It's not too late to land a table at these romantic East Valley favorites
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

All you Romeos out there made that reservation at Mary Elaine’s for Valentine's Day weeks ago, right?

Sure. And Angelina Jolie is your dinner date.

Don’t panic. Although most of the East Valley’s romantic standbys have been booked up on Feb. 14 for days, a few of my favorites had availability at press time. Here’s where to go if . . .

You’re not willing to leave Mesa

With its intimate lighting, cozy wine bar, 1940s aeronautical decor, tie-clad staff and white-cloth-covered tables, Anzio Landing is the only Cupid-approved restaurant in Mesa. Trust me, I live in the city and eat out for a living — no one else does romance like this Falcon Field favorite.

Anzio, which mixes Italian and Mediterranean flavors with rave results, will be serving a set menu on Monday. For $40 per person, guests get a tomato caprese starter; choice of steak, chicken, seafood or vegetarian main course; and a precious plate of mini sweets (cannoli, crème brûlée and chocolate-covered strawberry).

Whether you score a window table with panoramic views of vintage planes or a snuggle-ready booth, Anzio will set your hearts aflutter.
Details: 2613 N. Thunderbird Circle, Mesa, , www.anziolanding.com.

Pizza is the only food you eat

The name says it all at Classic Italian Pizza. Stashed in the corner of a strip mall in Tempe, the husband-and- wife team behind these wonderful wood-fired, thin-crust pies is often compared to — gasp! — that Chris Bianco guy over in Phoenix. How do they do it? Everything is homemade — from the mozzarella cheese to the hand- crushed tomato sauce to the sausage.

The pizzeria — which has wooden tables adorned with small metal-and- glass lamps, walls sponge-painted a rich orange and strings of votives and twinkle lights scattered throughout — is sticking with its regular menu on Monday and will not be taking reservations. So it should be an option right up until crunch time.

Romantic enough to impress a date and you get a great pizza? Now that’s amore!

Details: 1030 E. Baseline Road, Tempe, .

You plan on proposing

With endless champagne to calm the nerves and a strolling accordionist to woo your future spouse, Naples Ristorante is the perfect place to pop the question. Chandler’s sophisticated yet warm, family-run Italian restaurant is offering a $50-per-person set menu on Monday. The special includes the aforementioned all-you-can-drink bubbly; a salad with pears, sugared pecans and gorgonzola; choice of jumbo shrimp, scallop and lobster skewer with handmade seafood ravioli, ostrich medallions with marsala sauce and pheasant stuffed ravioli, sliced beef tenderloin on a bed of polenta or a strudel-like vegetarian dish; and either dark-chocolate-covered strawberries or a made-in-house tiramisu.

Naples has many classy touches, including floor-to-ceiling red and gold drapes, candlelit tables, an enormous European coastal mural, torchlike sconces, French doors and a lit, stained glass ceiling. If you can’t fly her to Europe, a trip to Naples just might do.

Details: 888 W. Warner Road, Chandler, .

You’re hip and unpretentious

Modern and simply styled with shades of blue and silver, Fusion is the perfect place for refined palates. A stone's throw from Scottsdale’s galleries, the thirtysomething couple behind the tantalizing dishes and sensational service at this hidden gem are offering a limited version of their rotating menu for Valentine’s Day.

A sampling of the night’s choices include an organic butter lettuce salad topped with smoked almonds, gold raisins, mozzarella, prosciutto and pomegranate vinaigrette ($5.95); bleu-cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped filet mignon paired with horseradish-infused Yukon gold potatoes and butter-poached asparagus ($29.95); maple-and-coffee- glazed wild salmon accompanied by buttered squash stuffed with Parmesan orzo ($18.95); roasted strawberry tiramisu ($6.50) and an irresistible version of strawberry shortcake ($5.50).

This sexy Scottsdale spot is where I’d make my reservations for Monday; you’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect package.

Details: 4441 N. Buckboard Trail, Scottsdale, .