For Valentine's Day, restaurants usually unveil a prix fixe menu or special offerings in addition to their regular menu. If a nice meal out isn't your thing, here's my list of other Valentine's Day activities, including cooking classes and chocolate tastings.

Here are a few dinner options that I spotted in my inbox or online:

• Durham's West 94th Street Pub is offering a four-course meal Friday through Valentine's Day and 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Dinner costs $25 per person or $35 per person with beer or wine.
• There will be a Valentine's Day Food Truck Rodeo and Fundraiser in Carrboro from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday. See my earlier post for details.
• The Point in Raleigh's Five Points neighborhood is offering a three-course menu for $40 a person. Go HERE to see the menu. (Scroll down a bit to see it.) They are offering that menu on Friday, Saturday and Valentine's Day.
• Tribeca Tavern in North Raleigh and Cary is offering a three-course meal for $50 per couple or a la carte off their special menu. Go HERE to see it.
• Twisted Fork, also in North Raleigh, also is offering a special Valentine's menu.
• Cary's Coffee and Crepes is offering a Valentine's special: a strawberry and nutella crepe. As the owner Terri Pastrana says, "Pair it with a hot mocha latte and you have a smiling date that won't break the bank."
• Raleigh's 42nd Street Oyster Bar is offering a three-course menu for 2 for $65. Go HERE to see the menu.
• bu.ku in Raleigh is offering a special three-course menu that is $75 per couple. The special starts Friday and runs through Valentine's Day. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Jibarra in Raleigh is offering a three-course meal and a margarita for $49. Plus, they will be offering some other specialty cocktails for the occasion. Go HERE to see a menu.
• The Angus Barn in Raleigh is offering a four-course meal on Saturday for $95 with live music and dancing in the pavilion after dinner. Go HERE for details.
• Daniel's in Apex is offering an Almost Valentine's wine dinner on Thursday offering five courses for $75. Go HERE and click on Wine Dinner for details. Daniel's is also offering a special Valentine's Day menu, including lobster bolognese for $22.
• The Matthews House in Cary is offering dinner and dancing from 6:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday. It costs $50 per person. Plus, one lucky couple will win a night in the honeymoon suite. Call 467-1944 for more details and reservations.
• Herons at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary is offering a five-course tasting menu for $85. You can get wine pairings for an additional $35. You can take your date for this special meal on Friday, Sunday, Monday, Feb. 13 and then Feb. 15-Feb. 18. Call 447-4000 for a reservation.
• La Residence in Chapel Hill is offering a three-course meal for $49 or a four-course meal for $65 on Valentine's Day. Call 967-2506 for a reservation.
• Taste Carolina is offering walking tours in Durham and Raleigh on Valentine's Day. Tickets cost $62.50.
• Dos Perros in Durham has posted its Valentine's Day menu, which it will be offering in addition to its regular menu. I'm most intrigued by this drink, which could stand in for dessert: Mexican Affogato, a Mezcal-spiked coffee poured over mole ice cream with house-candied orange peel. 
• Its sister restaurant in Chapel Hill, Jujube also has posted its Valentine's Day menu.
• The Fairview Dining Room at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham is offering a five-course meal for $65. Go HERE for details.
• The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill has a series of dining and overnight stay packages starting at $129. Go HERE to see their offerings. UPDATE: If you just want to dine at the Carolina Crossroads restaurant, there is a special four-course meal with champagne and a rose for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day for $75 per person. On Feb. 11-13, you can enjoy a four-course meal with champagne for $65 per person. Call 918-2735 for a reservation. 
• Il Palio at The Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill is offering a five-course meal for $95. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Chef Chip Smith, formerly of Bonne Soiree, is now cooking at The Inn at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City. They are offering a Valentine's Day menu on Saturday, Sunday and Valentine's Day. Call 742-5176 for details.
• Watts Grocery in Durham is offering a three-course meal for $50. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Foster's Markets in Durham and Chapel Hill are offering a three-course take out meal for two for $75. You must place your order by Saturday to pick up on Valentine's Day. Go HERE to see the menu.

If you would like your restaurant added to this list, please send an email to aweigl@newsobserver.com and put "Valentine's Menu" in the subject line.

The Chef's Academy, a new culinary school in Morrisville, will celebrate its grand opening next Thursday, Sept. 29, with a Triangle chefs' showdown. The event, which is open to the public, is from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Morrisville campus at 2001 Carrington Mill Blvd.

The local chefs cooking for the event include Scott Crawford of The Umstead Hotel and Spa and Michael Chuong of án Restaurant, both in Cary, Walter Royal of Angus Barn Khoury Solomon of Irregardless Café, both in Raleigh.

The event also will feature a silent auction to raise money for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Among the items up for auction are a cooking class for up to 12 people at the school and a set of Mercer knives.

The school is asking folks to RSVP. You can do that online and see more details about the event at bit.ly/pgKayA.

