Happy St. Valentine's Day, San Mateo

This morning San Mateo woke up to Valentine's Day -- a kind of unofficial official holiday eagerly anticipated by some (especially candy lovers), , and greeted with a shrug by some undefinable minority (particularly, we're guessing, married middle-aged men).

Which reminds me: Can anybody recommend a good flower shop in San Mateo?

The origins of the holiday are murky; no less an authority than Wikipedia says its name seems to derive from at least three saints Valentine, all martyred within the third century A.D. Strangely, none of them had any special association with love or romance -- that came later, apparently thanks to the writings of the great Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 1300s.

One thing led to another, and seven centuries later, Feb. 14 has been set aside (in our minds, at least) as a special day for lovers. This translates into candy, flowers and cards -- and a major retail day for local florists and confectioners.

On Sunday in Hilldale Mall, several stores were decked out in the customary pink, red and white hues of Valentine's Day in anticipation of this retail bonanza. At , a young employee stood by the door, a bowl full of strawberry truffles at the ready.

So I know where to find some good chocolate. But seriously, can anybody recommend a good flower shop? I'm kind of in a hurry.