Lovers' food for dining in or out

IF YOUR DATE on Valentine's Day this Monday is slurping raw oysters in the half shell and washing it down with a glass of clam nectar in between long, lustful looks across the table, it's a pretty clear indication of what your date has in mind.

After all, we think of raw oysters and clam nectar as having aphrodisiac powers - mystical properties that create sexual attraction between two people. It doesn't matter whether it's all in the mind, or backed up by science, we tend to think and feel more romantic when the mood is right and the perfect combination of food and wine is served.

And so do restaurants - Valentine's Day is one of their busiest times of the year, and many establishments will create special menus, paired with wine or Champagne and finished with something decadently delicious and sweet.

Although Valentine's Day cheers up a restaurateur's cash register, whether you dine out or eat in, it can be a celebration of romance. Great expectations often are set on an appetizer, dinner plate and dessert during the day set aside for acknowledging someone you like, love, lust for or are simply smitten with.

Keeping that in mind, the last thing you want to do is eat a heavy meal with a heavy wine and dessert, unless you plan a long stroll after dinner. A light and flavorful meal is the goal; overeating and imbibing will leave you sleepy as you waddle away from the restaurant or dinner table. Even if you can manage to stay awake to watch a romantic movie at the theater or at home, it could bring out "excuse me" burps that squelch the best romantic intentions. So, if steak and Cabernet Sauvignon is your passion, have a petit filet mignon, not a 16-ounce Porterhouse!

Many restaurants fill up weeks before Valentine's Day, so reservations may be hard to get for some of the most popular restaurants. However, many of the meals served at restaurants can easily be made at home with a little planning and a mantra of "keeping it simple."

A survey of executive chefs in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene region reflects seafood and steak as the meal of love. Adam Hegsted, executive chef at Brix Restaurant in Coeur d'Alene, said his idea of lovers' food would start with oysters or clams.

"There is something very sexy about starting with oysters, clams or caviar," Hegsted said. "I think for many people, anything considered luxurious or extravagant can be sexy."

Shilo Pierce, chef at Luna on the South Hill, says foods that are eaten with the hands and shared are romantic in his book.

"I think of seafood as the main dish, but to start with, try something like fondue, where you can dip and feed your partner - that seems very romantic to me," Pierce said. "I would really concentrate on flavor and not quantity."

Beverly's Restaurant in the Coeur d'Alene Resort will feature a full-blown Valentine's menu, "La Fete Des Amoureuses" (the celebration of lovers), with such scrumptious names as Seafood Aphrodisiac (chilled oysters, crab and other seafood with dipping sauces), and Heart (of) Beet Salad and Exotic Greens, Love Affair of Lobster (An Affair to Remember!) and Lover's Duet, combining a petit filet mignon with lobster. To top it off, the chef has prepared an assortment of exotic chocolates called "Romancing the Chocolate."

Eric Cook, Beverly's new sommelier, said his idea of a romantic dinner would include casual, messy finger foods.

"Minimize the use of cutlery because it just gets in the way of using your fingers to pick up and share the food," Cook said with a grin. "If cooking at home, I would make skewers of something with roasted tomatoes - something you can feed to your partner."

Studying for his master of sommelier soon, Cook said he would recommend a big, heady Cote du Rhone or a Chateaneuf du Pape wine to entice the taste buds and a little romance. These French wines are terrific with or without food, in case you get distracted. For white wines, Cook recommends semi-dry German Rieslings, Champagne or sparkling wines, especially at the beginning of the night.

For those wanting to celebrate early, CenterStage dinner theater is hosting a Valentine's Day Ball tonight, complete with dinner - a trio plate featuring beef, lamb and salmon. This is the time to shake off the meal, since couples can dance and shimmy to live music and sparkling wine for $99 per couple.

For those who want more intimacy at home, stretch out the meal by starting with appetizers - oysters on the half-shell (uncooked) or oysters Rockefeller (cooked with spinach) and a Sauvignon Blanc. Washington produces wonderful, wild Sauvignon Blanc, reminiscent of grass, green tea, lime and often a little smokiness.

Fresh seafood can be found at most major markets or Williams Seafood, which also has a fabulous array of wines.

Many local chefs recommended a great cut of beef, such as a filet mignon - keep the portion small. You can't go wrong with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot or blended reds such as a Meritage. These can be big, beefy wines, so keep your intake small if romance is also on the menu.

A little dancing between the entree and dessert is always recommended at home. Put on some romantic music that you enjoy as a couple and dance a few tunes before getting to the dessert.

Most of the chefs surveyed recommended Bonny Doon's NV Framboise, Infusion of Raspberries, with dessert. The raspberries for this wine come from Washington, even though the wine is made in California. A beautiful, exotic dessert wine for nearly any type of after-dinner sweets and kisses! And this wine is easy to find in restaurants and stores such as Vino's, Huckleberry's or Yoke's Market and other larger grocery stores.

The Beatles once sang "All You Need is Love," and whether you dine in or dine out, a little succulent meal and great wine will provide some "Good Loving."

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