Celebrate Valentine's Day With Your Sweetheart: Patch Picks

Bad boyfriends (and girlfriends, it is 2011, after all), take note. Valentine's Day is Monday and yes, even though you probably promised each other you wouldn't do anything big, YOU STILL SHOULD DO SOMETHING. Even for the less romantically-inclined, it will at least give you a chance to gloat to your singleton friends, who will probably spend the lovefest at home face-down in a bucket of beer while intermittently catching up on House, M.D.

Singletons: Get washed up, grab a good friend and chow down on a couples' dinner. The best part: you don't need to worry about table manners, ordering the cheap wine or making eyes at the cutie at the next table.

To help you plan your special evening, the Lincoln-Way Patches have put together a list of top romantic spots.

• , 11116 Front St, Mokena. This quiet downtown Mokena eatery is the perfect place for an intimate evening. With an extensive wine list and Italian specialties at hand, Chef Paul E's will have you declaring amore by evening's end. A special Valentine's Day menu has yet to be finalized, but the restaurant is still taking reservations for the special day.
• will also have a special Valentine's Day menu running all weekend. The menu has not been finalized, but we are told it will include a surf 'n' turf, a chicken dish and another fish dish. Stick around Saturday for a special performance by .
• , 20 Kansas St., Frankfort, will be creating a Valentine's Day evening with a stylish, Rat Pack touch. Chicagoland vocalist Jim Bulanda will perform the songs of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett (yes, we know Tony wasn't a member of the Rat Pack, but go with it). Dinners start at $11.95. Call 815-464-2685 for reservations.
• , 40 Kansas St., Frankfort. If Italian cuisine in an intimate setting is what you're looking for, then Francesca's is where you should make your reservations. The downtown restaurant serves a variety of northern Italian dishes that run from $15 to $30. It's the ideal place to impress that date you're looking to spend more Valentine's Days with. Call 815-464-1890 for reservations.
• , 2101 Calistoga Dr, New Lenox. Two can dine for $39.95 on Valentine's Day. That'll get you one appetizer, two entrees and one dessert. The entrees include an 8 oz. filet and 16 oz. ribeye, tilapia, chicken marsala, chicken limon, bowtie pasta, sausage and pepper rigatoni and the reuben. There's also a raffle for a Valentine's Day basket that includes wine, glassware, gift cards and more. You must be present on Valentine's Day to win.