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Truth be told, to me Valentine's day is not an occasion to eat out. I'm not really into it, never have been - it seems a bit of a "forced" holiday to me. Plus, all the "horror stories" about poor service, crowded restaurants, etc. don't make it really appealing. And since my OH said he wanted to cook for me tomorrow night, I'm just going to relax and enjoy it.

We did go out tonight though, for no particular reason. Or maybe just because it's been a long week.

Neither. I don't find dining at a crowded restaurant to be enjoyable. We usually go out mid-week for that reason. No way would I want to go out on a Saturday that is also Valentine's day.

Valentine's Day is an excuse for restaurants to come up with "special" fixed menus, overcharge, overbook, and underserve. Good times.

On top of which, I'm industry, and I always end up working Valentine's Day. So maybe it's a bit of sour grape syndrome.

I'm basically in line with the above commenters, we don't go out on major holidays as a general rule (and when we break it, we remember why very very quickly). We very much enjoy both eating at home and eating out at restaurants but certainly as we've had to pay more attention to our discretionary income (such as it is) we eat out less than we used to.

On balance, if this were a random Saturday, I'd say there would be a good chance we'd go out this weekend. As is, we'll stay home and roast a small chicken and watch something on our too full TiVo.

I usually try to make something special for Valentines; we don't exchange cards or gifts. We just try to spend some quality time together. We rarely go out to eat on Valentines. It's relaxing for me to cook at home, and I like spending the bucks on extravagant ingredients that I normally don't splurge on. This year is a little different. My husband has two tickets to the S.U. vs. Georgetown basketball game through work and is taking our youngest son to it. It's been officially declared an Orange Out day of revenge in Syracuse. I'll be watching the game at home and making a creamy potato soup for a light afternoon supper before I take my husband to the airport once he gets home from the game. He's going to London and Paris for the next week. Lucky bastard. I did tell him that I want a small bag of Walkers chicken flavored potato crisps from London and that he has to have a simple lunch of good cheese and good bread while walking the streets of Paris for me.

@pooch, Miss Ellie is doing just fine! I think she's wishing we had some nice fluffy snow to play in rather than the crusty old icy stuff that's on the ground right now. Maybe mid week she'll get her wish. She showed remarkable restraint last night when I left a slice of pizza unattended on the coffee table last night. She just sat there looking at it with a great big string of drool coming off her muzzle. Such a good girl!
Sorry to hear that you won't be making it to Ithaca and that your stepdaughter isn't going to SU anymore. Hope your doggies are well!

Cooking is love! I start thinking about it a few weeks in advance. So much of my cooking consists of trying to fit in a good meal around busy schedules that it's a treat to plan and produce a special romantic meal for two. I get to make a lot of large feasts (Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays) and there are fussy little things I can do for a small meal that I don't do for the big ones. Add to that the fact that we rarely eat desserts or sweets in this house and I love to cook them and you have to ask: restaurant or home??

It's Amateur Night, the way New Year's Eve and Mother's Day are, if you'll forgive a little tongue-in-cheek. For folks who seldom eat out, if they need a reason, that's fine for them, although I and a lot of restaurant professionals do wish they would choose other dates in, say alternate years, where they'd get a better idea of what the restaurant is really like when it's not slammed.

We'd originally planned on grabbing a sandwich at a non-romantic independent sandwich/coffee spot near the theater where we're going, but have decided on leftover soup and some smoked salmon at Chez Ours. We can do romantic very happily on any day of the year. (And let me say, he's provided some doozies over the years, has Mr. Meatloaf.)

Grilled Sea Scallops on a bed of sauteed spinach. It was better than any nearby restaurant and impressed the Mrs. What's not to love?

@pooch~regarding the Walkers chicken flavored crisps...just think of the most awesomely crispy chicken skin; that's what they mimic. Back in the 80's when I was there, a friend of mine loved the beef and onion flavor. He said they made him think of French Onion Soup.
Miss Ellie, did of course get a treat for her restraint regarding my slice of pizza. You have a "snow dog" too from the sounds of it! Our cats sit on the deck and their heads go back and forth tracking her progress as she frollicks in the snow. And of course there is a bit of puzzlement and disdain on their feline faces and they witness her total abandonment to playing in that cold, wet fluffy stuff. Waiting for just one more really good snow storm before I start germinating seeds for the garden.

@dhorst - those chips sound delish.... i baked some crispy chix wings in the oven tonite.... so i get the pictcha.

glad most of you all eat at home.... it's the best place to be, @lemons, i agree, it's amateur nite!

We had hand-cut filets, roasted potatoes, asparagus, and bubbly for $40...can't beat that! And...it was the first grill of the season - the Texas heat is coming back!