Bocaditos

Photo By John Anderson

Restaurants are lousy with special Valentine's menus, but if heading out doesn't fit in with your plans or desires, dining in can be a wholly acceptable and delightful option. There is no dearth of lovely takeout options, and one of the most whimsical ones is Austin's own Mangia Pizza's heart-shaped pies. Yes, the delivery or pickup staple for those "I just don't feel like cooking" nights takes on the patina of careful planning when it's heart-shaped. For the uninitiated, Mangia pizza is of the Chicago deep-dish stuffed variety. This isn't the fold-over-and-insert-in-mouth stuff; it's the get-out-the-fork-and-knife kind. We are especially enamored of the spinach pie, but meat and veggie options are available, too. You can wrap the whole meal up with the Valentine's package that includes two salads, a heart-shaped brownie for two, and a bottle of red or white wine.

You might expect that Super Bowl Sunday is a big day for pizza proprietors, and it is. What surprised us was the news that Valentine's Day is an even bigger day for Mangia. Which means that while Mangia will do the lion's share of the Valentine's Day work, you gotta do your part and place your order in advance. Now is a good time: www.mangiapizza.com.