Making Valentine's Day Magic with Local Dinners, Desserts, Delights

Think Valentine's Day was created to make you run around willy-nilly in a search for good flowers, candy and dinner reservations? Admit it – once a year you pretend to be a knight/knightess in shining armor for your sweetheart. And if your picks aren't good, you end up the court jester, rather than the Valentine's Day hero.

Lucky for you, The Cake Eater is here with some suggestions for a dreamy Edina-centric Valentine's Day and weekend. What with all the restaurant deals, sweet treats and sexy spots in this town, you should have no trouble finding just the thing to heat up the holiday.

And if you're really in a pinch, I've got a few non-food Valentine's Day essentials at the bottom of the list. Use them if you seek that extra wow factor to pair with your romantic edibles.

HOT DINNER DEALS

, in the , has a Valentine's Day menu for a mere $79 per couple, with a $20 bottle of bubbly special for couples who'd like to kick up the festive atmosphere. Its menu has four courses, starting with mushroom bisque or a baby green salad and moving to a smoked gouda fondue or one of Crave's "umami" sushi rolls. The main dish is a "Surf 'N' Turf" with Maine lobster and grilled beef medallions, and a red velvet, chocolate truffle cake finishing things off.

Perhaps more sweet than hot, Patrick's Bakery will have a prix fixe for $45 per person available from Friday, Feb. 11, through Valentine's Day on Monday. It includes a chef's choice of Amuse Bouche, either foie gras-filled apple or baby shrimp salad as the starter, seared sea bass or filet mignon for the entree and a special Valentine's dessert from Patrick plus coffee and a glass of champagne. Be sure to call for reservations. There are seatings at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

For $110.95 a couple, promises three courses featuring – you guessed it – steaks and seafood. The first course is a choice of crab biscuits or a seafood salad, followed by an Angus beef porterhouse steak with shrimp, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. Dessert is a Bailey's chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.

SWEET & SEXY BITS

chocolate truffle tortes for two are a sweet and affordable way to your darling's heart at just $6 a pop, as are individual cherry tarts ($2.95), which are red and usually festooned with hearts for the season.

For a little more, stop by for a huge selection of Valentine's chocolates. The store carries truffles, caramels, marshmallows and my favorite, the solid Large Foil Heart in either dark or milk chocolate. For $10 you get a 18 square inches of love.

If your honey loves —and believe me, some people can't get enough of the soft-serve—the Normandale Avenue store has heart-shaped cakes on special for just $15, plus a chance to win a free gift certificate for a limo ride. Or, if you care to add a sassy note to your treat, has secret message cakes with heart-shaped personal notes baked right inside. Prices for those range from $32.95 to $40.

On the savory side, French-inspired promises an oyster sampler with champagne through Monday, while its sister restaurant, the pizzeria , is putting both Monogamous, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pro-Mis-Q-ous, a California red table wine, on sale for $31 a bottle.

THE NON-FOOD ESSENTIALS

has fresh cut flowers, live plants and garden elements, and custom creates all its arrangements. This isn't your mother's FTD outlet. Owner Melinda Carter-Benhan's store is independent and upscale. It would be hard to miss with a gift from this florist.

I'm not a spa rat, but I'm still intrigued by the "Better than Chocolate" retreat from Edina's famed For people who love being pampered, this $235.91 package is the ultimate. We're talking shampoo, blow-out, massage, facial, hair treatment, lunch and some other things I've never even heard of. This present will likely free those in the doghouse immediately. Of course, you can always select some less expensive treatments for your partner.

If you really need to make this Valentine's Day count, then I've got one final idea for you: . Book a room in the luxurious hotel and be sure to ask if the Valentine's Getaway Package is still available. It starts at $189 a night and gives lodgers a gift certificate for some Galleria restaurants plus sparkling wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries delivered to your room.

A night or two at the Westin and some chocolate truffle tortes would definitely make my Valentine's Day simmer. Here's hoping these ideas will inspire other folks to enjoy a romantic Edina weekend.