Looking for inspiration for your Valentine’s Day celebration? Shareable foods like fondue rank right up there, along with red foods (berries, beets and red velvet cake); luxurious tastes of steak, crab, lobster, lamb, scallops and caviar ; traditional aphrodisiac foods like oysters, plus chocolate and sparkling wine. Here’s what various restaurants are offering for their romantic repasts this year:
• In Chicago, the Valentine’s Day menu at Benny’s Chop House leads off with starters like the shellfish tower for two ($69.99) with chilled lobster, shrimp and king crab.
• The aphrodisiac Valentine’s four-course dinner ($69 per person; wine pairing at $20 per person) at Petite Maison in Scottsdale, AZ, will feature 17 aphrodisiac ingredients, including ginger, caviar, asparagus, oysters, beets, black truffle, basil, foie gras, lobster, fennel and chocolate, among other foods of romance.
• Highpoint Bistro & Bar in New York City offers a three-course menu ($50) including oysters on the half shell, grilled baby lamb chops and chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce.
• Las Vegas chef André Rochat is featuring a French twist on Valentine’s Day with his prix fixe menus at Alizé ($125 per person) and Andre’s ($110 per person). Among the various menu choices at Alizé are foie gras and toasted hazelnut panna cotta, roasted king crab with celery root bisque, crispy lobster and St. André cheese croustillant, pan-roasted veal loin with rosemary and bacon polenta and a dessert trio that includes a long-stem strawberry with chocolate fondue and shortbread cookies.
• At 508 GastroBrewery in New York City, the three-course rustic Mediterranean menu ($75 per person) includes a complimentary cocktail, house-brewed beer or a glass of wine. The first course includes a six-cheese fondue for two, a flatbread pizza with truffled fois gras mousse among its toppings, “double Diablo” spicy deviled eggs with jalapeno fried oysters, bacon crumbles and horseradish aioli.
• At Davio’s Philadelphia, the three-course prix fixe menu ($75 per person; $100 with wine pairings) includes lobster ravioli, osso bucco risotto, grilled rack of lamb and grilled filet mignon, as well as pastry chef Thomas Heck’s handmade chocolates.
• Valentine’s Day will be celebrated at The Federal Bar in North Hollywood, CA, with a four-course dinner ($75 per person) developed by chef Shawn Dobbins.
• Executive chef/partner Sam Mickail’s menu ($85 per person) at CUT Steak House in West Orange, NJ, will feature starters such as shellfish, and the His & Hers Salad with pink champagne for her, balsamic for him. Main course selections include grilled filet mignon, macadamia-nut encrusted Chilean sea bass and honey-roasted organic chicken breast.
Splashy and sparkling cocktail ideas for Valentine’s Day include specialties from Boston-area restaurants. The Venetian Valentine ($10.95) and the Mint to Be ($11.95) are among selections at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Poe’s Kitchen at The Rattlesnake offers Cherub’s Blossom Martini ($12) featuring gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, raspberries and prosecco.
Meanwhile, check out the 2013 list of OpenTable Diner’s Choice Top 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in the U.S. Representing romantic spots in 32 states, the award-winners are based on almost 5 million restaurant reviews over the past year. When it comes to romantic cuisines, The Melting Pot restaurants’ fondue menu ranks right up there, as does the American Regional fare served at nearly half the restaurants on the list.
Venetian Valentine
From: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Boston. Yield: 1 serving
.5 oz. Quady Elysium (muscat dessert wine)
.5 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
4 oz. Mionetto Prosecco
Combine cocktail ingredients and serve in a champagne flute, garnished with a Luxardo Cherry.
Photo: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Mint to Be
From: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Boston. Yield: 1 serving
1.5 oz. Gentleman Jack
1 oz. Domaine De Canton
2 oz. POM juice
.5 oz. Simple Syrup
8 fresh mint leaves
In a Boston shaker (two-piece cocktail shaker), muddle 8 fresh mint leaves with the simple syrup to release the mint aromas. Add ice and Gentlemen Jack, Canton and POM juice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a bucket glass over ice. Garnish with mint sprig.
Photo: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Cherub’s Blossom Martini
From: Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake, Boston. Yield: 1 serving
1.75 oz. Hendrix Gin
.75 oz. St. Germain
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
3 fresh raspberries
1.5 oz. prosecco
Muddle three raspberries in the bottom of a shaker. Add ice and pour in the gin, St. Germain and lemon juice. Top off with ice and chop with a strainer and bar spoon. Strain into a chilled martini glass and float prosecco over the top. Garnish with a raspberry and serve.
Photo: Poe’s Kitchen at The Rattlesnake