Jardinière

Photo: Frankie Frankeny

Six more days till Valentine's Day! If you're still without plans, you and yours might want to check out these options.

Savor Cupid's temptations all week long at the Left Bank Brasserie (in San Jose, Menlo Park and Larkspur), which is celebrating "Aphrodisiac Week" with à la carte and prix fixe menus full of sexy specials (prices and offerings vary depending on location). Sticklers can also reserve for February 14, when the restaurant will be serving a special three-course meal for $45 per person. Call soon, as spaces are limited.

• – Eleven Madison Park sous-chef James Kent will represent the U.S. in the Bocuse d'Or. [NRN, Eater]
• – Customers are interested in so-called "fast-food diets." [NRN]
• – Restaurateurs in New York are nonplussed about the impending introduction of health-inspection letter grades. [Diner's Journal]

• – The FDA wants listed serving sizes to reflect reality. [NYT]
• – One in five Britons mistakenly claims to have a food allergy. [Telegraph]
• – Dairy farmers ponder going co-op. [NYT]
• – Beer. Good for the bones. [Indpendent]
• – Scenes from this year's Wing Bowl. [SE]
• – Josh Ozersky has some issues with "new naturalist" cooking. [Time]
• – Health magazine borrows from sister publication Real Simple. [NYT]
• – Culinary workers smoke. A lot. [Post-Gazette]
• – The long history of candy and Valentine's. [SlashFood]
• – Which were your favorite food-related Super Bowl ads? [SE]
• – Gross food stories in list form! [Consumerist, via ColdMud]

Photo: Howie Luvzus

We know, you haven't even figured out where to eat for Valentine's Day (better get on that), and already we're talking Fat Tuesday (which lands on February 16). But you can't hold back time. So pace yourself and plan ahead, because come Mardi Gras the bon temps will just keep on rolling at these festive Cajun spots.

Brenda’s Soul Food: Though this Civic Center Creole won't be offering anything out of the ordinary (other than Mardi Gras decorations), it's still a great spot to get into the New Orleans spirit. Celebrate anytime from 8 AM–3 PM with traditional beignets, grillades and grits and gumbo (415-345-8100).

Chenery Park: Enjoy special à la carte menu items during dinner service at this Glen Park New American–Cajun, like crayfish étouffée with housemade andouille sausage and dirty rice, pecan-crusted rockfish with baby red mustard greens and crab and andouille gumbo (415-337-8537).

• – Finally! Heinz has redesigned the ubiquitous ketchup packet. [NYDN]
• – Foregin food aid is hitting Haiti's black market. [NYT]
• – The number of restaurants in the U.S. has declined, but not as much as was expected. [NRN]

• – Burger King and its franchisees may still be bickering, but profits are up. [NRN]
• – How Rachael Ray magazine's March Madness pizza decisions were made. [Slice]
• – There isn't going to be an Alinea bar anytime soon and if it does open, it isn't going to be called "Boom." [GS: C]
• – The E.U. is pondering banning all commercial bluefin tuna fishing. [NYT]
• – Touchscreens, the future of vending machines. [WP, via GS: B]
• – The "drunkest" cities in the U.S. [USAT]
• – Shatter-proof pints may help reduce drinking-related violence. [Independent]
• – Ever wonder what it would be like to eat two pounds of meat, two sides, a cupcake and a 32-ounce drink within an hour? Wonder no more. [GS: NY]
• – NBC is in some hot water for a now-removed Black History Month menu. [Vulture]
• – Making due in Afghanistan for six weeks on Spam. [Guardian]
• – Related: Army chefs recreate Iron Chef in Iraq. [FTL Lamp, via Eater]
• – Google Maps is now photographing the inside of stores, are restaurants next? [SearchEngineLand, via TechMeme]
• – Cat food taste test. [Fork in the Road]

Yank Sing

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Believe it or not, there’s another big holiday happening on February 14 – Chinese New Year. While the big celebrations for the lunar year of 4708, otherwise known as the Year of the Tiger, won’t happen until later in the month (most notably, the annual parade through Chinatown that takes place on February 27 from 5:30–8 PM), we suggest you start celebrating with a banquet full of good-luck foods at one of the top-rated Chinese restaurants in the area.

Urban Tavern

Photo: Kevin Bond

Whether you're rooting for the Saints or the Colts, Drew Brees or Peyton Manning, there's no question that everyone will be watching the Super Bowl on February 7. Here are four restaurants that are celebrating game day.

• – How to find a quiet table in the increasingly noisy world of restaurants. [WSJ]
• – Looking back on 30-plus years of restaurant criticism. [CJR]
• – The most popular food on Super Bowl Sunday? Veggies. [NYDN]

• – Pre-washed salads ain't as clean as you'd expect. [Consumer Reports]
• – Japanese whiskey makers would like your attention, please. [WSJ]
• – Goose Island goes green. [The Stew]
• – Why isn't Californian wine selling as well as it used to? [Cellarist, via GS:SF]
• – Americans are drinking less top-shelf booze. But they are still drinking. [WP]
• – Miss America represents for IHOP. [NRN]
• – Why single women eat salad. [Guardian]
• – True story: Heart Stoppers restaurant is being sued by the Heart Attack Grill. [Sun-Sentinel, via Cold Mud]
• – Gordon Ramsay, twitterer. [Eater]
• – Showing your obsessive foodie cred...in ink. [SE]

Norman Rose Tavern

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Residents and visitors alike should feel at home at Norman Rose Tavern, a new laid-back Napa tavern (run by the folks behind Azzurro Pizzeria & Enoteca) serving affordable classic American lunch and dinner fare gussied up with local-sustainable ingredients – think sliders, fried chicken and fish ’n’ chips; sure, there’s plenty of wine on offer, but it’s also a perfectly fine place to enjoy one of the many North Coast microbreweries on tap.

1401 First St., Napa; 707-258-1516

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Chef Bruno Chemel of Baumé

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Named after an 18th-century French chemist, Palo Alto newcomer Baumé showcases the signature molecular gastronomy of French-born chef Bruno Chemel (formerly of Mountain View’s Chez TJ), whose pricey menu simply lists ingredients, which are presented as part of five-, 10- or 15-course prix fixes; the intimate setting exudes a Zen-like vibe, with wall hangings, stone tile flooring and citrus-orange walls.

201 S. California Ave.; 650-328-8899

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Baumé

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant