What's for Valentine's Dinner? Famous Chefs and Food.com Offer a Variety of Suggestions.

Business/Food Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2000

According to Hallmark Cards, Inc., 38% of Americans go to a special dinner in honor of Valentine's Day, the observed day to express affection and appreciation for others.

The annual Valentine's dinner generally revolves around two central ideas. People either enjoy the privacy of their own home and cook a special dinner for their companion, or they go to a restaurant for the dining experience and well-prepared food. Because most people cannot decide what to eat for Valentine's dinner, Food.com, the Internet's food and restaurant destination, asked famous chefs from around the country to offer their insight. Remarkably, each chef chose a different medium for his Valentine's dinner.

Jacques Van Staden, chef of Washington DC's Aquarelle Restaurant, is celebrating Valentine's with aphrodisiacs. He will prepare Oyster Surprise, a special combination of six oysters and love-inducing toppings. One oyster will be topped with fennel, another with caviar. Pickled red beets in the shape of hearts will decorate another oyster, as well as sea urchin, leek, and rose petal comfiture. This entree is designed to fill the recipient with love.

Erwin Drechsler, the chef of Erwin Restaurant in Chicago, has opted for a more subtle Valentine's. Rather than prepare food with aphrodisiacs, chef Erwin will prepare two special dishes for both parties to enjoy. For the seafood lover, he will serve seared and succulent jumbo sea scallops in a lobster shrimp broth. For diners that prefer meat, chef Erwin will also serve pan-roasted baby veal chops.

David Burke, chef of New York's Park Avenue Cafe, plans to celebrate Valentine's and its intimacy with a special entree for two people to share. Chef Burke will serve stuffed-roasted duck for two with orange vinegar and rose petal glaze, as well as creamed wild rice. This entree will transform two people into a couple.

If consumers would like to eat fine restaurant food in the privacy of their home on Valentine's night, they can visit to order online from their favorite local restaurants. Consumers can also prepare for Valentine's now because Food.com accepts orders up to 90 days in advance. In addition to ordering food, consumers can enter the Food.com Month of Love Sweepstakes and register to win a trip for two to New Orleans for dinner at the Commander's Palace, voted the most romantic restaurant in America. Participants in the Month of Love Sweepstakes also have the opportunity to win dinner for two at a premier local restaurant. All entries for the Month of Love Sweepstakes must be received by February 29, 2000.

About Food.com

Food.com was founded in December of 1996 and is the largest service of its kind, offering home and business meals on the Internet. With over 14,000 restaurants on the service nationwide and more than 800,000 members, Food.com is also the exclusive takeout and delivery partner of America Online. Food.com has been a leader in aggregating the highly fragmented restaurant industry in order to provide consumers with a one-stop shopping site on the Web for food takeout and delivery ordering. Consumers can also search Food.com's Dining Guide for information on 150,000 restaurants across the United States, or shop at Food.com's Marketplace from select retailers of specialty food, items and gifts. Food.com will continue to expand its offerings to include restaurant reservations, restaurant reviews, sending meals as gifts, and news related to food and dining. Food.com can be found on the World Wide Web at www.food.com. Located in San Francisco, California, Food.com can also be contacted at [phone].