I've always wanted to try out a dating sim. Problem is, there really isn't any in English, and if they are, they're not pure dating sims; they're hybrid games or something like that.
Well, there's Katawa Shoujo, but... they're all disabled girls, so I don't know if that matters to you or not. There are a bunch of translated visual novels, so I guess you could try checking http://vndb.org/ to find a VN with subject matter you enjoy that has dating sim elements. Like you said, there aren't really many straight up dating sims anymore. Even then, I think having a strong premise or story makes it more interesting anyway.
EDIT: Also, more modern VN's tend to allow the option of turning off adult content if that's an issue/preference.
A visual novel database? That's awesome! I've been wanting to play a game like that as well! Thanks for the link.
Also, adult content is not an issue for me