Picking up flowers on the way home isn’t good enough. Taking her
out to eat at a burger joint will only upset her.
This is a fact that we, as men, must face every year on Feb.
14.
Sure, it may seem like an overblown holiday or a big waste of
time and money to some of us guys, but there are only a few times a
year when the women in our lives ask
– and expect to be – blown away by their loved ones.
Picking up flowers on the way home isn’t good enough. Taking her out to eat at a burger joint will only upset her.
This is a fact that we, as men, must face every year on Feb. 14.
Sure, it may seem like an overblown holiday or a big waste of time and money to some of us guys, but there are only a few times a year when the women in our lives ask – and expect to be – blown away by their loved ones. They want to be swept right off their feet on Valentine’s Day, and we have to deliver. Succeed, and she will reward you. Fail, and you won’t hear the end of it.
A dozen roses every year is expected and a tired gift, and going out to anything but her favorite restaurant or someplace classy simply won’t cut it. Worst of all, the clock’s ticking and reservations are beginning to fill up – not to mention babysitter’s schedules for those with children.
Here’s a few suggestions – with average prices ($ is equal to $25) – to help keep yourself on the up and up with the lady in your life and keep you out of the doghouse. And, guys, for crying out loud, you should know by now that doing just one of these things isn’t going to cut it. Mix it up and be creative.
Flowers
$ to $$$$
In no way will a beautiful arrangement of flowers make her Valentine’s Day (How many times do you think she’s been given a dozen roses in her lifetime?). That being said, you better not skip on them. A beautiful bouquet of flowers, roses or otherwise, are an expected tradition and will let her know you care.
“We usually go through 175 to 350 dozen roses (on Valentine’s Day), and what we do is make sure to try and have 65 to 70 percent red,” said Ted Uchida, owner of Zen Flower Garden in Gilroy. “We ask customers to call ahead to book them, especially red.”
Roses at Uchida’s store start at $29.99 and go up to $45. Mixed bouquets of other flowers go from $10 to $20. And while roses are generally associated with Valentine’s Day, going with another flower can be more creative.
“Do your homework and find out what her favorite flower is,” said Julie Bonnet, of Frank’s Garden Florist. “It makes it more personal. Women love flowers at work, so Friday would be a great day to have them delivered.”
Bonnet said roses are $89.99 at Frank’s, with $25 and up for other flowers such as tulips and daisies. Friday delivery charges will be about $15.
Frank’s Garden Florist
7600 Eigleberry St.
847-5888
Zen Flower Garden
5350 Monterey Road
847-1667
Wines
$ and up
We live in wine country, so what’s stopping you from picking up a few fancy wine glasses and a bottle to help set a romantic mood?
While finding a good wine may seem like a daunting task to the average beer-drinking man, there are plenty of people to help find a wine that suits your taste by heading over to a local winery. They’ll even tell you interesting facts about the wine you’re buying, so you can sound smart when you tell her about the significance of the wine you chose!
If you’re looking to go all out, Clos LaChance Winery is offering a red bouquet with a sparkling center. While a bouquet of roses is the traditional way to show your Valentine how you feel, Clos La Chance Hospitality Manager Rick Toyota encourages guys to take the tradition one step further with a wine bouquet.
“We were sitting around thinking of ideas for Valentine’s Day, and we talked about giving a bouquet of flowers and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat to do something like that with wine,’ ” he said. “It was a natural evolution.”
Each bouquet is made up with one bottle each of 2001 Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir, 2002 Central Coast Merlot, 2001 El Dorado County Zinfandel, 2001 Central Coast Syrah, 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and NV “Amber’s Cuvee” Sparkling Wine. The bottles are displayed in a six-bottle “Bouquet Style” wine rack and is available for a special Valentine’s price of $150.
The winery also is holding a Valentines Day dinner for $95 per person. The dinner will be catered by the restaurant “O” and features appetizers, grilled pineapple topped with pan seared foie gras, braised short rib with chocolate, grilled colorado lambs chop with crispy sweetbreads and caramel raisin rice pudding – with each course paired with a wine.
