(Sorry for the late listing- this “holiday” snuck up on me, probably because DH and I don’t observe it. He just doesn’t do holidays, and I can’t handle fighting crowds to pay inflated prices on a random day.)

But for the bargain romantics, here are a couple affordable ($50 and under) V-Day meals at restaurants around town, culled from Richmond.com’s Valentine’s Eat Beat):

Avenue 805: You’ll love this Valentine’s Day dinner package. 805 is offering a three-course (appetizer, entrée and dessert) dinner-for-two package. It starts with a choice of butternut squash soup, Caesar salad or mesclun salad. The entrée selection features seared salmon, seared medallions, Cornish game hen or a vegetarian option (available with advanced notice). And dessert is a choice of something yummy and chocolate or something yummy and not chocolate. Best of all, the special is available all week, just in case you and your Valentine want to celebrate early. $40 per couple. Call (804) 353-2505 for reservations.

Strawberry Street Cafe: The three course dinner for two package over at Strawberry Street will be offered Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The dinner includes choice of two homemade soups, an entrée choice of prime rib or jumbo shrimp stuffed with crabmeat followed by two desserts from the fabulous dessert tray. All for only $49.95 per couple. For reservations call (804) 353-6860.

A little less traditional:

Capital Ale House: Of course at Capital Ale it’s all about the beer with their Valentine’s Day Chocolate & Beer Tasting from 5 to 8 p.m. on V.day. The tasting includes five 2oz Belgian beers paired with 5 de Rochonnet delights chocolate truffles, all for just $10 per person. The tasting is available at both the Midlothian and Innsbrook locations. Call (804) 780-2537 for details.

European Markets and Café: Looking for something more low-key? European Market invites you to take your dinner home – for half the price. The dinner for twos include sides with entrée choices of filet mignon ($50), sautéed rockfish ($50) or giant ravioli stuffed with four cheeses ($40). All the dinners include a bottle of wine. Call (804) 355-5182 to order.

A plus to the last two options, both include alcohol!

Determined to give flowers? You’ll be hard pressed to find a better deal than Whole Foods is offering: $19.99 for TWO dozen roses. Or order a bouquet from FTD and get free delivery.

Added 2/13: I just found RVAFoodie’s suggestions from last year “V-Day Alternatives to Richmond’s Restaurant Romance Racket”. Check it out for more ideas!