Patch Picks: Four Romantic Options for Valentine's Day

Welcome to our second installment of Patch Picks, a weekly feature that highlights editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off and more.

You’ll find useful lists to help you, your family, friends and significant others find the best places for everything from Sunday brunch to New Year’s Eve celebrations, pumpkin patches, date-night destinations, florists, girlfriend nights out, kids party places, parks and more. 

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GREAT VALENTINE'S DAY SPOTS

A Classic Affair

• A dinner and a movie may not seem all that original, but a little creativity can put a new spin on an old classic. Speaking of classics, why not take your valentine back in time? Try dinner at Ruby’s. You can share a milkshake while watching the sunset. After dinner, you can continue the nostalgia theme by strolling down to the Bay Theatre to catch the 8 p.m. showing of the 1959 Marilyn Monroe classic Some Like It Hot.

 Candlelight Dinner

• You can’t go wrong with a candlelight dinner.  For sophisticated, gourmet and intimate, try the Main Street Wine Cellar in Seal Beach. On Valentine’s Day, it'll be offering a fixed menu so good it will take effort not to drool in front of your date. The five-course meal starts with crab bisque, wintergreens and roasted pear salad and chilled poached prawns with a trio of sauces. For the main course, you’ll have a choice between chicken scaloppine and petite filet mignon. Dessert will be a mixed berry fromage tart.

A Romantic Picnic

• Monday night doesn’t exactly scream romance, but a picnic at the beach during sunset does. You don’t even need to prep for this low-key option. Just grab a blanket and stop by Angelo's Italian Deli on Main Street on your way to the beach. Angelo’s has fresh bread, cheese, cold cuts, wines and dessert.

 Simply Charming

• Perhaps the single most romantic spot in Los Alamitos is the patio behind Shenandoah at the Arbor. If you haven’t been there, Valentine’s is a good time to start. Wear a sweater so you can brave the cool evening, because it is worth it to sit outside. The patio glows, thanks to a strand of lights that follow the branches of an old tree that covers the entire area like an umbrella. A small waterfall offers soothing sounds, and the menu is a mix of the Southern comfort foods with California flair.