COOKING UP ROMANCE FOR TWO MEN FIND WAY TO WOMAN'S HEART THROUGH KITCHEN.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Any man can buy roses, but can he cook a cheese ravioli fritte for his sweetheart on Valentine's Day?

That was Frank Cowen's intention Monday night when he took a free cooking class at Maggiano's Little Italy in Woodland Hills. By the time he left the packed class, he was well on his way to improving his cooking skills and learning some new recipes to prepare for his wife.

``I'm going to surprise her by cooking the entire meal,'' boasted the West Hills man. ``I took notes. This will be a first.''

Indeed, the class, designed to show guys how to prepare a Valentine's dinner for two, struck a chord. About 75 aspiring romantics turned out for the occasion. Many were signed up by their wives, girlfriends or mothers.

``Most women like a man that can cook for them,'' said Robert Haupt, general manager at Maggiano's in Woodland Hills.

Kevin Gilbert, the restaurant's executive chef, and Michael Weldon, a sous-chef, demonstrated four dishes: a salad, cheese ravioli fritte, pan- seared New York steak with spinach and portobellos, and - the heart of a romantic dinner - chocolate-dipped strawberries.

``Cooking should be fun,'' Gilbert told the crowd. He stressed simplicity and ease by using a single pan for all the cooking tasks (cleaning it in between, of course).

Some of the men admitted this was a first attempt in the kitchen, but they weren't gullible. At one point, when asked how to tell whether the oil was hot, before frying the ravioli, Gilbert joshed, ``Stick your finger in'' - which drew loud laughs from the crowd.

The men did get basic step-by-step instructions, however. As the prosciutto for the salad was cooking, Gilbert stressed, ``Cooking requires attention. Don't walk away.''

During the two-hour session, the men sampled all of the dishes - enough for a light dinner - along with two good wines: a Marlborough sauvignon blanc (from New Zealand) and a Louis Martini cabernet sauvignon.

``When it comes to the rules of wine, basically there are none,'' said Eron Read, wine and spirits manager. ``You can drink anything you want with anything.''

The men also learned how to set a simple but elegant table with a romantic mood just right for a woman.

--Place an inexpensive runner on the table. (You can purchase one from Cost Plus, Pier 1 or Bed Bath & Beyond.)

--Set the table for two with a salad plate atop a dinner plate at each place. Next to the plates, place a water glass, a wine glass or champagne flute, both a salad fork and a dinner fork and cloth napkins. Add a small vase of flowers (red roses, if desired).

--Add candlelight. ``Candlelight is the most important (element) to set the mood,'' said Terra Goudge, a banquet server. Get an unscented candle so that your wife (or partner or date) can smell the food and your cologne, added Goudge, as a few snickers were heard around the room.

--Add a little music, dim the lights - and you're ready for a romantic evening.

Brian Dennis of Studio City was impressed but said he knew exactly where he and his wife would be Valentine's Day - not in the kitchen.

``I'm inspired, but I'm going out.''

Natalie Haughton, [phone]

natalie.haughton(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) At Maggiano's Little Italy in Woodland Hills, executive chef Kevin Gilbert conducts a class for men on cooking a romantic dinner for two for Valentine's Day. About 75 aspiring romantics turned out for the occasion. Many were signed up by their wives, girlfriends or mothers. The salad Gilbert is making is one of four dishes the men learned to prepare.

(2 -- color) Three students - from left, Ken Ellsworth, Frank Cowen and Brian Dennis - dig into a meal they learned to prepare in a men's cooking class at Maggiano's Little Italy in Woodland Hills.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer