Love in the Air

Ah, Valentine’s Day.

A perfect time for a romantic rendezvous at several locales across the San Fernando Valley and northern Los Angeles County.

And it doesn’t matter whether couples are rolling in the dough or down to their last dime, the region offers a variety of activities to fit any budget:

* For upscale lovers, begin the evening with a sunset helicopter ride over the San Fernando Valley. Helinet Aviation offers private aerial tours from Van Nuys Airport. On the 20-minute tour, couples will fly over Universal City, the Hollywood sign and downtown Los Angeles. A longer 40-minute tour includes those areas plus the coastline communities of Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The tours cost $160 and $300 per couple, respectively. For information, call (818) 902-0229.

Safely back on the ground, the couple can climb into a chauffeured limousine for a short ride to the Odyssey Restaurants in Granada Hills. The restaurant, nestled in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains at 15600 Odyssey Drive, offers a breathtaking view of the San Fernando Valley. Couples can select from two specially prepared Valentine’s Day menus: In the main ballroom, diners can enjoy a five-course meal featuring filet mignon or shrimp entrees. A live band will provide dance music after dinner. The cost is $65 per person. In another dining room, couples can partake of a buffet dinner including prime rib, lamb, shrimp, king crab and many side dishes, and select from salad and dessert bars. The cost is $31.95 per person.

Top off the evening with a decadent dessert from the Cheesecake Factory at 6324 Canoga Ave. in Woodland Hills. The menu features several scrumptious varieties of cheesecake, such as white chocolate chunk macadamia nut, triple chocolate brownie truffle and lemon mousse.

* For couples with no less desire--only less money--consider brunch at Le Chene restaurant at 12625 W. Sierra Highway in Agua Dulce. To mark the holiday, the restaurant has created a special menu featuring eggs cordon bleu, a half-breast of chicken stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese, served with two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, filet Roquefort, a muffin with sliced filet mignon served with two poached eggs and Roquefort sauce, and eggs Le Chene, a pastry shell stuffed with turkey and spinach. Entrees cost about $9.95 and are served with potatoes augratin and fresh fruit.

After the romantic repast, step out the door of the restaurant into a horse-drawn carriage complete with a uniformed driver and footman. For $20, Town and Country Carriage of Newhall will offer 20-minute rides along scenic Sierra Highway. All rides start at Le Chene for diners and non-diners.

* For couples not among the chablis and brie crowd, there are numerous ways to show appreciation for that certain someone without spending a week’s salary.

Why not go for a picnic lunch and a stroll at Lake Balboa in Encino? What about a late lunch and some window shopping along Ventura Boulevard in Studio City? How about driving the length of Topanga Canyon Boulevard from the craggy rock formations in Chatsworth through the narrow canyon floor to the edge of the sparkling Pacific Ocean?

If all else fails, go to a video store and rent a tear-jerker--”Casablanca,” “Love Story,” “Ghost” or “Sleepless in Seattle” are three-hankie winners--and pop some popcorn and snuggle on the sofa.

That’s amore.