Spend Valentine's Day in Downtown: Keeping the love local

 Valentine’s Day is around the corner and after buying those expensive textbooks, spending more money may be the last thing you are looking forward to.

However, there are still ways to treat your special someone to an elegant dinner and keep a little extra green in your pocket in close proximity to Fullerton College.

Downtown Fullerton is a hotspot for anything from a bubbling comfortable bar life to fine-dining gems hidden between mom-and-pop shops and antique boutiques.

Italian food is always a popular choice whose familiarity does not sacrifice elegance or your taste buds.

Angelo’s and Vinci’s, located off of Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue has an affordable value at $10 - $20 a plate with such popular choices as Fettuccini Alfredo or the less renowned but still popularly requested Mezzaluna, moon-shaped pasta hand-stuffed by their Sioux chef at value of $13.95.

And who is to say that bubbling cheeses melted to perfection won’t be the only thing melting in the ambiance?

If you are looking to impress, try the hidden gem, The Cellar, located off of Harbor Boulevard and Wilshire Street. It boasts such elegant French dishes such as roasted breast of duck, pan-seared lamb, and the most tender prime New York steak accompanied by a very distinctive list of wines.

However, don’t let the long list of adjectives such as veloute, which simply means velvety, or sommelier, which is a person who knows their wine, keep you from experiencing this quaint but elegant restaurant.

Although the prices range from a whopping $9 salad to a roughly $50 entrée, The Cellar could be an evening a little heavy on the wallet but leave you and your date feeling lighter than air.

Men, even though it’s great to flaunt our money and treat women to a fancy dinner and treat them like the royalty that they are, it’s okay to admit that money is tight.

Valentine’s Day dinners and dates aren’t always about big juicy slabs of meat. Rutebegorz, located off Highland Avenue, between Chapman and Commonwealth, provides a great choice for vegetarians.

Rutebegorz features a healthy alternatives and a great variety ranging from sandwiches and pastas to burritos and large portioned salads. They also offer a variety of after meal coffee drinks.

The cost weighs between $7 to roughly $15 a plate.

Downtown Fullerton’s cuisine varies as much as their price ranges.

Whether you’re looking to impress your significant other with an elegant, but pricey French dinner, or enjoy a satisfying vegetarian meal for a little green, it’s the place to take your date on Valentine’s Day.