Clos LaChance Winery
One Hummingbird Lane
San Martin
686-1050
Solis Winery
3920 Hecker Pass Highway
847-6306
Rapazzini Winery
4350 Monterey Highway
842-5649
Fortino Winery
4525 Hecker Pass Highway
847-0387
Gift Baskets
$ and up
When it comes to a creative gift for your loved one, there are thousands of different ways to make a personalized gift basket.
“When buying a Valentine’s Day gift for that very special someone, remember flowers die, money is spent on bills, and cards are tossed into a drawer and forgotten,” said Kim Burgess, co-owner of Kimz and Lori’z Avalon in Gilroy. “But the meaning of a uniquely designed, heartfelt gift will last for a very long time.”
Gift baskets can be filled with and array of bath and skin products, teas and herbs, jewelry, shawls and wraps, chocolate and coffee, gourmet food, custom baskets and candles. Custom baskets also are available.
Kimz and Lori’z Avalon
60 W. Fifth St.
842-7003
Dinner
$$$ to $$$$$
If you think you’ll just be able to walk in and get a table at any of Gilroy’s finest restaurants on Valentine’s Day, you’ve got another thing coming to you. Get your reservations as soon as possible, and call around because local restaurants are holding special Valentine’s Day dinner menus as well as events.
At Gilroy’s new fine dining restaurant, The Clocktower located at Old City Hall, there will be a romantic dinner for two.
For $75 a couple can sit down to a set menu including Indian curry soup, tar tare of salmon and rack of lamb with couscous and ratatouille with white passion moussse for dessert. Regular menu items also will be available. Roses will be handed out to the ladies.
One of the restaurants holding a special event is J.R. Brewski’s, which will be holding a murder mystery show in its banquet room.
“It’s definitely something different,” J.R. Brewski’s Owner Jeff Parsons said. “We’ve done this twice and we’ve definitely had a great response so far.”
Called “Killer Honeymoon,” the murder mystery will revolve around a a dead loved one and the who-done-it that follows. Actors will roam the banquet room acting out the show and talking to guests about their plight while they eat.
“It’s completely interactive,” Parsons said.
The mystery dinner is offered for $75 per person, $55 for those just interested in the dinner. On the menu for the evening is grilled salmon, sauteed tiger prawns, prime rib, seared breast of chicken, saffron linguine with grilled asparagus or grilled red wine marinated flat iron steak. For a complete menu, visit www.jrbrewskis.com.
Clocktower Restaurant, Old City Hall
7400 Monterey St.
846-8880
J.R. Brewski’s
8080 Santa Teresa Blvd.
847-8024
Harvest Time
9397 Monterey St.
8472-7575
Tassos’ Old House
383 First St.
847-7527
And speaking of theater …
$
Dinner and gifts are great, but why not a night at the theater? While there are several different options for shows to see in San Francisco and San Jose, the local area has a few fun choices.
The Pintello Comedy Theater is presenting “Nobody’s Perfect,” directed by Rod Pintello. The comedy is about a single dad wins a contest for his secretly written romance novels at a women-only publishing house. The plot thickens when he falls in love with the publisher.
Meanwhile, South Valley Civic Theater is showing the classic story “Peter Pan.”
The teen show features real flying effects that allow Peter Pan and the Darling children to fly back and forth across the stage.
Pintello Comedy Theater
“Nobody’s Perfect”
8531 Church St.
776-8004
South Valley Civic Theater
“Peter Pan”
Monterey and Dunne Road
842-SHOW
Day at the spa
$$$ and up
Treat your loved one to a day of relaxation with a massage or a manicure. And, if you’re really daring, Naturals Day Spa in Morgan Hill invites you to join her.
“We featuring ‘Friendship and Love Valentine’s Day Weekend,’ ” Manager Cindi Torres said. “We have a lot of openings left.”
The promotion, which runs through Valentine’s Day weekend, offers couples manicures, pedicures and massages.
And for guys who don’t want anything to do with a spa, they can simply let her choose what she wants.
“If they want, they can get a gift certificate and she can come in later,” Torres said.
Costs range from $210 to $470 for full days at the spa or you can make a custom package.
Naturals Day Spa
15790 Monterey Road
Morgan Hill
779-8466
