[Cajundaddy]

Yep. We have not spent Valentine's Day at a restaurant for maybe 20 years because of this. The wait staff doesn't really want to be there, the rats come out of the woodwork and make those around them miserable, the chef is rushed and sometimes serves halibut still flopping around on the plate, or serves asparagus completely raw, and the whole thing seems like a swing and a miss.

Often I will put on my chef's hat and prepare a nice meal at home, or prepare a picnic basket with Italian cheese, fresh bread, deli meat, fresh fruit and veggis, wine, and take this up to Mt Wilson or Arrowhead to catch the sunset view with no one else around. Tonight we stayed in, I broiled salmon, Calrose rice, steamed broccoli, and asian salad with a little wine. It was great and probably cost $20 instead of $200.