Boston-area restaurants are putting the finishing touches on their culinary tributes to romance – prix fixes and menus pour deux abound – make your reservations soon, whether you’re wooing someone new or celebrating years of happy coupledom, the best tables are going fast at spots like 33 Restaurant Lounge, Avenue One, Avila, Azure, Beacon Hill Bistro, Beehive, Bonfire, Black Trumpet, blu, Blue Ginger, Bravo, Cafe Fleuri, Casablanca, Chez Henri, Chiara, Club Cafe, Craigie Street Bistrot, dante, Davio’s, dbar, Evenfall, Excelsior, Finale, The Fireplace, Gargoyles, Glory, Grafton Street, Great Bay, Grotto, Hamersley’s Bistro, Harvest, Icarus, L’Espalier, Lumière, Masa, Meritage, The Metropolitan Club, OM Restaurant | Lounge, Pigalle, Radius, Regatta of Cotuit, Rialto, Rocca, Sel de la Terre, STIX, Taranta, Temple Bar, Tomasso Trattoria, Top of the Hub, Toro, Tosca, Tremont 647, Union and UpStairs on the Square.
Restaurants A-L|Restaurants M-Z
The team at 33 Restaurant & Lounge is whipping up a swoon-inducing menu this Valentine’s Day. Book your table to enjoy a celebratory four-course prix fixe that starts out with an amuse of goat cheese panna cotta with smoked salmon and fennel oil, and continues with options like herb-roasted Cornish hen on American style polenta with truffle pan jus and frisée. After dessert, they send you on your way with a mini box of truffles to enjoy at home. The evening’s menu costs $95 per person, or $125 with paired wines. Call 617.572.3311 to reserve your table.
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Chef Kelly Armetta welcomes Valentine’s Day diners to Avenue One with a four-course prix fixe full of swoon-worthy creations. The menu costs $55 per person which is more than reasonable for courses like Island Creek oysters with apple mignonette and Meyer lemons on black lava salt; and smoked pork chop, corn cake, three onion confit and creamed spinach flan. Call Avenue One at 617.422.5579 to make reservations or for more information.
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Spoil your sweetie this Valentine’s Day with a five-course menu from Avila’s dynamic culinary duo – co-executive chefs Rodney Murillo and Paul King. Their collaborative five course menu features dishes like natural rack of lamb with potato-leek gratin, winter vegetable rôtis and Osborne port wine. Pastry chef Tom Ponticelli adds the finishing touch with tangerine granite accompanied by a nougatine cookie, anise biscotti and an almond butter cookie. The chef’s tasting menu, available in addition to the regular dinner menu costs $85 per person. To book your table, call Avila at 617.267.4810.
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Celebrate Valentine’s Day in the heart of the Back Bay at Azure at the Lenox Hotel. Chef Robert Fathman sets the mood with starters like freshly shucked oysters and crab and shrimp taquitos with chipotle sauce, avocado puree, lime and radish. He gets down to business with entrees like roasted game hen with sweet parsnip puree, port-poached fruits, broccoli rabe and sage jus. The evening’s desserts are still in the works. Book your table for the celebratory three-course dinner, which costs $75 per person, by calling Azure at 617.933.4800.
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Chef Jason Bond gets all romantic with his Valentine’s Day dinner menu at the Beacon Hill Bistro. Available from 5:30-11:00pm, the three-course prix fixe features courses like cream of cauliflower soup with savory croutons, guanciale and Sevruga caviar. In-house wine maven and co-owner Cecilia Rait will be selecting some optional wine pairings to accompany the menu. Dinner costs $63 per person, not including tax or gratuity. Call the Beacon Hill Bistro at 617.723.7575 for more info or to book your table.
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Single or coupled, celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Beehive’s first annual Love Ball. Chef Rebecca Newell has planned a three-course Fondue for Two menu and specially created love potions will be flowing, but that’s only half the fun. Members of the Beehive team will be playing matchmaker throughout the evening – distributing numbers and collecting anonymous Valentines to and from partygoers. At midnight the king and queen of the Love Ball will be declared. There’s no cover for the romantical evening of entertainment, though it is a cash bar. Call the Beehive at 617.423.0069 to get the whole rundown.
Taking his culinary inspiration from Cupid, chef Eben Leonard creates an a la carte menu designed to delight. Valentine’s Day diners can choose from four appetizer options like scallop ceviche or oysters on the half shell, and then enjoy entrees like wood grilled lamb loin or striped bass in fata. For dessert, diners can choose from some classic treats like a dark chocolate terrine or strawberries and cream. Reservations are strongly recommended, call Bonfire at 617.426.2000.
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Take your Valentine’s Day celebration on the road and head north to Portmouth, New Hampshire for some quality time at the Black Trumpet Bistro.Chef Evan Mallett will be serving a specially designed a la carte menu just for the occasion. Reserve your table in the dining room or the upstairs wine bar to enjoy Mallett’s culinary handiwork augmented by harbor views and great wines from their carefully culled list. Call Black Trumpet at 603.431.0887 for more information.
