Ike, personally I prefer to have one or two drinks, no more. Enough that conversation is a bit more smooth flowing but not enough that the beer goggles kick in or you get bad judgement.
If I have just coffee or soft drink it feels more like a business meeting, more matter of fact.
Also if I think I might really like this person a lot, I'd arrange to start off at a place where they can have non-alcoholic drinks if they want, but if things go well we can move to booze, even possibly a meal if things just go swimmingly well.
As for conversation, steer clear of exes but discuss politics, travel, families (don't talk about each others DC too much).
If you like them, ask questions like what was their favourite holiday as a child, what did they want to do when they grew up. What's the last band they went to see. The answers aren't as important as how they answer it, and questions like that tend to form a bond between people when they reveal personal information.
If you don't like them, don't ask that kind of question, stick to work, complain about/congratulate the government or something equally dull.
Don't let him pick you up from yours, make sure you tell a friend where you're going and feel free to say you're just popping out to let your friend know you're okay (assuming you are). And then give us lot an update :)
Ooh watch out for steps. There is a 'perfect date' story doing the rounds on the web on how to get a woman to sleep with you, or at least get more into you, on a first date. This involves moving from one location to another, ideally where there are some steps where the man can turn around and 'accidentally' be at the same face-height as you, make eye contact and go in for the kiss. Moving from one place to another makes it feel like it's more than one date. Alcohol and the act of 'finding' another place increases the bond and the fancying of each other. It's been shown to work (no matter how cynical it is)