 |
The dining room at Vaucluse.
(Photo: Tirzah Brott ) |
Uptown
Dovetail
103 W. 77th St., at Columbus Ave.; 212-362-3800
Specials on the five-course menu include Colorado lamb with buckwheat crêpes and filet mignon. For a sweet finish, choose from bittersweet-chocolate soufflés alongside brown-butter ice cream and slices of red-velvet beet cake.
$150; $245 with wine pairing
Minton’s and the Cecil
Minton's: 206 W. 118th St., at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.; 212-243-2222
The Cecil: 210 W. 118th St., at St. Nicholas Ave.; 212-866-1262
Wine and dine with a live jazz soundtrack at Harlem supper club Minton’s. Executive chef JJ Johnson has assembled a special four-course Valentine’s Day meal with options including mackerel crudo, venison with harissa and celery-root purée, and a trio of chocolate treats for dessert. Or head next door to sister restaurant the Cecil, where some of the items from the prix fixe menu will be available as à la carte specials, including roasted clams on the half-shell ($14) and New York strip steak with rutabaga smash ($41). And be sure to try one of Cecil's specialty cocktails served in two-portion “His and Hers” flasks ($25 each).
Minton’s: $175; optional wine pairing for $50; the Cecil, à la carte
Telepan
72 W. 69th St., nr. Columbus Ave.; 212-580-4300
This spot near Central Park is offering a four-course prix fixe for Valentine's Day. Indulge in roasted hen-of-the-wood mushrooms with salsify, foie gras terrine, Gulf-shrimp-and-sea-urchin stew, chitarra with octopus, lobster Bolognese, and buttermilk panna cotta.
$110
Vaucluse
100 E. 63rd St., at Park Ave.; 646-869-2300
At Michael White's newest restaurant, he and executive chef Jared Gadbaw are offering a four-course French menu that includes poached blue prawns, duck liver terrine, rabbit-and-Reblochon-cheese ravioli with black truffles and sautéed trout.
$150
Midtown
Marea
240 Central Park S., nr. Broadway; 212-582-5100
Couples can take in views of Central Park’s south end while dining at this seafood mecca. The four-course Valentine’s Day menu includes warm yellowtail, red-wine-braised octopus, and seared sea scallops.
$175
Nerai
55 E. 54th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-759-5554
To give you an extra edge, all the dishes on chef Chris Christou's Valentine’s Day menu include ingredients said to have aphrodisiac qualities. Enjoy four courses of his upscale take on Greek cuisine with dishes like Kumamoto oysters, lobster orzotto, and filet mignon with a feta mash.
$135
The Sea Fire Grill
158 E. 48th St., nr. Third Ave.; 212-935-3785
This midtown spot is known for its refined seafood preparations. Smoked salmon, grilled giant Madagascar prawns, and steamed lobster are all on the three-course menu this Valentine’s Day.
$99
Downtown
Bar Primi
325 Bowery, at E. 2nd St.; 212-220-9100
This Italian restaurant will be offering a special menu in honor of San Valentino. Choose dishes like ricotta bruschetta with truffle honey, spicy lobster spaghetti, and grilled branzino for your antipasti, primi, and secondi plates.
à la carte
Bouley
163 Duane St., at Hudson St.; 212-964-2525
Bouley doesn't announce its exact menu ahead of time (consider the element of surprise part of the fun), but previous years have included delights like king crab with passion fruit and truffle, Maine lobster with foie gras ravioli, organic Long Island duck with hand-milled polenta, wild-huckleberry soup, and rose ice cream.
$245; optional wine pairing for $145
The Dutch
131 Sullivan St., at Prince St.; 212-677-6200
This buzzy downtown spot is doing dishes like steak tartare with pickled mushroom and dill, caviar with buttermilk pancakes ($10 extra), black sea bass, lamb chops, and hot fried chicken with sweet potato, truffle, and maple.
$95; optional wine pairing $45
Lafayette
380 Lafayette St., at Great Jones Pl.; 212-533-3000
Lafayette's four-course feast includes a wide selection of hors d’oeuvre and savory dishes, including prime-beef tartare, escargots à la bourguignonne, a braised-short-ribs-and-petit-filet combo, and roasted scallops with endive and celery root, all accompanied by sunchoke ravioli with truffle and honey. For dessert, go fruity (tropical pavlova, raspberry mousse) or rich (salted-caramel mille-feuille, profiteroles with chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce).
$95 (plus $7 for sides)
Little Park
85 W. Broadway, at Chambers St.; 212-220-4110
Andrew Carmellini's veggie-focused spot in the Smyth Hotel will be serving up a six-course meal. Expect entrées like lobster risotto, arctic char, veal cheeks, and diver scallops, accented with sides like avocado tartare, spiced beets with smoked ricotta, and cauliflower custard with pine nuts.
$95; optional wine pairing, $55
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St., at N. Moore St.; 212-925-3797
The three-course menu at this Italian favorite will include dishes like crostino with mushrooms and duck-liver mousse, wild-boar ravioli, quail tortellini, and blood-orange sorbetto.
$95
The Musket Room
265 Elizabeth St., nr. Houston St.; 212-219-0764
This restaurant’s six-course Valentine’s Day menu invokes the spirit of New Zealand. Couples can enjoy mushroom soup, lobster, Ora King salmon, brown-buttered cod, and beef with eggplant, all finished off with a bit of chocolate.
$150; optional beverage pairing, $90
Recette
328 W. 12th St., at Greenwich St.; 212-414-3000
This downtown spot will be doing fluke crudo, shellfish chowder, roasted quail with coco-bean cassoulet, and veal chops on its six-course Valentine’s Day menu.
$150
Brooklyn
Dover
412 Court St., nr. 1st Pl., Carroll Gardens; 347-987-3545
This new American favorite will be offering a four-course tasting. The menu is so market driven that it won’t be announced until the week before, but the “rigorous, classically minded” cuisine (as our Adam Platt describes it), combined with the picturesque Carroll Gardens setting, seems like a sure Valentine’s bet.
$100; $55 optional wine pairing
Henry’s End
44 Henry St., nr. Cranberry St., Brooklyn Heights; 718-834-1776
Heights dwellers can enjoy favorites like corn chowder with bacon, shrimp with crab and blood orange, tuna-and-avocado tartare, duck with blood-orange Zinfandel, and rack of lamb at this New American restaurant.
$95 (includes a glass of sparkling wine)
Maison Premiere
289 Bedford Ave., nr. S. 1st St.,Williamsburg; 347-335-0446
Choose from fluke tartare, squid-ink farfalle, and Faroe Island salmon on the special menu at this Brooklyn oyster favorite. Finish with sweet meringue kisses, the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day.
$125
Queens
Dutch Kills Centraal
38-40 29th St., at 39th Ave., Long Island City; 718-606-8651
Cozy up to a four-course meal at this LIC gastropub. The prix fixe includes Ecuadorian shrimp with pumpkin risotto, New York strip with a black-truffle-potato purée, roast leg of lamb with garlic sausage, and warm lemon cake.
$40
All prices per person unless otherwise noted.