Kathleen Purvis has a story about how to grill the perfect steak for Father's Day, including advice from Chef Walter Royal of the Angus Barn. Remember: recipe links are to the right under Related Content.

And in case you missed Fred Thompson's Weekend Gourmet column on Sunday, he offers a recipe for a T-bone steak with black pepper butter.

Speaking of Father's Day, we have a story about breakfast treats for your dad.

My column today is about Linda Watson's first cookbook, "Wildly Affordable Organic."

Kathleen Purvis' column is about how she beats the summer heat.

Suzanne Havala Hobbs' On The Table column is about the danger sprouts pose.

Kathleen Purvis' Cook Q&A is about a when to eat fruit hoax. If you have a burning cooking question, send those to kpurvis@charlotteobserver.com

We share a Chicago Tribune story about the best flatbreads at the grocery store.

I have a story today profiling the second-in-command in well-known Triangle kitchens. Meet Jimmy Alfano and Jim Long of the Angus Barn, Amanda Forsyth of Magnolia Grill, Miguel Torres of Lantern and Sunny Gerhart of Watts Grocery.

Greg Cox gives 3 1/2 stars to The Pig in Chapel Hill. HERE is his review.

And Greg explores the Triangle ethnic food world with a new Cheap Eats column. His inaugural column explores Mongolian barbecues.

The Angus Barn is hosting a wine dinner Nov. 12 featuring Arthur Silvente with the Champagne house Duval Leroy and Hank McCrorie, owner of Napa Valley's Burly Vineyards. It's an old world meets new world themed-dinner.

The six-course dinner costs $135 each. For tickets, call  787-3505.

Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Here is the menu:

• Chef's Choice Passed Appetizers with Duval Leroy Brut
• Hearty Three Potato Soup with Chervil with NV Duval Leroy Brut
• A sampling of Oysters with1998 Duval Leroy Blanc de Chardonnay
• Mixed Baby Greens with Walnuts, Cranberries, Lardons & Stilton Cheese with Duval Leroy Rose Brut
• Beef Tenderloin with Truffle Wine Jus and Smashed Root Vegetables with 2006 & 2007 Burly Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chocolate Soufflé with Duval Leroy Rose Sec

Tickets are transferable but not-refundable

Angus Barn is hosting a complimentary wine tasting this Sunday from 3:30-5:00pm in the Wild Turkey Lounge. Certified sommelier Henk Schuitemaker and his staff will conduct the tasting. Reservations are not required.

This one promises to be exceptional. Schuitemaker is one of the most knowledgeable wine experts around, and the Barn's wine list has won the Wine Spectator Grand Award every year since 1989. Cheers!

Flex time, back up child care, elder care resources, job sharing, mentoring. Who says workplace perks have disappeared in the recession? Carolina Parent's annual list of the top family friendly companies in North Carolina shows that some workplace benefits are here to stay.

The list released this morning has some familiar names. American Express, the Lyerly Agency, Replacements Ltd. and Rex Healthcare have all made the list for 12 years.

If you're looking for the business spot to wheel and deal, you may want to hit the Angus Barn's Wild Turkey Bar & Lounge.

The long-standing watering hole of Raleigh is featured in the July issue of Entrepreneur Magazine as one of 15 top bars in which to do business.

The cover story acknowledges that the Angus Barn might seem like a weird choice at first, opening by saying, "OK, so were sending you to a big, red barn." But the story goes on to explain that one of the reasons the restaurant's Wild Turkey Bar & Lounge is so popular is its history.

J. Betski's executive chef Todd Whitney will be a guest chef for a five-course dinner at the Angus Barn's wine cellar. The dinner is 6 p.m. June 5. It costs $125 per person.

The menu includes: 

• Mini Reuben & Chicken Liver Mousse
• Chilled Tomato & Juniper Soup
• Sausage assortment of Veal & Pork Sausage, Bratwurst and Duck & Chevry Sausage
• Smoked Trout & Potato Pierogi
• Jaeger Schnitzel
• Beef Rouladen with Spaetzle
• White Peach Strudel

Each course is paired with German beer.

To make a reservation call 787-3505 or send an e-mail to kelly.joslin@angusbarn.com

Monday night at the Angus Barn's Pavilions in Raleigh, Inspire Pharmaceuticals celebrated Christy Shaffer.

Shaffer was Inspire's first full-time employee and ran the Durham drug company for more than a decade. She will continue as a consultant for the next two years, but officially retired as CEO last month.

Monday's festivities were designed to honor her tenure. The Stone Age Romeos provided the music and Angus Barn executive chef Walter Royal, who has worked with Shaffer over the years to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research, helped prepare the food.

One tribute video highlighted Inspire's founding in 1995 and growth since then, including its IPO. "We wanted to take the time to thank Christy for her almost 15 years of leadership and celebrate our time together," said spokeswomen Jenny Kobin.