Pay it forward and reward your good Samaritan this V-Day.

​Have you been the lucky recipient of a Random Act of Sweetness? Well, Crema Cafe will pay your good Samaritan for their kind deeds. Tell the eatery the sweet story for a chance to win a $25 Sonny's ice cream gift card for your big-hearted friend or loved one.

We wouldn't dare tell you how to spend your money, but Mango Champagne sorbet should definitely be part of your purchase.

BT McElrath

Printed truffles spell out your feelings.

​A classic romantic rookie mistake: Assuming that all chocolate is created equal in the eyes of your cocoa-obsessed valentine. Before you run out and buy a bag of pink and red foil-wrapped Hershey's kisses, think about your lover's personality and your intentions for the night.

Whether you're popping the question to a true romantic or looking forward to a night of sweet love, we've got the perfect chocolate gift idea.

More »

Forget diamonds, flowers and candy. If you didn't take your lover to White Castle on Valentine's Day, you dropped the ball. Either way, you would have had to have planned in advance, because every White Castle in the Twin Cities area was booked for more than two weeks.

Strolling into the North Minneapolis White Castle was like walking into an inside joke that everybody understood. From 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. the hostess, Chiquita Thomas, stood perched behind her trash bin-turned-work station, yelling "welcome!" to incoming customers. A wait staff hustled to tables, carefully balancing trays packed with Diet Coke and Double Jalapeno Cheeseburgers. A waitress walked around lighting and re-lighting candles. The place was full.

More »

Courtesy of pdphoto.org

Valentine's Day is here. There's a lot riding on this holiday, and you want to make everything perfect--including the champagne. So we called on a few experts at some of the Cities' best wine shops (France 44, Haskell's, Solo Vino, and Surdyk's) to help out. We asked them to recommend their best sparkling wines in four price ranges: Under $15 for the budget-minded; from $15 to $40 for a classy bottle; $40 to $60, when you really want to make an impression; and over $60, when money is no object in love and romance (including one bottle that will set you back 350 bucks). Look for their suggestions and tasting notes on the following pages, followed by information on where you can get these superb sparkling wines.

More »

Really gotta go? You might just have to hold it if you're at Mildred's Temple Kitchen in Toronto come this Valentine's Day. According to the Toronto Star, the upscale restaurant is advertising not its food, but its bathrooms as the place to be this holiday weekend.

"We've always had little trysts in our bathrooms," says chef/co-owner Donna Dooher, pointing to lingering weekday lunches as a popular time. "We're taking it to the next level on Valentine's weekend."

The restaurant's four bathrooms light up outside when occupied. Staff have learned to watch the light flicker twice when two customers enter the same bathroom, usually a few minutes apart.

Toronto Public Health says as long as there's no sex in the kitchen and the restaurant keeps its washrooms clean and sanitized, it's not fussed. "As far as bodily fluids, it's pretty much similar to the other human functions going on in there," says Jim Chan, manager of the food safety program.

Check it out --- the bathroom (pillows, candles ...) actually looks nicer than the average bedroom. And if bathroom trysts aren't your bag, the restaurant is also offering to arrange for "fuzzy handcuffs" to be left at your table. Awesome.

Have you been Googling "valentine's day cheap" lately? Perhaps you and your Sweet Baboo simply, ah, prefer all-you-can-eat restaurants, fast food, and animal gonads? It's one thing to need to go for an affordable option, quite another to openly pursue eating five Slyders on Valentine's Day. You might just have twisted senses of humor. We can respect that. Here's our Top 5 low-brow Valentine's Day dinner suggestions:

More »

You just realized Valentine's Day is approaching: Do you still have time to treat your sweetheart to a fancy dinner? Yes, but be prepared to eat early or late, or to celebrate the day on Friday instead of Sunday. Open Table has compiled a list of several popular eateries with special plans for the big weekend, and we've checked on their availability. Here are 12 great choices, with a few notes on the restaurants with limited openings.

More »

Remember last Valentine's Day, when you promised yourself that next year you wouldn't be an idiot again and wait till the last minute to make dinner reservations? Well, the time is now! Many of the Cities' best restaurants are going all out to lure diners, and Open Table has thoughtfully compiled a list of nearly 30 popular eateries with special plans for their holiday gold mine. Here are 10, with more to come.

More »