I’m not a romantic. But I do appreciate special occasions for various reasons. And of course I appreciate my lovely wife who actually prepares these beautiful dishes that I love so much I feel inclined to write about. (Sidenote before we get to the food part: I did a bit of research on the origins of valentine’s day (side-side note: I actually didn’t do research, but just stumbled across and read a slate.com article) and found that Hallmark didn’t actually invent valentine’s day. It was your typical pagan-turned-christian holiday, which was originally a Roman day devoted to fertility, transferred to a far less “sensually-themed” St. Valentine’s Day. I just found that interesting.) On to the goods.
Cous cous
Pan-seared endive (similar to this)
Mushroom caps sautéed with garlic and butter (awesome and simple!)
Champagne: Veuve Clicquot Rose (the alcoholic’s version of Valentine’s day roses 
)
Wine: Paitin Barbera Campolive. A tart and fruity (but not sweet) Italian red, very smooth going down. Really drinkable.
Desert: Milk and White chocolate covered strawberries and bananas. Yum!!
