DeKALB | With Valentine’s day looming this week, the pressure is on to set up the perfect date for sweethearts all across the nation. Fortunately, there are many options available in DeKalb.

For those looking to take their special someone out to a one-of-a-kind dinner, Mel Witmer, owner of Filo Spinato’s, 241 W. Lincoln Highway recommends the modern Italian cuisine served at his restaurant.

“It’s by far the most romantic restaurant in all of DeKalb and Sycamore,” Witmer said. “I mean, it’s colors are red, and we decorate the tables with carnations, so it’s really the hot spot to go for Valentine’s Day.”

Besides having one of the most mood-setting atmospheres, Filo Spinato’s also has a special menu specifically for the holiday.

“What we did was we took some Italian favorites, some things that people liked from our daily menu, and then we actually put in some Surf and Turf,” Witmer said.

Some of the items featured include lobster ravioli, champagne shrimp pasta, and a center cut tenderloin with a lobster tail. Desserts served only for Valentine’s Day feature heart-shaped cheesecake and red lava cake.

“We have folks that come there every week and we wanted to give them something special,” Witmer said. “They were looking for something that would be unique, so we built the [Valentine’s Day] menu.”

Junior business major Mike Hall confesses that he is usually not on top of his plans for Valentine’s Day.

“Honestly, I usually leave the planning and shopping till the last minute,” Hall said. “Last year I ended up going out and frantically shopping the night before.”

For those who are all too familiar with Hall’s story, Amanda’s Spa and Beauty, 852 S. Fourth St., offers instant gift certificates on their Web site. Options include a festive Valentine’s Day design and the ability to print, e-mail, or have the gift certificate mailed to you in four to seven days according to Amandas-Spa.com.

“When I forgot about Valentine’s Day last year, printing a gift certificate or something online was the way to go,” said visual communications major Melissa Broccolo.