Valentine's is like going down to your cool friend's basement, where he's set up his own little bar. "Check this out!" he says. "It's ginger bourbon! Yeah? Try it with lime juice!" You sip it, and damn if it isn't amazing. "Oh, and I made up a cocktail," adds your cool friend with a basement. "I call it the Valentino. It's got peppadew in it. Try it!" You try it. It's wonderful. Everything in your cool friend's basement is wonderful. Everything there speaks to fun, experimentation, and sideways thinking. You feel, for a moment, comforted to know such smart, interesting people. Valentine's is just like that, except it's a real bar, and it's not in a basement. JOE STRECKERT