Valentine's Day Dinner

Valentine's Day dinners are a holiday tradition celebrated by going out to a restaurant or by preparing a special meal.

Fast Facts

1. Americans celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th
2. Also known as Saint Valentine's Day
3. Named after Christian Martyrs "Valentine of Rome" and "Valentine of Terni"
4. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to associate romantic love with the holiday
5. Celebrated with the exchanging of letters of affection and spending time with romantic partners

Dinner Planning

• Michael Bauer of the San Francisco chronicle recommends staying home for the holiday. He points out that restaurants overcharge, knowing that people are looking to celebrate a special occasion.¹ But if one decides to forgo this advice, Donatella Arpaia has several recommendations to make the evening go smoothly. For men she recommends to pay the date a specific, unique compliment such as "Cute dimples". She also recommends that men pay for the meal. For women she recommends to feel free to laugh and to relax during the date, while allowing the man to pay for the date.²

Valentine's Day Dinner Quotes

• “Valentine’s Day, like New Year’s Eve, is a night to stay home. It’s a time when restaurants charge a premium for seats, and the expectations generated by the price are rarely met.” ³

• "Valentine’s day has become all about eating out and failure to secure a reasonable booking on the 14th can be cited, if not as grounds for divorce, at least for weapons-grade recrimination for the rest of the year." ⁴

• "If you're choosing the restaurant, run it past three platonic girlfriends. You might love the local trattoria for its friendly waiters and free Limoncello, but it's the ladies who remember bad lighting, dingy bathrooms and day-old fruit garnishes." ⁵

Mahalo's Valentine's Day Pages

• Valentine's Day Recipes
• Valentine's Day Dessert
• Valentine's Day Candy
• Valentine's Day Cupcakes

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