go for a drink to continue the conversation.

If you’re looking for a more locally owned restaurant that offers a more intimate setting, here are a couple of suggestions. These prices may be a little more than what our $50 budget would allow however, you can always split dishes or not do dessert to make it work.

Cafe 157, 157 N Trade St, Matthews, NC 28105. Website: www.cafe157.com

Sante of Matthews, 165 N Trade St, Matthews, NC 2810. Website: www.santeofmatthews.com

There are plenty more options to chose from. To get more details about what Downtown Matthews has to offer Visit MatthewsNC.gov