Tagged: Valentine’s Day
El Chorro – Romance in Arizona
El Chorro is not your every day dining experience so just the place itself sets the stage for a perfectly romantic meal this Valentine’s day. Dinner is a special three course meal with everything from hearts of romaine with lobster vinaigrette and roasted red pepper bisque to center cut filet and the lovebird duo with pan roasted chicken breast and leg confit. Dinner for two is $98 with an addition option of wine pairings for $25 per person. Reservations can be made at 480-948-5170.
Typically people think of dinner for their valentine’s day meal, but not everyone wants a rich dinner out, so you can also just enjoy a few bites at the bar the night before, sleep in a little and kick of your Valentine’s day with El Chorro’s famed brunch. On the menu are El Chorro’s famous sticky buns, granola parfaits, creme brulée french toast. breakfast burritos, rainbow trout, sandwiches and so much more. Don’t worry if your significant other expects a romantic dinner instead of brunch because dinner also comes with El Chorro’s famous sticky buns too.
More Valentine’s Day Hot Spots: Sweet Revenge, El Amor, Aphrodisiacs, and Love Potions.
Revenge May be Sweet – Not sweeter than cupcakes
If the way to your loved one’s heart is through their stomach and you are planning on making a romantic meal at home, you can top dinner, or perhaps enjoy an afternoon delight by heading to Sweet Revenge for a little treat this Valentine’s Day.
NYC’s Sweet Revenge has a perfect plate full of sweet little somethings to share with your true love. The petite dessert plate includes miniature versions of the Casablanca cupcake, a pistachio cardamom cake topped with a luscious rosewater buttercream, and a mini Ma Cherie cupcake, black velvet cake concealing a cherry jam center and enveloped in a bordeaux cherry chocolate ganache. Also on the Valentine’s day plate are two white chocolate truffles with raspberry centers and two chocolate covered strawberries. These are paried with a choice of Il Vino Dell Amore, a moscato spumante, or Lunetta Prosecco both from Italy.
El Amor – Love Mexican Style
Whether or not Tequila is officially an aphrodisiac is up for debate, but if it’s your kind of drink and pleases your palate then here is a Valentine’s day cocktail for you.
Photo courtesy of Revolucion
Tequila Revolucion offers this special cocktail just in time for Valentine’s day.
Radio Romantica
Stir 3 peels of a prepared Oleo saccharum (orange peels muddled to release oils in sugar, it becomes a paste) with 2 oz Tequila Revolucion Reposado. Add1 oz. Sandemans Oloroso Sherry and 10 drops of Xocolatl Chocolate mole bitters.
Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a fresh orange peel.
If Tequila isn’t quite your thing, spice up your Valentine’s Day with a romantic Mexican meal in NYC at Viva Toro (mechanical bull on site), Ofrenda, La Palapa, Papatzul, or Maya.
Aphrodisiacs: Love & Food in Colorado
What’s not to love about food and love and the fabulous relationship that they have had since the beginning of time and continue to have today.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Dining Room (Photo Courtesy of Don Riddle/Park Hyatt Beaver Creek)
Executive Chef, Christian Apetz of the 8100 Moutainside Bar and Grill at Beaver Creek Park Hyatt has an aphrodisiac inspired menu for the month of February where guests can indulge in local and love inducing bites together. On the menu are jumbo scallops with vanilla candied blood oranges and fried parsnips, smoked duck breast with greens, tapenade, goat cheese and an almond brittle, elk carpaccio with truffles, arugula, champagne grapefruit and radishes, a roasted beet salad with peppered goat cheese, pistachio pesto and greens, halibut with pimento parmesan risotto, beef fillet with whipped yukon potatoes, roasted broccolini and a garlic tomato jam, chicken with hearbed spaetzle, braised red cabbage and a cherry glaze, and boca negra or buttermilk panna cotta among other things.
If you can’t make it slope side in February you don’t have to worry because on any given day the setting and the menu are pretty cozy and romantic this time of year.
For Valentine’s Day ideas in other cities or cocktails at home try out cocktails in Charlotte, NC, cocktails in Colorado Springs, romance in Chicago, pair wine and chocolate in NYC or head to Rhode Island for some Viking Romance.
Charlotte’s Love Potion – Cocktail Recipe
The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina is nothing if not a romantic getaway with their lush green grounds, a full spa, and gorgeous spacious rooms with an air of tradition but all the modern touches that one just can’t live without. Whether you’re looking for a romantic escape or you’re planning a little Valentine’s day celebration, Heather Tapper of The Ballantyne has created the Love Potion cocktail.
Love Potion at the Ballantyne (Photo courtesy of Bissell)
Love Potion
- 1oz Pearl Pomegranate
- 1/2oz Malibu
- Splash of Chambord
- Pomegranate juice
- Fresh raspberries
- 3 blackberries
Muddle 4 fresh raspberries.
Add all alcohol and pomegranate juice.
Shake with ice and strain into martini glass.
Garnish with 3 fresh blackberries
Looking for other romantic spots to grab a bite or drink in Charlotte? Consider these:
Share your most romantic meals with us in the comments section or feel free to share photos and reviews at FoodieBytes.
