This Valentine's Day, Café Soriah will leave you smitten. After all, it took first-place for "Most Romantic Dining Spot" in the Eugene Weekly. While pricey for the college student budget, the excellent service and selection of savory dishes will surely not disappoint.

Located at 384 West 13th Ave., Café Soriah is the labor of love of owner Ibrahim Hamide. With a Mediterranean flare in his cooking technique and an undeniable Northwest influence in the ingredients, Hamide serves up an exquisite meal in a warm, intimate setting.

Diners can watch him sauté a steak or a peach and cinnamon flambé. Sitting near Hamide's cooking station, the smell of someone's steak Diane in a burgundy wine sauce is enough to make one weak in the knees.

For starters, try the pear salad for $9.75, an organic green salad with a tangy dressing that complements the light sweetness of wine-poached pears and hazelnut encrusted, melt-in-your-mouth chèvre cheese.

A classically delicious Soriah dish is the chicken Soriah, mushroom- and herb-stuffed chicken breast, wrapped in a crispy pastry shell with a goat cheese-based brown sauce.

Soriah's specials are also mouthwatering. The Alaskan king salmon, cooked to flaky pink perfection, comes with a coconut-mango sauce over lentil and rice pilaf, bringing together flavors that make Café Soriah a unique catch.

The most noticeable feature at Café Soriah is the bar, which offers classy alcoholic beverages. The extensive selection of wines pair perfectly with the entrées and desserts.

For those under 21, a modest medley of non-alcoholic and coffee drinks is available. For the adventurous, the Mediterranean drink ($1.50), with the flowery taste of rose water and the slight tartness of tamarind juice, is an exotic venture from the usual Italian soda.

Diners will drool over the dessert tray ($6.75 each): Crème brûlée, cheesecake, apple crisp, pecan pie and the two Café Soriah Mediterranean mainstays: baklava, a pastry layered with honey-drizzled phyllo dough and ground nuts, and rice pudding, a creamy rice blend with a touch of rose water, pistachio nuts and citrus peel.

For an extra splurge on dessert, diners should go for one of the three flambés: Cherry Jubilee, Bananas Foster or peaches and cinnamon. At $11.00 each, these heartwarming fruit concoctions are personally inflamed by Hamide and poured over three scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Café Soriah is certainly the choice spot for special occasions, and even better for a romantic date. While the price may pierce the wallet, Hamide's cuisine will capture both the hearts and appetites of those who experience Café Soriah.

To make reservations, call Café Soriah at 342-4410.

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