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Cheap date V-day Squeeze more amour from your pocketful of wooden nickels By Ivy McNally and Amanda Witherellculture@sfbg.com Has John Cusack taught us nothing? Why fret about the approach of Valentine's Day when films like Better off Dead and Say Anything ... have demonstrated time and again that it doesn't take money or a cocky swagger to knock your lover's socks (or pants) off. All you need are some quirky date ideas and the chutzpah to tell that special someone, "Look baby, I'm broke." For those who lack the biceps to hoist a boom box aloft for hours, however, here are some suggestions for romance on the cheap. Every good date expects dinner; no good date expects to pay. That's just the way it is. To impress for less, hit up Panchita's 3 (3115 22nd St., SF. 415-821-6660), a tidy little Mexican-Salvadoran spot whose upscale look (napkins folded in wine glasses even!) disguises the fact that you can both stuff yourselves for under $35. If you like things a little spicy, hit up Baku de Thai (400 Valencia, SF. 415-437-4788, www.bakudethai.com), the adventurous Thai-French fusion restaurant in the Mission District that offers a romantic atmosphere and a $12.95 prix fixe dinner menu. And Club Waziema (543 Divisadero, SF. 415-346-6641) combines a hip, romantic, tavernlike atmosphere with home-style Ethiopian dishes for less than $10. If you don't have the cash (or the reservations) for an entire candlelit din-din, skip straight to the sweets for the sweet. The legendary Swensen's Ice Cream (1999 Hyde, SF. 415-775-6818) is where you'll find heart-skipping, giant waffle-cone sundaes and, of course, those huge shakes with two straws in them that remind you of Happy Days. Or get more "exotic" at the Bombay Ice Creamery (552 Valencia, SF. 415-831-6995), where you can not only indulge in scoops of almond-saffron and cardamom delight, but also share some kulfi, India's condensed-milk-and-rosewater frozen treat. If your love runs lactose-free, Maggie Mudd (903 Cortland, SF. 415-641-5291, www.maggiemudd.com) serves up lovely vegan Flyin' Hawaiian and Peanut Butter Palooka flavors (among many others) to share. OK, it's cold enough without all the ice cream! How 'bout some hot peach cobbler, ginger sweet-potato morsels, or (for coquettish lovers) the "delicious sassy cornbread" from Oakland's famous, eye-popping TJ's Gingerbread House (741 Fifth St., Oakl. 510-444-7373, www.tjsgingerbreadhouse.com)? Enough with the foodstuff; let's get active. Tuck a copy of poet Kenneth Rexroth's "The Orchid Boat" inside a picnic basket and head to Golden Gate Park, where a mere $5 will get you into the breathtaking "Modern Art of Orchids" exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers (JFK Drive, SF. 415-666-7001, www.conservatoryofflowers.com). Or double up on a bicycle built for two from Blazing Saddles (465 Jefferson, SF. 415-202-8888, www.blazingsaddles.com) for $11 an hour and bike across the Golden Gate Bridge — touristy, yes, but oh so charming. For naughtier, more natural fun, check out "Romance in the Redwoods" at Big Basin Redwoods State Park (21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek. 831-338-3944), where park rangers guide you and your date through the intimate mating rituals of banana slugs and other assorted flora and fauna. Even stranger, howzabout the $13 Valentine's Day sheep and cow heart dissection demonstrations at the Exploratorium (3601 Lyon, SF. 415-561-0339, www.exploratorium.edu) — it's just like high school! Don't forget to pass formaldehyde-scented mash notes. Or, in preparation for that genetically engineered child you may one day share, make and stuff your own teddy bear together for $12 at the Basic Brown Bear Factory (2801 Leavenworth, SF. 866-522-2317, www.basicbrownbear.com). Cut and paste yourself into their heart with collage artist Gail Rieke at the free "Valentine-a-thon" at the San Francisco Center for the Book (300 De Haro, SF. 415-565-0545, www.sfcb.org). And finally, the cheapest, and perhaps most romantic, date of all: trolling through the stacks at your local library. Hunt down some ribald love poems, and whisper sweet somethings in each others' soft, bent ears. *
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