With only a few days left until Valentine's, we thought that it would be fun to take a look at the role that food can play in our relationships with a little mini series leading into February 14th.

The number of dates that take place at restaurants is not something that trend-watching companies devote resources to because they know, and you know, that it is a high proportion. First dates are especially likely to involve food, since it sets a common ground while you get to know each other. The real question is what makes a great date restaurant? How do all these restaurant daters decide where they want to go?

There are a few schools of thought here. The first one says to go for the atmosphere, somewhere that is either romantic or intimate in some way and that isn't so noisy that you have to shout all night. The second one says that you should go for the food, because if the dinner is exquisite it can only help your chances for getting a second date.

Both situations have their drawbacks. The problem with the first scenario is that you could end up at an empty, unpopular restaurant while seeing relative quiet - worse yet, one that is unpopular because the food is bad. The foodie date could lead you into tracking down some elusive taco truck if you happen to be in the mood for perfect Mexican food, a quest which might not go over too well if your date isn't as enthusiastic as you are.

The ideal date restaurant, especially for a first date when you don't necessarily know what to expect, would have both qualities, so that you could converse easily with your dinner companion and enjoy a really good meal at the same time. Do your homework by checking the restaurant out online first, or just pick somewhere that you've been before. Save the more experimental, more spontaneous stuff for a bit later.