Setting The Tone

Valentine’s Day boxes of chocolate and a Valentino the Bear by Gund® are on display in the gallery gifting wall at the Godiva Boutique at Hawthorn Center in Vernon Hills. (Photo by Candace H. Johnson)

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Everyone knows that Valentine’s Day is coming up, but does everyone know how to prepare for it?

While the holiday itself may be an annual event, you don’t want your celebration to be the same every year.

There are plenty of ways to set the mood for your Valentine’s Day this February – often slated as the most romantic day of the year – and finding the right meal and the tastiest desserts are just the beginning.

Even stores and restaurants treat the day with a little bit of romance, says Bob Bansberg, general manager of Gabriel’s Restaurant in Highwood.

“We do a four-course meal and four items with each course,” he says of the restaurant’s Valentine’s Day menus, which sells out each February. “Typically we’ll decorate with balloons, and we also send every couple a thank-you letter for coming out to see us.”

As Bansberg notes, finding the right place to share a meal for Valentine’s Day can often mean finding the right atmosphere for your special evening. But once you’ve set the reservations and arrived at your seats, there are plenty of opportunities for the romance to continue. Bansberg says that Gabriel’s provides champagne for interested parties, and diners often present their dates with roses to complete the Valentine’s Day mood.

In addition to supplying diners with options for appetizers, pastas and entrees, Bansberg recommends incorporating oysters and chocolate into romantic evening meals.

“There are all sorts of romantic foods out there,” he says. “Not everybody loves oysters, but I think oysters are amazing. [And] I think chocolate is always good for Valentine’s Day.”

Fortunately, when it comes to chocolates, stores like Godiva in Vernon Hills offer plenty of romantic options to set the mood for your special evening. Store Manager Bonnie Borrico says that chocolate is an important component of the Valentine’s Day mood because it “is such a romantic piece.”

Part of chocolate’s appeal is its accessibility, and Godiva makes it easy for customers to get exactly what they need. Borrico says that Godiva often delivers to local restaurants and hotels, where customers have arranged romantic evenings for their partners, though drop-ins and early orders are still a popular route for those who prefer to plan ahead.

“We have people coming in from the wee hours of the morning all the way up until we close at night to get our fresh-dipped chocolate strawberries,” Borrico says of one of the store’s best-selling Valentine’s Day items. “I think for most people, our chocolate-dipped strawberries are a tradition, so they’re a big part of [customers’] whole Valentine’s Day.”

While chocolate-dipped strawberries and other chocolate pieces often set the mood for a Valentine’s Day evening, Borrico says that personalization can make the holiday even more special. Customers may request a special message be included with the chocolate-dipped strawberries or chocolate gift boxes they order.

“People who have known one another for a long time know what their significant other would like in a box of chocolates,” Borrico says. “Sometimes they save the heart box from the year before, and we go ahead and fill it again.”

Another option that customers can explore is filling an empty heart box in the store with an assortment of their partner’s favorite pieces of chocolate.

Godiva also offers customers specials on popular Valentine’s Day items — such as chocolate-covered strawberries — closer to the holiday. Borrico says that customers frequently pair their Godiva selections with wine or champagne as well as special meals like lobster.

Whatever mood you choose to set on your 2012 Valentine’s Day, the main ingredient to keep in mind is romance.

“It’s a romantic day, and it’s nice to see couples that have been together for a long time come out,” Bansberg says. “For older couples, it’s that sweet bird of youth.”