Ah, Valentine’s Day. Its rather bloody and “hearty” early history has been overshadowed in the last two centuries by confetti, chocolate and flowers galore. In case you’ve been living under a rock, that ever-growing rumbling of cooing and fluttering you hear is the approach of the most dove-filled day of the year. And, whether you’re gritting your teeth or trembling in anticipatory delight, there are oodles of places where you can dine amongst the other lovebirds or ignore them altogether – with or without your kids.
Homeward Bound
Suitable for: Homebodies, the shy, the tired and general all-round slackers.
If the idea of dining out with other courting couples is just too, too much for your delicate sensibilities to handle, but you still want/need to mark the occasion, L’Epicerie Gourmand is offering a three-course menu that you can order in advance and pick up anytime between Feb. 12 and 14. The $52 menu for two includes beet- and vodka-cured wild sockeye salmon gravlax with shaved fennel and creamy dill and caper sauce; Brome Lake duck leg with orange-port demi-glace, potato gratin dauphinoise and seasonal vegetables; and, molten chocolate cake with raspberry coulis.
Casual and Not Too Sweet
Suitable for: Palates seeking tastes off the beaten path, and those without a sweet tooth.
Overlooking modern Asian cuisine is a definite non-starter. For those looking for a more relaxed evening – and one that isn’t too sickly-sweet – Wild Rice is offering both appetizer and dinner platters for two on Feb. 14 only. The $35 appetizer platter includes prawn pot stickers, albacore tuna melt on wonton crisp, sweet chili-lime chicken on taro crisp, and braised and barbecue beef and Guinness cheese in a wonton cup. The $60 dinner platter includes prawns in garlic with rose penne, smoked duck breast with garlic-saffron mash, lemongrass pork with banana leaf-cilantro rice, and steamed vegetables. Special cocktails, such as the Magnolia (gin, lemon, berry syrup and Chambord), will also be available. Finish the night with a walk along the River Market boardwalk.
Sustainable Luxury
Suitable for: Sustainability advocates, seafood lovers, hedonists.
So, it’s time to dine like it’s 1999 and the end is nigh? Yew Seafood & Bar has put together a rather sumptuous menu that should appeal to closet hedonists while satisfying your sustainable conscience. The evening begins with an amuse bouche of Northern Divine caviar paired with local oysters and bubbles, followed by smoked black cod velouté with black truffle salad or Dungeness crab ravioli with lemon and parmesan foam. Choices for main consist of roasted sablefish with pink lady apples, soy-vanilla vinaigrette, and hazelnut powder, or a duo of Wagyu beef rib eye and braised short rib with Venturi Schulze balsamic butter and fingerling potatoes. Dessert is chocolate passion cake, with passion fruit curd and caramelized milk chocolate mousse. At $97 per person, you could also consider this for an anti-Valentine’s girls’ night out.
Private vs. Public Proposals
Suitable for: Those with a plan and a full wallet, looking to make a grand gesture.
Looking to pop the big question over champagne and caviar? Go big or stay home, right? The folks at Market by Jean-George have some experience with – and spaces in which to hold – such events. Their six-course menu can be enjoyed in the main restaurant, or book one of the private rooms for a more – ahem – intimate evening. Menu includes house-smoked Kuterra salmon with Osetra caviar, lemon jelly and potato crisp; roasted beet salad with walnuts and goat cheese fondue; butter-poached seafood bisque with saffron and sourdough croutons; roasted duck breast with sunchoke, radish and foie gras jus, slow-cooked veal cheeks with truffle polenta, roasted bone marrow, and thyme jus; and pistachio champagne velvet bar with raspberry sorbet and red berry leather. Tickets $110 per person.
You Just. Can’t. Even.
Suitable for: Those looking to avoid the whole damn scene – or who can’t find babysitting.
For those looking to avoid the entire heart-strewn (and often thorny) path of love, Café Medina has put together the ultimate anti-Valentine’s Day communal feast for singles, couples, families and friends on Feb. 14. The five-course menu includes sparkling wine, freshly shucked oysters with salmon roe and champagne mignonette; torchon of foie gras with poached figs and flatbread; marinated beets and baby carrots with granny smith crisps, pomegranate goat cheese, toasted marcona almonds and sherry vinaigrette; choice of spice duck breast with crispy shallots, pommes fondant, watercress and currant jus, or ras el hanout black cod with burnt orange caramel, Israeli cous cous, roasted eggplant and cured tomato; plus vanilla cardamom cake with pistachio rose water ice cream and sponge toffee. There will also be live entertainment from jazz trio TV Show Band. Tickets $69 per person.
