Ristorante Lombardo

February 14 is coming around again. Valentine’s Day. Let’s make it a celebration of love! No pining for that special gift, ring or unpopped question. Get with someone you care about and do something to share your affection. Here are some restaurants that will cosset you and your loved one:

Daniel’s

174 Buffalo Street, Hamburg

648-6554/daniels-restaurant.com

With only 14 tables, Daniel’s defines understated elegance. Located in a white house, with white tablecloths and flowers on each table, the restaurant offers Continental cuisine with contemporary flair. While there is a full service bar, there is no noisy bar crowd and dining is an intimate affair. Start your meal with escargot with tomatoes and baked garlic butter in a homemade pasta sheet ($11). Absolutely delicious. Seasonal specials such as venison are offered, and the regular menu boasts such exquisitely prepared dishes as filet mignon wrapped in bacon with Roquefort butter and red wine sauce ($34) and tenderloin of veal with lobster and lobster sauce ($36). The talent of chef Daniel Johengen is evident in his use of the freshest ingredients combined with delectable made-from-scratch sauces. The signature dessert is an almond tuile filled with house-made vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate and raspberry sauces. Ideal for sharing.

The Rue Franklin

341 Franklin Street, Buffalo

852-4416/ruefranklin.com

Here is your chance to pretend you’re in Paris. Class, grace, style—the Rue has it all. The charming owner, Dee Dee Lippes, greets you and escorts you to your table. The front of the restaurant is warm and inviting on a cold February night; the middle holds a small and quiet bar; and the back room looks out onto a beautifully lit and landscaped patio. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the kitchen offers a prix fixe menu of appetizer, entrée and dessert ($28-$32). The menu varies seasonally, and the current winter menu has a mouthwatering array: oysters (possibly an aphrodisiac) on the half shell at $13; tuna carpaccio for $11; and seared foie gras in cassis-flavored broth for $14. Entrees include capon breast with wild mushroom sauce and gnocchi ($22); filet mignon with shallot butter, wilted greens and potato galette ($30); and filet of sole and shrimp with shrimp sauce and jasmine rice ($25). The food is expertly prepared by Chef Joel Lippes. You can also count on a choice of delicious desserts or a fruit and cheese tray to round out your meal.

Schimschacks

2943 Upper Mountain Road, Sanborn

731-4111/schimschacks.com

Take a drive into the country and visit the place where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio snuggled while she was filming Niagara. Owned and operated by the Marinelli family, Schimschacks has been around since the turn of the century, although it did burn down twice and was most recently rebuilt in 1976. The dining room is formulated on tiers, providing a spectacular view of Niagara County farmland, and even Lake Ontario and Toronto when the weather is clear. And for perfect Valentine’s Day bona fides, this restaurant has even been featured as a romantic restaurant on the Travel Channel.

Ristorante Lombardo

1198 Hertel Avenue

873-4291/ristorantelombardo.com

The Ristorante Lombardo engages your senses even before you enter. The fragrance of garlic pulls you in, where muted lighting welcomes you with a warm sensuality. In the back room are a bar and a number of tables. Doors separate it from the front room, where windows give a view of sparkly lights in the winter garden. While there will be a special menu on Valentine’s Day, among the appetizers on the regular menu are prosciutto-wrapped grilled figs ($12) and fried calamari ($11). A Caesar salad is made tableside. Entrees such as handmade roasted sweet potato and mascarpone mezzaluna with brown butter sage and amaretti ($16) as well as grilled filet of beef alla funghetto with caramelized wild mushrooms, truffle butter, veal sugo and smashed potatoes ($33) sound lush and luscious. Crown the experience with tiramisu, frou frou cake (white genoise with white chocolate mousse) or soufflé al cioccolato (moist cake with a warm heart of creamy chocolate, with raspberry puree and vanilla gelato).

Vinos

1652 Elmwood Avenue

332-2145

On a wintry night, the front windows at Vinos are all steamed up. Diners at the tables in the window must be generating a lot of heat! The charm of this small Italian restaurant is in its simple décor (it features a 1950s wooden bar on the left) and the warmth of its owners, Kathleen and Tony Cangianiello. Kathleen’s beautiful Irish face welcomes you, and Tony, born in Naples, is the chef. Tony plans to create an aphrodisiac dish for Valentine’s Day, but as yet he hasn’t settled on a choice. He has ordered special champagne for the evening in addition to the restaurant’s good selection of moderately priced wines. There are always candles and flowers on the table.

The menu features such dishes as Chicken a la Vino (breaded chicken breast with romano cheese, and pasta, $12.95) or Steak a la Vino (pan fried filet served on ciabatta, topped with rapini and cheese, $12.95) as well as favorites such as lasagna, pasta with pesto or spaghetti and meatballs (all $9.95). Desserts are made by Kathleen, and include a zabaglione using Tony’s mother’s recipe, as well as a variety of cakes.

And remember, home is a very nice place to be. You can make it easy on yourself by taking advantage of some great takeout options. For $19.99, Camillo’s Sloan Super Market (494 Reiman Street, Sloan, 896-8982/sloansupermarket.com) will provide you with two eight-ounce strip steaks, two two-ounce lobster tails, 12 cooked shrimp, two twice-baked potatoes, a bag of salad and a heart-shaped pound cake. I always whip up some cream, throw in some raspberry jam, frost the cake and shave some bittersweet chocolate over the top. They have been offering this Sweetheart Dinner Special for five years, and expect to sell about 700 of them. You could always buy some mushrooms to cook in wine to top the steak, or some Gorgonzola for the same purpose. Set the table, light the candles, cook the food and voila!

There is also the Globe Market (762 Elmwood Avenue, 886-5242/theglobemarket.com). Pick up some tomato basil or Italian wedding soup ($3.95 pint, $7.50 quart) to go along with a freshly prepared spinach salad ($7.25, half $5.25) and a portabella mushroom sandwich for $6.50. For dessert, be sure to check out the New Tree chocolate bars on sale there—they come with names such as Pleasure, Forgiveness, Rejoice, Vigor, Tranquility and Renew.

If you decide to eat out on Valentine’s Day, make your reservations now. All these restaurants will be busy. Valentine’s Day is on a Thursday this year, and you can always celebrate a day or two later, especially if you want to relax and linger over your meal on Friday or Saturday. Some of the restaurants will have special choices for the day, but really, these venues are always exceptional. One restaurateur told me he replaces his large tables with tables for two on Valentine’s Day. Yet when I asked another if that was the practice, I learned that last year a group of eight reserved, and said they were all sleeping together.

And finally, here is what someone I know did to make a Valentine’s Day special: He surprised me at my office and invited me to the Main Place Mall, where we took a table among the downtown workers eating lunch. In his hands was a foil-covered plate, which he unveiled, revealing homemade liverwurst sandwiches he had cut into heart shapes. It was the best.