Food & Drink

Updated: Local Restaurants Make Valentine’s Day Easy

By Seattle Mag February 8, 2013

heart_0

You got that hot date spot dialed in for Valentine’s Day?

No pressure! (HA!)

The good news is that February 14 is on a Thursday, so it will naturally spill over to February 15, which is going to set us up for a whole Valentine’s Weekend. So many options. But hurry! Your days of booking a table are dwindling down to a precious few. Here are a few (with the newest entries up top):

Totally in love with The Pike’s idea of getting us all hot and bothered four days before the big V-Day: CHOCOFEST! There’s no way you could try everything at this celebration of that dandy candy, accompanied by all sorts of adult beverages, but you could have a mighty fun time sampling sips and nibbles from 60 vendors. Tickets for Sunday’s (February 10) Chocofest are $45.

If fried chicken gets your motor running, you and your honey should shake your tail feathers over to West Seattle for a special feast from chef Mark Fuller at Ma’Ono. The four-course meal is $76 per couple and includes half a bird for your main OR if you’re not in the mood to share, how about a pair of love birds? Tea-Smoked quail stuffed with stir-fried rice, long beans and a black bean sauce. Yes, please! 

Linda’s Tavern wins the blue ribbon for best alternative celebration — naturally — by tossing the Lonely Heart Club Valentine’s Party.

DJ Wilbert “Honeydippin'” Williams and Mikey Strong will be playing 
only the finest classic R&B jams that will have you swingin’ your booty like you are in an R 
Kelly vide

DJ Wilbert “Honeydippin'” Williams and Mikey Strong will be playing only the finest classic R&B jams that will have you swingin’ your booty like you are in an R Kelly video, according to one of the funniest news releases ever. The party starts at 9. No cover. 

Ponti Seafood Grill is offering a special four-course menu with chef Alvin Binuya creating loads of tempting choices. (I’d start with the crispy duck confit, then tuck into the shrimp bisque before devouring the tempura nori wrapped ahi! Whoa. Thinking I’ll have to get that decadent chocolate dessert to go.) Dinner is $65 per person, excluding tax and tip and wine pairings. Reservations: 206-284-3000 or book online

Matt’s in the Market’s new chef, Shane Ryan, shows off his considerable cooking chops by crafting a menu that screams special occasion. The four-course Valentine’s Day dinner includes mouthwatering mains such as Columbia River Steelhead with clams and Txistorra sausage or short ribs served on top of polenta and maitake mushrooms. Dinner is $70, with wine pairings priced at $30. Rezzies: 206-467-7909. 

All Tom Douglas restaurants will feature special Valentine’s Day menus, but if you’re itching to get your date out on the dance floor after eating a big meal, you might want to check out the wing ding at Palace Ballroom. Guys and dolls can feast on four courses — starting with graze-your-heart-out appetizer stations and ending with pineapple and pink peppercorn cake with PASSION fruit gelato. Tickets are $100 per person, which covers dinner, wine pairings and live music by the Seatown Rhythm & Blues Players. 

Urbane is serving up swoon-worthy a la carte special occasion type fare for the evening including filet mignon, roasted tri-color baby potatoes, green beans, Washington Syrah glace and shaved Alba truffles for $48 as well as seared jumbo scallops, roasted parsnips, golden beets, cranberry chutney, pistachio oil for $36. 

Monsoon and Monsoon East are offering special four-course menus – each course includes several choices – with discounted prices offered if you’re willing to dine outside the rush hours. Cost is $70/person for reservations between 6:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Cost is $60/person for reservations before 6 p.m. and after 8:30pm. Price does not include tax and gratuity. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 206.325.2111 for Monsoon or 425.635.1112 for Monsoon East or online.  

Restaurant Bea is offering a special Valentine’s Day pre-fixe menu, in addition to its regular menu cram-packed with comfort food faves. Three courses for $50, per person with a cocktail or wine pairing, for $22.  

Ivar’s is shaking up some sexy cocktails and, in addition to the regular menu, will be offering this meal for two lovebirds: Sweetheart’s Indulgence for Two –a three-course dinner with a choice of baby greens, Caesar salad, smoked salmon or white clam chowder; six ounce filet mignon topped with Dungeness crab and béarnaise sauce; White King Salmon stuffed with baby shrimp and Brie and topped with a saffron fennel vinaigrette; or Northwest crab cakes with a papaya ginger beurre blanc, all served with a side of loaded smooshed red potatoes and steamed broccolini; to complete the dinner share a decadent chocolate fondue for two. That’s available on Valentine’s Day through the weekend at all Ivar’s locations.

The entire month of February, Autumn Martin’s Hot Cakes on Ballard Avenue will be featuring Port Milkshakes ($10) and Spicy Chile Molten Cakes ($7.50) at the shop. The Spicy Chile Molten Cakes are made with ancho, pasilla, and guajilla chiles.

On Feb. 9, Hot Cakes is launching its new Dangerously Dark Hot Fudge Sauce and Valentine’s To-Go” kits will be available. The $25 kits will include everything you need for a romantic night at home: A jar of Dangerously Dark Hot Fudge Sauce, Two Dark Decadence Molten Chocolate Cakes and a pint of Bluebird’s vanilla ice cream.

ART Restaurant & Lounge has a special Valentine’s menu for the whole week from Feb. 9-13: Three courses, each course with choices, for $55 and a flight of three glasses of Veuve Clicquot to go with it for $50. On the actual day forever associated with roses and chocolates, there are several sharables din dins in addition to the regular offerings.

Barking Frog has come up with a very sexy Aphrodisiac Tasting menu for the entire month of love. Starting with oysters, moving onto lobster and spot prawns stuffed into ravioli and, oh, baby, Painted Hills shortribs. If that gets you so worked up you want to check into a room at Willows Inn, the kitchen will probably pack up the spiced chocolate mousse to go. The spread is $69. (Really? So naughty!!) Wine pairings are available for another $30.

Hunger in Fremont has put some heart into a special five-course Valentine’s menu filled with rich winter flavors and decadent treats like beef tartare, oysters and chocolate. Guests will receive a sweet treat delivered with their bill and a rose. The menu is available for $150 per couple, with additional wine pairings available for $25 per person.

Collections Café will transform the Glasshouse at Chihuly Garden and Glass into a romantic setting for a multiple course dining experience. Set special for the occasion, guests will dine at intimate tables for two uniquely positioned under the dramatic Glasshouse sculpture while a jazz band provides a romantic soundtrack. The $275 tab for two includes dinner in the Glasshouse sculpture at Chihuly Garden and Glass, a bottle of wine, valet for one vehicle, admission to the galleries and garden and a commemorative keepsake from the bookstore. 

If you don’t want to bother with making rezzies, grab your honey and go eat oysters at Taylor Shellfish on Melrose, at Elliott’s or Blueacre. Or, head to Palace Kitchen, one of the most romantically lit rooms in Seattle, where it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for a flashlight to help read the menu. 

We’ve got more romantic restaurant ideas in our story on all-season restaurant patios. Find it inside the February issue of Seattle magazine.

 

Follow Us