Colorado Love – Cocktail Recipe
Colorado may be known for their lamb, oh and their ski hills, but they also know a little something about liquid love. You can either head over to The Broadmoor for a cocktail at the Summit Lounge or mix up your own “Liquid Love” as a perfect Valentine’s Day drink.
Liquid Love
Created by Robert Leavey
Hanger One Mandarin Blossom Vodka and a hibiscus flower infused simple syrup
make a lovely couple. Now add Grand Marnier, lime and pomegranate juices
and you’ve found the love.
1.5 oz Hanger One Mandarin Vodka
.5 oz Grand Marnier
.5 oz Hibiscus simple syrup
.5 oz Lime juice
.5 oz Pomegranate Juice
If you’re more of a snowbird than a ski bum. You might want to head to Town Kitchen & Bar, Andalus, or Fratelli Lyon for a cocktail!
Chicago’s C-House Romance
Chicago’s most romantic spot this Valentine’s Day might just be Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson’s C-House. For you and the love of your life, chef will be preparing dishes such as sunchoke soup with crispy speck, baby artichokes, and smoked almonds, pan seared arctic char with red endive, polenta and pickled squash, grilled flat iron steak with escarole, salsify and red wine braised dates and a dark chocolate torte with salty pretzels, cherries and mascarpone ice cream just to name a few dishes.
Chef Marcus Samuelsson Photo courtesy of C-House
The Valentine’s day tasting menu is $55 per person and includes a glass of sparking wine. A vegetarian tasting menu is also available. It will be offered February 10th – 12th and of course February 14th. After dinner you can cozy up at C-View, an indoor lounge on the Affinia Chicago Hotel’s 29th floor where you may enjoy a few appropriately themed cocktails such as:
* Aint She Sweet (Veev Acai Spirit/ prosecco / raspberries / simply syrup / mint leaf)
* Never Bitter (Belvedere Vodka / grapefruit / St. Germain / campari / citrus juice / orange bitters)
* Some Like It Hot (Cruzan strawberry / lime juice / strawberries / jalapeño)
For more information and to make reservations at C-House, call (312) 523-0923 or visit www.c-houserestaurant.com.
Wine & Chocolate: Love is in more than the air
Photo courtesy of Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar
Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar has a new West Village Location and they aren’t going to be able to fit all their love into 24 hours so they’re celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 13th and February 14th. The three course Valentine’s Day menu will have some special treats like Jacques Torres’truffles and Champagne served with fresh berries.
Also on the menu this Valentine’s Day will be a goat cheese brulée with mixed field greens toasted walnuts, marinated beets and truffle, walnut sherry vinaigrette or a baby arugula salad with green apple, walnuts, sweet dates, Manchego cheese and honey balsamic vinaigrette to start. The second course includes goodies such as seared scallops with kale purée, chili marinated jicama, strawberry and sweet anise kale crisp or a cocoa braised beef short rib with truffle cauliflower mash and tempura mushrooms. For dessert, there is a choice of twenty layer crêpes cake, Jacques Torres truffles, dark chocolate cake or a silky chocolate mousse all served with a glass of Monbazillac Château Belingard.
Why not celebrate Valentine’s day more than once?
Viking Romance – Rhode Island
Okay so Vikings don’t exactly evoke the image of romance, but that’s not what Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island is all about. At One Bellevue this Valentine’s Day, Chef Kevin Theile is serving a decadent, romantic Valentine’s dinner from February 10th through the 14th. On the menu are a baked brie appetizer with fresh raspberries, baked lobster with shaved fennel salad, and champagne cheesecake among other things. The romantic tone of the meal is set with a glass of Champagne to start and a glass of wine with dinner.
Chef Thiele (photo courtesy of Hotel Viking)
For dining reservations, please call (401) 848-4824 or email: dining@hotelviking.com.
Culinary Valentine’s Day Escapes – Austin
On Valentine’s day you might do more than just sleep in a hotel (don’t get all weird on us now!) we’re talking about getting a whole experience and not just somewhere to sleep. Travaasa Austin one of the only “experiential” hotels around.
Of course there are the fabulous spa packages, but if you really want something different then perhaps you’ll go for the Travaasa is for Lovers package. This February package provides you and your loved one with romantic classes for two. The goal is to experience different things together and leave feeling more connected and ready to head back out into the world together. This package ($379.50 per person – 2 night minimum) includes wine and cheese selections upon arrival, two $125 spa credits, generous healthy breakfast for two and a romantic dinner for two prepared by the Travaasa chef. The romance themed activity to be experienced together include the relationship strength challenge, aphrodisiac culinary demos, partner yoga, and many others
Photo courtesy of Travaasa
There are many great hotel and resort restaurants. but they are not all alike. What really sets Travaasa’s food apart is that the dishes are composted of fresh, organic and locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant, Jean’s Kitchen, is named after Jean Berry, the mother of one of Travaasa’s founders who believed that the sharing your day’s story over the kitchen table was always the most magical time of the day. With such words of wisdom at the heart of the kitchen and Executive Chef, Benjamin Baker who describes his style as “Bon Vivant Gourmet” you can’t help but taste something special in the food…or maybe it’s his 167 year old sourdough starter.
To make reservations for this Austin experience call: 1.855.868.7282.
Other romantic spots for a night out in Austin are:
