Looking for a romantic place to take your sweetheart? Why not try a bar?

Before the howls of protest start, let me explain. I don't mean going to your corner tavern to share a sub, nibbling from opposite ends until you meet in the middle. No, I mean an evening at the bar of a fine restaurant, sipping a cosmopolitan or a cabernet, sampling artfully concocted appetizers or sharing an entree.

So why sit there instead of an elegant dining room? Think about it. If you're at a table, a table divides you and the object of your affection. When you sit at the bar or a nearby couch or banquette, nothing separates you from your love. You can lean into each other as you share an appetizer, touch knees as you sip martinis, whisper sweet nothings - and somethings - in each other's ears.

Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz, owners of the design firm C&J Katz, love eating at restaurant bars, so when it came to creating the interior of the restaurant No. 9 Park they took special pains to get the bar just right.

"Our thought was that it be magical and romantic and intimate," Cheryl Katz says. "Our favorite part of the bar is the banquette in the window. That's why it's there - it's very romantic. You can sit next to each other and look out at the Common. The ceilings are lower than is the current fashion, too, which creates smaller, more intimate spaces. And we wanted to use materials that were seductive, like the velvet on the banquette and the lights over the bar, which play off the mirrored bar surface and create a kind of glittery effect."

Lighting can make all the difference in the feel of a bar. When it's done just right, it creates a cozy dimness that makes people feel attractive, a conspiratorial atmosphere that encourages exchanges of confidences - the essence of romance.

Sandra Fairbank recognized this when designing Anago, the restaurant in the Lenox Hotel. "We gold-leafed the ceilings and made some chandeliers that reflect the light back up to the ceiling," she says. "They throw a very warm light that gives everything a golden hue and makes people look good."

Ambience aside, bars have two very practical advantages.

Romance at its best is spontaneous; you can't plan for the mood to strike. Bars don't require reservations, and you'll likely be seated right away on a weeknight or later in the evening.

And for those of you whose love knows no bounds but whose budget does, an evening at a restaurant bar is a wonderful way to create a special occasion without breaking the bank. Sharing a couple of appetizers or splitting an entree is perfectly acceptable at the bar. In addition to the menu served in the dining room, many restaurants offer separate bar menus with less elaborate presentations of dishes on the dinner menu or different selections altogether. This way, you'll be able to afford a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates, too.

A caveat for those of you who have only now realized that Valentine's Day is just around the corner: Many restaurants have special menus for this Sunday that replace the regular dining room and bar menus; many of them are prix fixe.

Romance, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Here is a sampling of what's out there, some of my favorite settings for a magical evening.

Anago
Lush and elegant, but very comfortable and cozy, the bar at Anago is one of the loveliest in the city.

No. 9 Park
This restaurant scores big romance points even before you step inside.

The Oak Bar
Dashiell Hammett's suave, cocktail-swilling detective, Nick Charles, would love this place.

Olives
From the flowers spilling out of the large vases on a shelf beside the bar to a huge bucket on the bar holding a half-dozen bottles of champagne to the brocaded banquettes that flank the window at the front of the bar, everything about the decor at Olives is lavish and generous.

Chez Henri
A small, friendly room, with dark wainscoting, walls painted a muted sage, and a skylight overhead, Chez Henri's bar has a vaguely foreign air, as if it could be a little hideaway on the Left Bank.

Dali
Some may think there's too much bustle at Dali for it to be a truly intimate spot.

Finale
What could be more romantic than dessert and champagne?

Ann Cortissoz is a member of the Globe staff.