Valentine’s Day is traditionally a time to show you care with extravagance, excess, and, of course, eating. On February 14 (and additional dates as indicated), these New York City restaurants provide a variety of ways for you and the object of your affection to indulge.

Alain Ducasse at the Essex House (155 W. 58th St., 212-265-7300) isn’t usually open for lunch anymore, but the restaurant is making an exception on February 14. As eating at Ducasse is a leisurely affair, couples can make a day of it (and, conveniently, the restaurant is located in a hotel) with an opulent French lunch that includes, among other things, duck foie gras with lemon/blood-orange marmalade and veal ($180 a person), or opt later for a deluxe dinner that includes the above as well as grilled Norwegian lobster, and for dessert, chocolat pour deux ($250 a person).

Cafe des Artistes (1 W. 67th St., 212-877-3500) is auctioning off a Valentine’s dinner for two on eBay (bidding ends February 11). Any amount bid over the $210 price of dinner for two will go to the charity of the couple’s choice. The winners will dine on a four-course meal including a raw oyster cocktail, Hudson Valley foie gras or asparagus with blood-orange hollandaise, and choice of entrees including Cote de Boeuf, poached Maine lobster, pan-roasted halibut, or roasted veal Chateaubriand.

In addition to offering panoramic waterside views of the city skyline, Water’s Edge (44th Drive at the East River in Long Island City, Queens, 718-482-0033) has been the site of nearly 10,000 marriage proposals, according to the restaurant. The lucky 10,000th couple to become engaged during the restaurant’s four-day celebration (February 11-14) will win a wedding reception at Water’s Edge for up to 100 people, valued at more than $5,000 (some restrictions apply). But even the 9,999th couple can sample executive chef Ari Nieminen’s menu during the celebration: caviar for two, baby lobster, herb-stuffed branzino, rack of lamb, and his-and-her-desserts for $200 a couple. An a la carte menu will also be available.

At Spanish-flavored Suba (109 Ludlow St., 212-982-5714), tapas are always meant for sharing. For their meals on February 14, couples will share a total of 14 different small plates, such as homemade fava-bean ravioli, cumin and clove-scented lamb loin, and white-chocolate mint soup ($95 a per son for the 14-dish meal). Diners can choose two out of three categories of meat, seafood, and vegetarian fare to determine the dishes they will be served.

At The Minnow (442 Ninth St., Brooklyn, 718-832-5500), primarily a seafood restaurant, chef Aaron Bashy is flexible. He’s offering a four-course menu for $60 a person that includes surf, such as New Zealand pink snapper or lobster steamed with lemongrass, or turf, such as Berkshire Farm strip steak or grilled lamb chops. Even vegetarians have options: spaghetti with wild mushrooms or heart shaped grilled polenta with mascarpone, Parmesan cheese, and pesto.

The sultry menu at the French bistro Jolie (320 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, 718-488-0777), invites indulgence in a three-course menu ($45 a person; $63 with wine pairing) that includes “first tastes,” such as “menage a trois au caviar” – smoked salmon, trout, and sable with a dollop of caviar – and “second tastes” such as two “nested” quails (the nest is composed of crispy fried potatoes, topped with wild mushrooms) or filet mignon smothered in morel sauce. These are followed by “sweet satiation” in the form of black-and-white chocolate mousse or passion fruit creme brulee.

Patricia Yeo’s five-course tasting menu at the new French-inspired Vietnamese restaurant Sapa (43 W. 24th Street, 212-929-1800) is meant to be eaten with your hands. Finger-licking goodies include oysters served three ways (raw, steamed, and vichyssoise style); foie-gras dumplings with plum wine gelee; lobster and asparagus wrapped in moo shu pancakes; and cocoa and spice-crusted lamb chops with dried cherry vanilla chutney ($80 a person).

Chef Pippa Calland brings together her two loves – poetry and Italian food – at her new restaurant, Poetessa (92 Second Ave., 212-387-0065). Diners are invited to recite poems to their loved ones on Valentine’s Day. The staff will happily read your poem on your behalf should you have performance anxiety, and poems will also be provided for lovers struck with writer’s block. If the poems don’t inspire, the food will: Offerings include le amatore (the lover) – wild Belon oysters served on the half shell, sauced with black truffle ($14), la amante (the mistress) – raw yellow fin tuna with ginger ($13), and bucatini amatriciana (in the style of the lovers) – hollow spaghetti with a braised pork and tomato ragu ($13).

Originally used as Mayan currency, chocolate is the perfect way to show how much you value your sweetheart. For those who can’t wait until dessert, Chef Richard Sandoval has created a complete menu based on chocolate, available for the entire month of February, at his modern Mexican restaurants, Pampano (209 E. 49th St., 212-751-4545) and Maya (1191 First Ave., 212-585-1818). Savory choices include traditional mole served with chicken, plantains, and cilantro rice, and an inventive mole blanco, a more subtle white-chocolate sauce flavored with lamb stock, chilies, and herbs, partnered with rack of lamb. Sweets include chocolate tamal and hot chocolate whipped into a froth tableside with a molinillo, a Mayan version of a whisk.

Vegetarians will delight at the five course tasting menu ($58 a person) at Pure Food and Wine (54 Irving Pl., 212-477-1010), where the food is not only organic, vegan, healthy, and raw – nothing is heated above 118 degrees to preserve the “live” enzymes – but also beautiful, flavorful, colorful, and surprisingly satisfying to omnivorous carnivores.

And if you haven’t met your Valentine by the deadline, some New York restaurants are playing Cupid on February 14:

The Odeon (145 West Broadway, 212-233-0507) will host a communal table where singletons will be treated to a free glass of champagne and a triple-threat chocolate dessert with dinner from the regular menu.

At The Cub Room (131 Sullivan St., 212-677-4100) you can mingle in the made-over lounge and indulge in aphrodisiac oyster-vodka shooters, tequila-marinated salmon tartar, American caviar, lobster spring rolls, and dessert ($50 a person). (They’ll also serve a four-course tasting menu in the dining room with entrees like crab-stuffed lobster, duck breast, porterhouse steak, or Gulf snapper for $75 a person.)