Take your time picking a beer at Monza. There are more than 100 craft brews available by the bottle at this restaurant near The Courts at Historic Manassas, so you have quite a task in front of you. Port City, Rogue, Southern Tier, and Flying Dog are just a few of the craft breweries who contribute to the beer list here. Monza's bar also offers more than 10 draft beers, and the collection often includes even more impressive pours like Southern Tier Pumking and Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout.

The beers are just a part of the story at Monza, though. This welcoming Italian restaurant also has a widespread reputation for its food. Yelp reviewers highly recommend the Jack's Special, a medley of capellini, shrimp, scallops, and crab meat in white wine lemon butter. The house-made pasta mingles with brick-oven-baked pizzas, burgers, salads, and other classic Italian entrees on Monza's menu.

Monza
9405 Battle Street
Manassas, VA 20110
(703) 368-5522
www.eatmonza.com
www.yelp.com/biz/monza-manassas

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Christine Wisnieski

The American Festival Pops Orchestra can be trusted with your Valentine's Day date. After all, the Washington Times describes its music as "classic, upbeat popular Americana performed with professionalism, affection, and more than a bit of pizzazz." That's all thanks to artistic director (and founder) Anthony Maiello, who worked hard to piece together an orchestra of the best musical talents around the DC area. This February 14, you and your significant other can enjoy their dulcet notes at the Valentine's Day Pops event, hosted by the Hylton Performing Arts Center near The Courts at Historic Manassas.

Starting at 8 p.m. in merchant hall, this romantic performance will feature some of the most popular, classic love songs ever composed. It focuses on modern pieces from the 20th century, so you can expect to recognize most (if not all) of the pieces as the professional orchestra plays them for you and your date at the Hylton.

Valentine's Day Pops
Hylton Performing Arts Center
10960 George Mason Circle
Manassas, VA 20110
(703) 993-7759
www.hyltoncenter.org/calendar/478/

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/oddsock

"The idea was to have a small mom and pop kind of place," explains owner Charles Gilliam of Okra's Cajun Creole on the eatery's "History" page. That original idea seems to have gotten away from him in the years between opening day in 1998 and the present, however. Okra's Cajun Creole has exploded in the intervening years, now staffing more than 20 employees and boasting a renovated space not too far from The Courts at Historic Manassas.

The expansion of the restaurant is due to the quality of its New-Orleans-inspired cuisine, and that part of Gilliam's initial vision hasn't changed. Yelp reviewers rave about the alligator bites, morsels of Cajun-spiced, fried alligator that come with Okra's own remoulade. They're the perfect way to kick off a meal at Okra's. Continue the feast with the popular pasta diablo or shrimp and grits, if you like. Okra's also serves beer from Abita, a brewery just outside of New Orleans.

Okra's Cajun Creole
9110 Center Street
Manassas, VA 20110
(703) 330-2729
www.okras.com
www.yelp.com/biz/okras-louisiana-bistro-manassas-3

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/jeffreyw