Collegiate Times

Imagine a holiday that combines the gift-giving of Christmas, the focus on food of Thanksgiving and the romanticism of an anniversary, and what you have is Valentine's Day.

On a holiday with so many expectations, it can be hard to balance planning for a gift, preparing for dinner and juggling classes.

But if you didn't reserve a five-course meal at Chateau Morrisette three weeks in advance (or if something that fancy just isn't your style), there's no need to panic or forgo a romantic evening. There's nothing wrong with a spontaneous, and even inexpensive, Valentine's Day dinner.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't mind cheap and/or pick-what-you're-hungry-for-that-night dates. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking McDonald's on Valentine's Day (or ever, really), but there are plenty of places with great food and open seating (meaning you don't need a reservation) that will hardly leave your stomach or your wallet on empty.

In fact, at the following local restaurants, you and your date can easily eat at your leisure for less than $30.

If you're looking to add some spice to your evening (sorry, I couldn't resist the pun), Boudreaux's might make for a good Valentine's dinner.

It offers a variety of Cajun foods, and only three entrees on its entire menu are more than $13. Speaking strictly about food, you and your date could easily eat for less than $30.

Boudreaux's also provides a number of opportunities to try something new together -- alligator, crawfish, catfish and calamari are hardly forgettable foods -- as well as classics such as shrimp, crab, chicken and steak.

The Boston Beanery is another option for a no-reservation, lower cost Valentine's dinner. They offer everything from burgers and sandwiches to pasta, steak and seafood, and only six entrees on the menu exceed $13.

The bacon cheeseburger wrap and the honey dijon chicken are two of my favorites at the Boston Beanery, and at $7.99 and $10.99 respectively, they're both workable options for an under-$30 dinner.

Another option for a lower-cost dinner and one of my favorite cheap dates is the split.

The biggest drawback to this method is that it won't apply to everyone, especially first dates or new couples. If you're comfortable enough to split a meal with your date, you can eat almost anywhere for less than $30.

For example, one of my favorite places to split a meal is the Olive Garden (yes, some people condemn the Olive Garden as "fake" Italian; but if you ask me, when it comes to Italian, there's hardly any need to discriminate because real or Americanized, it's all amazing). If you don't like Olive Garden though, Zeppoli's and Carrabba's are also great options.

But while I love fresh Italian food, I'm not usually big on reheated alfredo. So, my boyfriend and I sometimes split an entree and add an extra salad.

This works out for several reasons, not the least of which is that-- even as much as I love food-- I can never eat more than half of that enormous bowl of pasta.

Also, requesting that the meal be split back in the kitchen often gives you more than half an entree on each plate. But if you're worried you won't get enough pasta to fill you up, the never-ending salad and breadsticks are a fail-safe.

So for example, if you order two waters (no charge), split the chicken alfredo ($12.95) and add an extra salad ($4.95), you haven't even touched $20 without dessert; so ordering some sangria or splitting a piece of raspberry cheesecake or tiramisu are still definite possibilities.

A final option for a no-reservation cheap date is to forget a restaurant altogether. Ditch the higher prices and the longer wait at packed restaurants and make dinner for your date.

It's no secret that buying food at the grocery store is less expensive than eating out, so you can go above and beyond without overdrawing your account.

Try something different such fish, crab cakes, marinated chicken breast or the chicken parmesan recipe accompanying this article (guys, you can do this -- this recipe is from my brother, so no excuses -- play like a champion).

Call me romantic, but whether it's a first date or your hundredth, the added effort of making dinner for your date might mean more to him or her than any amount of money on Valentine's Day.