V-Day A La Carte

Valentine's day prix-fixe menus leave you with limited options, and cost so much you have to liquidate your own to pay for them. Hold out for an eToys turnaround for one more day with these date-ready spots giving you free reign over their menus

Bourbon Blue (2 Rector St; Manayunk; 215.508.3360) BB's putting their New Orleans twist on V-Day in their low-ceiling'd canal lounge; get primed with their oysters Rockefeller before moving to mains like Cajun-spiced Delmonico served bone-in...wink wink, nudge nudge. No, if she doesn't get the hint, just start winking and nudging, cause that could work.You can call and make a reservation, or you can just click here

The Village Belle (757 S Front St; Queen Village; 215.551.2200) Every woman thinks Europe's romantic, so blast "Final Countdown" charm her with Village Belle's Euro steez, drink Mediterranean wines, and grab a booth from which to look onto the moon reflecting off the river, the lights of the Ben Franklin framing said moon, and some asshat on 95 cutting three lanes to make the Columbus Ave exit.Wouldn't it be awesome if you could make a reservation online? Wait, you CAN?!

Bellini Grill (220 S 16th St; Rittenhouse Square; 215.545.1191) Bellini knows Italian is a romantic language, and they're letting their a la carte menu do the talking for you, with plates full of free-range chicken and beef along with little neck clams in white wine, also known as "someone stole my Brookstone travel pillow!"They're BYO, but don't bring anything unless you've got your table

Noble (2025 Sansom St; Rittenhouse Square; 215.568.7000) Noble's homey interior -- sofa-like booths, soft jazz trickling from the speakers -- will set the mood, as you dig into their menu heavy on New American, but not New American Gladiators, because then Wolf will just fall into your soup.Table, booth or banquette, you can get your seat saved here

Chifa (707 Chestnut St; City Center East; 215.925.5555) Chifa's Peruvian/Cantonese fusion will make you appear worldly as you sip sparkling Spanish wines or Champagne before sealing the deal with dinner and desserts like Turron De Chocolate w/ Vietnamese coffee ice cream, which in this case, will hopefully help resolve any conflicts.Book a rezzie now, or the only way you'll see an Iron Chef's cuisine is on TV

La Croix (210 W Rittenhouse Sq; Rittenhouse Square; 215.546.9000) Post-getting after the a la carteness, get after the column'd-up fine-diner's wine and chocolate: pull a bottle from their 650+ label cellar or pick from pre-grouped vino-trilogies, then grab housecrafted sweets in affordable small boxes or more expensive bigger ones -- kinda the reverse of how your date was priced.Make a reservation to seal the deal, then book a room at the adjacent Rittenhouse Hotel to claim it