In case Cupid didn’t call early for a reservation ...

IS your Valentine’s date worth $225, or $135? Extra black truffles and osetra caviar? Having dinner the night of Valentine’s Day, or the night after, or the night after that?

All questions to consider when faced with making a Valentine’s dinner reservation at Mélisse in Santa Monica. There’s the five-course dinner on Thursday, or the four-course dinner on Friday and Saturday for those who A) didn’t snag a night-of rezzy or B) are cheaping out.

Hey, it’s hard to get a Valentine’s reservation. As early as two weeks ago, calls for Valentine’s reservations garnered a prompt “Sorry, we’re booked” at Sona, a wait-list offer at Craft and “how about 5 o’clock?” for one of the last seats in the house at Valentino.

At Mélisse, a couple of early bird and night owl seatings were up for grabs. “Or you can come pretty much any time you’d like on Friday or Saturday night,” the hostess said. But doesn’t Cupid officially turn into a pumpkin -- well, maybe a red rose -- at midnight Thursday?

“Customers would call the week before, upset because they couldn’t get a reservation,” chef-owner Josiah Citrin says. “We put a lot of energy into the special [Valentine’s] menu and decorations, so a couple years ago I decided to continue the celebration.”

Each year, the restaurant adds one to two additional nights to its love calendar, offering the same prix-fixe dinner, less one course. The four-course weekend menu is also cheaper . . . to the tune of $90. “People are willing to pay a premium on Valentine’s Day,” Citrin says.

For those who dine the nights after, one can’t help but wonder -- has love come a day late and $90 short?

Well, yes, unless you demand the poached egg with lemon-chive crème fraîche and osetra caviar for a first course (add $20 per diner). And for an extra $40 each, get the fresh Perigord black truffle shavings on the artichoke soup with roma tomato confit and Parmigiano-Reggiano croquette or on the Maine lobster bolognese with fresh capellini and truffle froth. Those extras are included in Thursday’s price.

Give me love, or give me truffles.

Small bites

Culver City headed East with Akasha Restaurant’s opening Tuesday night. The dinner menu includes Asian-style braised short ribs and wild pepper crusted scallops; lunch and bakery hours coming soon.

Akasha Restaurant, Bar and Bakery, 9543 Culver Blvd., Culver City, (310) 845-1700, www.akasharestaurant.com.

* Milk spoons, reggae tunes and pizza-loving pets are all the rage at a new cereal and fro-yo bar, “reggae-inspired” taco joint and canine-friendly restaurant featuring pizza and wings, respectively.

The Milky Spoon, 6754 Greenleaf Ave., Whittier, (562) 945-8999, www.themilkyspoon.com; Rasta Taco, 26881 Camino de Estrella, Capistrano Beach, (949) 496-8226, www.rastataco.com; Wing Star Pizza, 22307 El Paseo, Suite C, Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 459-6199, www.wingstarpizza.com.

* Honolulu-based Tokyo Table restaurant has opened in Arcadia with island-inspired Japanese dishes such as shiso salt fries and crispy flounder in ponzu sauce.

400 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, (626) 445-4000, www.tokyotable.com.