The Food of Love

Candlelight, flowers and crisp linen aren’t everyone’s idea of romantic dining on Valentine’s Day. Some of us prefer casual. Others like to sit by the ocean, holding hands and contemplating the moon.

Here are five romantic dining options for Valentine’s Day, or any day. Each was chosen for a special attribute, and--pay attention, now--most will be sold out if you wait until Sunday to make that reservation. (At press time, Pinot Provence still had reservations available for brunch and dinners after 9 p.m.; Zov’s had reservations available at 4 and 8:30 p.m.)

For Beach Lovers

Splashes has a dream setting. Designer James Northcutt refurbished the Surf and Sand Hotel (which houses the restaurant) a few years back in stylish Mediterranean colors. It’s just the sort of room no one can resist--a small, cozy space perched directly above the pounding Laguna surf. Watching the waves roll in, to paraphrase Otis Redding, is supremely seductive.

A place like this could get by serving average food, but the kitchen is accomplished. Chef David Tarrin changes his menu daily, serving dishes such as salmon on lobster fennel salad, grilled rosemary prawns, New Zealand lamb chops with spinach and roasted rosemary potatoes, and a delicious grilled veal chop with lemon-thyme pasta.

The indulgent dessert list includes double chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream and a rich espresso chocolate pot de creme. On Valentine’s Day, dinner will be a four-course menu at $80. Sunday brunch is $35, including a choice of appetizer, entree and dessert.

* Splashes, in the Surf and Sand Hotel, 1515 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. (949) 497-4477.

For Mariachi Lovers

Tlaquepaque is one of Orange County’s oldest, and liveliest, Mexican restaurants.

The owners are the Davis family, hailing from Mexico, and their restaurant’s tongue-twisting name pays homage to a neighborhood in the city of Guadalajara famous for art, music and good food. Friday through Sunday, an eight-piece mariachi band plays a full show.

A quiet, intimate setting it ain’t. But it is a most attractive restaurant, and the food is first-rate.

The decor has been enhanced in recent years with beautiful murals of traditional Mexican scenes by local artist Enrique Vasquez. Before ordering, you may want to have a Paloma, a refreshing blend of tequila and Squirt served in a tall, salt-rimmed glass.

One of the best dishes is camarones al mojo de ajo, giant shrimp sauteed in garlic butter. There are good fajitas too, as well as a parillada of mixed seafoods, cooked on a hot metal grill and kept warm by a pint-sized hibachi. Tlaquepaque serves a buffet brunch every Sunday, and Valentine’s Day is no exception.

* Tlaquepaque, 1111 W. Santa Fe St., Placentia. (714) 528-8515.

For Wine Lovers

Issay reminds me of a neighborhood restaurant in New England. The Cape Cod-style wooden shack was moved, piece by piece, from the beach to its present location in 1935.

Chef Paulo Pestarino is from the Piedmont region of Italy, and his food is both sensual and rustic. But there are two unusual wrinkles. Owner Michiko Soffer is Japanese, hence the restaurant’s name (more often spelled issai), which is Japanese for “first generation.” Also, Soffer is a true wine expert, the main reason her wine list is so distinctive.

Wines in demand include a ’96 Villa Mt. Eden Grand Reserve chardonnay ($29); a ’96 chard by wine-world darling Helen Turley ($50); the newly released ’96 Treawa by Caymus, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and Rhone varietals ($49); ’95 Whitehall Lane Reserve cabernet, a lofty 95-point rating by wine guru Robert Parker; plus dozens of Chiantis, burgundies and Bordeaux, many under $30.

But let’s not forget the cooking. A few dishes to try are tuna tartare with creamy wasabi sauce, double-thick pork chops dusted with rosemary and the sumptuous homemade pastas. A set menu with entree, appetizer salad and dessert for $40 per person is planned for Valentine’s Day, with seatings at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Entree choices include salmon ginger balsamico, veal scaloppine with shiitake mushroom sauce and lobster ravioli with champagne shrimp sauce. For dessert there will be profiterole Milano.

* Issay, 485 Old Newport Blvd., Newport Beach. (949) 722-2992.

For French Lovers

The splashiest new addition to our dining scene is Pinot Provence, part of an upscale family of restaurants belonging to revered chef Joachim Splichal.

Splichal and his designer literally scoured the back country and flea markets of France for the appointments: crystal chandeliers, a farmhouse floor from Normandy, the ceiling oak beams and the many objets d’art scattered throughout the dining room. Tables are set with baskets of dried wheat, symbolizing prosperity. You sit on banquettes lined with gaudy yellow cushions, which add a festive atmosphere.

The chef de cuisine is Florent Marneau, and his menu is an amalgam of his style, as showcased at Aubergine, and Splichal’s own classic style. On Valentine’s Day, the restaurant plans both a three-course champagne brunch, $32.50 (with endless champagne, $41) and a four-course dinner for $58.

Among the many tempting choices at dinner will be fricassee of Dayboat scallops with potato gnocchi in a chanterelle broth, roasted filet mignon of Angus beef with caramelized shallots and Madeira sauce, and a special dessert list. The restaurant is also open for breakfast daily.

* Pinot Provence, 686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa. (714) 444-5900.

For Dessert Lovers

Scientists say sweets and pleasure are biochemically linked, so concentrating on the dessert course seems like a capital idea this Valentine’s Day.

At Zov’s Bistro, Tustin’s best dining spot, there are French, Italian and Middle Eastern dishes, plus a long list of terrific pastries from the attached bakery. I always begin a meal with Zov’s combination appetizers: olives, feta cheese, pickled turnips, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, baba ghannouj, kibbeh and the walnut caviar called muhamarra. I’m also crazy about the rack of lamb, marinated in pomegranate juice and roasted medium rare.

But it is dessert that brings me back again and again. For Valentine’s Day, head pastry chef Michelle Bracken is preparing a special menu. Everything will be heart-shaped and have themed garnishes. Bracken plans creme bru^lee with fresh raspberries, a chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich sundae, a warm chocolate truffle cake with espresso sauce and a citrus meringue tart with fresh berries. Believe me, they will be splendid.

The restaurant, typically closed Sundays, is open for dinner only on Valentine’s Day.

* Zov’s Bistro, 17440 E. 17th St., Tustin. (714) 838-8855.