Valentine's Day may be long gone, but that's no excuse not to treat a significant other or loved one to a romantic, quiet evening away from the drunken debauchery that is State College.

Dinner and a movie may sound trite and lame, but with a little creativity, even the biggest of meatheads can turn a labor of love into a unique experience that, if you're lucky, will still lead to the lovin'.

Bellefonte may not offer much in the way of college-aged entertainment, but it still houses the oft-overlooked art house theater, the Garman Opera House, 116 E. High St., along with the even lesser-known Italian dining establishment, La Bella Trattoria, 114 E. High St.

Located adjacent to the Garman, Trattoria is a tiny, yet exquisite restaurant that provides all the atmosphere you could ask for from an imitation four-star eatery.

When my date and I showed up (with a reservation, I might add, which Trattoria strongly recommends), I took note of how peacefully quiet the place was.

After waiting a couple of minutes longer than we should have, the hostess took us to our seats, a sleek booth that literally closed us off from the outside world with high walls on three sides and curtains hiding us on the fourth.

Each side of the booth even came equipped with pillows to lean on or prop up against.

Our waitress, who arrived moments later, immediately asked us if we were 21. Since neither of us were, she was able to supply us with the normal stock of sodas.

The menu selection itself was pretty limited, focusing primarily on traditional Italian pasta-related dishes, but each and every item will make one's mouth water, thanks to tasteful adjectives that fancy restaurants are often so experienced at employing.

Our food was in front of us in less than 20 minutes, a modern marvel by most public eating standards.

I ordered the shrimp ravioli, while my date had shrimp and scallop scampi. The scampi was one of the best seafood dishes I've ever tasted, with soft pasta covered in big, juicy shrimp and chewy scallops. It was certainly enough to fill more than one stomach.

Unfortunately, my dish had the opposite problem.

Despite its $16 price tag (a median price for most of the entrees), I was done with my five ravioli in a matter of minutes.

Also, the bits of shrimp within were virtually nonexistent, or at least too fine to derive any flavor.

In fact, I wouldn't have known they were even there if I hadn't read it on the menu in the first place.

For what it's worth, the meal was more than made up for by dessert.

After our plates were removed, the waitress brought out the dessert tray, crammed with goodies that made me slightly more thankful that my meal hadn't filled me up entirely.

My date's crème brulée was sweet and soft, swirled with cinnamon and whipped cream.

As for my slice of chocolate cake, it was virtually indescribable in its taste. Chocolate fudge, cream, cake, frosting and chips composed this marvel of culinary chocolatey perfection that would have left me dying for more if it weren't for my choking arteries.

Despite a couple minor details, La Bella Trattoria still set the bar as the finest restaurant I've been to in Centre County yet.

Dress up, grab a date and twist the old dinner and a movie concept into something new.

And don't forget the chocolate cake.