Sweet Ideas for Honey

Valentine Diversity: Here are a couple of unusual options for Cupid’s Day.

Not too long ago, David Chaparro and Neela Paniz, owners of Bombay Cafe, tasted Moet & Chandon’s Brut Rose champagne with their sev puri (an Indian appetizer of rice crackers topped with potato, onions and chutneys). They liked the combination so much that they built a Valentine meal around it. This will be Bombay Cafe’s first foray into the American holiday. It begins with the sev puri/champagne combination, then moves to uttapam with shrimp. For the main course, you can choose tandoori Cornish hen, green chutney cauliflower and potatoes or asparagus with green chile. The meal is rounded out with tomato dal, basmati rice, eggplant raita, naan bread and kheer (rice pudding) with strawberries for dessert. It runs $35; a vegetarian version is $30. The Valentine dinner will be available on Feb. 14, 15 and 16.

* Bombay Cafe, 12021 W. Pico Blvd., West L.A.; (310) 473-3388.

Tom Kaplan, owner of Hugo’s in Studio City, knows a lot about tea, of which Hugo’s stocks over 50 varieties. For Valentine’s Day, Kaplan has designed a five-course menu to be paired with five different teas. Some of the dish pairings look like this: tea-marinated duck salad served with Pearls of Jasmine tea; red beet risotto with Jamaica-ginger tea; roasted porcini mushrooms on polenta with Lover’s tea. The meal costs $44. Dishes (with their appropriate teas) are also available a la carte.

* Hugo’s, 12851 Riverside Drive, Studio City; (818) 761-8985.

Stunning Settings: A couple of romantic locations for a Valentine’s dinner.

Santa Monica’s venerable Michael’s has a lovely garden patio with a waterfall. Its special menu for the night is a five-course number, costing $85 plus tax and tip, featuring choices like hazelnut-crusted goat cheese on greens, cream of cauliflower soup, roasted lobster, crispy-skinned duck breast, pan-seared yellowtail, ginger-honey creme brulee and Meyer lemon sorbet.

* Michael’s, 1147 3rd St., Santa Monica; (310) 451-0843.

Vermont is a cozy nest for lovebirds, with a three-course menu for $48 plus tax and tip. Some of the options include French onion soup, monkfish with lobster sauce, vegetarian risotto and raspberry mousse cake.

* Vermont, 1714 Vermont Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 661-6163.

I Love View: Here are a couple of rooms with a view.

Windows Restaurant sits on the 32nd floor of the Transamerica Center downtown, giving a spectacular view of the city’s lights spread out below. The four-course meal on Valentine’s Day begins with a goat-cheese croquette, followed by prawn satay or duck consomme. The main is salmon, chicken or stuffed veal loin. Dessert is warm chocolate cake or fresh berries. The tab is $65 plus tax and tip, and includes a champagne toast.

* Windows Restaurant, the Transamerica Center, 1150 S. Olive St., downtown L.A.; (213) 746-1554.

L.A. Prime, on the 35th floor of the Westin Bonaventure downtown, offers a ride on a glass elevator and views of the city at night. The meal, available Feb. 14-17, is four courses for $65 plus tax and tip. Start with seafood on ice for two and move to soup or salad. The main course can be more seafood or prime steaks (a 14-ounce New York, a 10-ounce filet mignon). Dessert is a chocolate lover’s mousse cake. Reservations must be secured with a $50 nonrefundable deposit.

* L.A. Prime, in the Westin Bonaventure, 404 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A.; (213) 612-4743.

Keeping It at Home: Why go out for a special meal?

Chez Melange will dress up servers in tuxedos and send them to your home on Valentine morning (between 8 a.m. and noon) to serve you coffee, orange juice, champagne, scones, chocolate truffles and a main course of your choosing (such as lobster crepes or eggs Benedict). The catch is, you have to live within three miles of the place. The price is $100 for the meal (which feeds two) and the service.

* Chez Melange, in the Palos Verdes Inn, 1716 Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach; (310) 540-1222.

Clementine, a bakery and small cafe near Century City, is making up three take-home meals that can be reheated at home. Each meal includes two appetizers, a main course and dessert. Dishes might be beet soup, stuffed mushrooms, watercress and endive salad, seared beef tenderloin, striped bass or passion fruit souffle. Meals run $32 to $42. Order by Tuesday. They also have small gift bags (around $5 each) of heart-shaped goodies like strawberry scones, shortbread cookies and brownies.

* Clementine, 1751 Ensley Ave., L.A.; (310) 552-1080.

Speaking of heart-shaped foods, the Sisley Italian Kitchen restaurants all will bake heart-shaped pizzas on Feb. 14. You can eat these small pies (which serve one person) in the restaurant or take them home. The 10 varieties cost between $8.15 and $10.95; toppings range from prosciutto to sweet Italian sausage to artichokes and grilled eggplant.

* Sisley Italian Kitchen, 15300 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 905-8444; Westside Pavilion, 10800 W. Pico Blvd., West L.A., (310) 446-3030; Valencia Town Center, 24201 W. Valencia Blvd., Valencia, (661) 287-4444; the Oaks, 446 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, (805) 777-7511.

If you want to hire servers to dish out the above meals (or any food you choose) at your home, try contacting the Party Staff at (323) 933-3900 or www.partystaff.com They’re running a Valentine special: For $90 you get a server at your home for four hours.

Reach Angela Pettera at (310) 358-7647 or pettera@prodigy.net