ALL ABOUT FOOD: Wining and dining your Valentine

The original St. Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred Feb. 14, 270 A.D., when the Roman Emperor Claudius II condemned a priest named Valentine to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.

There are several myths as to why this priest had incurred Claudius’ disfavor. One suggests Claudius had prohibited marriage for young men, claiming bachelors made better soldiers but Valentine secretly continued to perform marriage ceremonies.

Another story claims he was martyred for refusing to renounce his Christianity. It is also said he fell in love with the daughter of his jailer and left her a farewell note signed, “from your Valentine.”

For 800 years prior to the establishment of Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 began an ancient pagan fertility celebration honoring Juno, the goddess of women and marriage, with the following day beginning the weeklong feast of Lupercalia.

On the eve of the festival, there was a lottery in which the names of young Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Then, each young man would draw a name. The girl assigned to each youth in that manner would be his sexual companion for the rest of the year.

In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius, in an effort to do away with this pagan ritual, ordered a slight change in the lottery. Instead of the names of girls, the boys would draw the names of saints with the idea that they would emulate the ways of that saint for the next year. Clearly, this was not a popular decision among young men.

The church then needed an appropriate saint of love, in the sense of agape not eros to take the place of Lupercus and found the perfect choice in Valentine. Although, the lottery for women was banned, young men still used the day to seek the affection of women by passing hand-written messages of affection, containing Valentine’s name. The first Valentine card grew out of this practice.

It was not until the 14th century that this Christian feast became definitively associated with romantic love. It was in fact Chaucer who first linked it with romance.

By the 18th century, gift giving and exchanging hand-made cards became common in England. The practice did not become common in the United States until the 1850s when Esther A. Howard, a Mount Holyoke graduate, began mass-producing them. Today 25% of all cards given each year are valentines.

Wining and dining in Laguna

If you are planning on celebrating this ancient fertility festival, why not begin by taking the object of your affection to one of Laguna’s fine dining establishments featuring special Valentine Day menus. Reserve ASAP!

Being that money is definitely an object, we have listed the following in order of price (listings priced per person).

 Cedar Creek Inn offers its last Valentine’s Day menu in Laguna Beach. If you get a table by the fireplace, it can be quite romantic.

The price includes a four-course dinner with lobster bisque, then salad, followed by a choice of swordfish or filet and for dessert lemon pudding with raspberries or chocolate ganache torte.

5 to 9 p.m., (949) 497-8696, $45

 On the lower end for price but the higher end for romance is the Beachcomber and if the weather is nice, you can follow dinner with a stroll on the beach in the moonlight. Their four courses include corn and lobster bisque, goat cheese tartlet, braised grouper or filet mignon, and, to end the evening, chocolate cake with berries and crème anglaise.

5 to 9:30 p.m., (949) 376-6900, $65

 Sapphire is serving three courses with more selections. We would suggest smoked duck breast, pan-seared barramundi with lobster risotto cake and for dessert a milk chocolate dome with mascarpone and rose petal jam. Once again, if it’s a bit warmer, sitting outside by the fire provides the necessary seductive atmosphere.

5:30 to 10:30 p.m., (949) 715-9888, $75

 Sorrento Grill begins with an amuse bouche, then your choice from eight starters, eight entrées and four desserts. May we suggest the obvious starter here would be the Pacific oysters, followed by filet mignon with lobster medallion and crepes for two for dessert. Try to sit upstairs if you want to whisper sweet nothings.

5:30 to 10 p.m., (949) 494-8686, $85

 Ti Amo’s amuse bouche is a puff pastry filled with mushroom in a shrimp, gorgonzola cream sauce, followed by either soup, salad or scallop carpaccio. Entrée choices include pork, filet, rack of lamb, sea bass or lobster. The dessert is actually a plate featuring a taste of all their desserts.

5:30 to 10 p.m., (949) 499-5350, $95

 Hush has a Valentine’s Day menu but it is a la carte. A sampling of choices includes: Hudson Valley foie gras, day boat scallops and strawberry cream puffs. That would cost $59.

5:30 to 10:30 p.m., (949) 497-3616, $50-$100

 The Loft has a four-course tasting menu including a glass of sparkling wine.

5:30 to 9:30 p.m., (949) 715-6420, $105

 The most romantic place in town is definitely The Studio at The Montage Resort. They are offering a special six-course aphrodisiac tasting menu for the entire month of February. Oysters, scallops with caviar, Dover sole with mango saffron sauce, lamb chops with fig and stone fruit chutney, then salad with triple cream cheese and the finale, banana split love boat for two.

5:30 to 9:45 p.m., (949) 715-6420, $125 or $200 with wine pairings

 Laguna Canyon Winery has a five-course set menu with champagne and wine pairings. One sitting only.

7 p.m. (949) 715-9463, $125 or $112.50 for members

 At French 75, in addition to its four-course dinner, featuring choices from their regular menu, the lady is presented with a rose, chocolate truffles and a bottle of Piper Heidseck champagne. Our suggestion would be “ménage au foie,” Maine lobster and the white chocolate soufflé.

4 to 10 p.m., (949) 494-8444, $135

 At 5’, there are 3 tasting menus, a five-, a six- and an eight-course. Each comes with a glass of champagne. Wine pairings are available.

5 to 10 p.m., (949) 497-4955, five courses $125; six courses $150; eight courses $190.

ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ owned A La Carte for 20 years. They can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].