Book a table at blu to enjoy chef Michael Kraus’s four-course prix fixe. The evening’s $60 price tag includes a glass of champagne and courses like spring parsnip soup with crisp pancetta and pear marmalade; and pan seared Arctic char with grilled asparagus, citrus, quinoa and lemon oil. Call blu at 617.375.8550 for reservations.
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Give your Valentine’s Day dinner at little East Meets West flair at Blue Ginger. Chefs Ming Tsai and Jon Taylor have designed a four-course prix fixe that’s filled with romance. Pastry chef Michele Fadden wraps it all up with a Lovers’ Dessert for Two. Dinner costs $75 per person, not including tax or gratuity. Add accompanying wines for another $25 per person. Book your table at Blue Ginger by calling 781.283.5790.
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Chef Jacqueline Kelly spreads the love this Valentine’s Day, offering her Valentine’s Day menu at Bravo from Wednesday, February 13th through Friday, February 15th. Reserve your table and enjoy Kelly’s culinary artistry among some of the Museum’s modern and contemporary masterpieces. Dinner costs $75 per person, though they’ll choose accompanying wines to complement your meal for an additional $25 per person. Call Bravo at 617.369.3474 for reservations.
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This year, indulge your beloved at Café Fleuri‘s Valentine’s Day dinner. The evening’s festivities include a live band from 6:00-10:00pm, dinner from chefs Mark Sapienza and John Lambiase, and the pièce de résistance for chocolate lovers – a table of the famous Chocolate Bar buffet, complete with chocolate fountain and made-to-order crêpes. The $80 per person price tag covers a glass of champagne upon arrival. Reservations are available from 6:00 to 9:30pm. Call 617.956.8751.
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Celebrate Valentine’s Day at a Cambridge classic. Casablanca, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, invites diners to enjoy a three-course prix fixe from chef Camillo Diaz. Add a wine flight pairing for another $25 per person. Save a table for you and your loved one by calling 617.876.0999.
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Give your Valentine’s Day a little French-Cuban twist with chef Paul O’Connell’s four-course prix fixe at Chez Henri. The menu, which costs $80 per person, includes courses like Peruvian crab salad with habanero-pineapple gelée, jicama and cilantro; and braised lamb shank with Yukon potato rosti and cauliflower gratin. Book your table by calling 617.354.8980.
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This Valentine’s Day, get cozy at Chiara in Westwood, where chefs Steven LaCount and Bret Pelaggi welcome guests for a romance-filled three-course menu. The $85 prix fixe features pan roasted halibut filet with chive risotto, lobster sauce, lobster and cress salad. Keep in mind – there’s a tasting plate from the pastry chef for dessert. The menu costs $85 per person. Call Chiara at 781.461.8118 for reservations.
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Take your special someone to Club Cafe , where newly appointed chef Gery Armsby welcomes diners with an extensive a la carte menu, available from 6:00-11:00pm. Share some Wellfleet oysters with sake ginger mignonette or tuck into entrees like grilled brined pork loin with celeriac puree, braised rainbow chard and cherry mustard. Book your table by calling 617.536.0972. There’s also a lighter bar menu available until midnight if you feel like just dropping in for a snack at the bar.
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Chef Tony Maws celebrates sustainable food and sustainable love with a week-long Valentine’s Day tribute at Craigie Street Bistrot. Book your table on the 14th to enjoy his four-course prix fixe, full of seasonal deliciousness like dayboat monkfish cheeks à la Pôele with pickled peppers, preserved lemon and black olive purée; and red miso-marinated venison leg with red quinoa and savory beet jus. Dinner costs $150 per person and can be paired with a wine flight for an additional $50 per person. If you’d like to celebrate at home on the 14th and avoid the crowds, Maws will be serving a romance-inspired market menu for the rest of the week (February 12th, 13th, 15th and 17th). Priced at $80 per person, the market menu is subject to change depending on availability. Make reservations by calling 617.617.497.5511.
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A true romantic, chef Dante de Magistris celebrates Valentine’s Day all week long at his riverside restaurant. On the days surrounding the holiday (from the 11th through the 16th), the a la carte menu at dante gets a playful make-over with dishes like A Cute Little Couple and Ménage a Foie . On Valentine’s Day itself, de Magistris invites guests to celebrate with a four-course tasting menu priced at $75 per person. To book your table, call dante at 617.497.4200.
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Bring your better half to Davio’s for Valentine’s Day in the Back Bay. Chefs Stephen Brown and Eric Swartz have collaborated on a four course prix fixe that’s perfect for couples. Start out with sushi grade tuna carpaccio with Meyer lemon jam, shaved cucumber and red onion; followed by handmade potato gnocchi, roasted roma tomatoes, garlic, spinach and fresh mozzarella. Be sure to save room for an Extra Special Sweetheart Dessert from pastry chef Tom Ponticelli. The menu costs $95 per person, not including tax or gratuity. Call Davio’s at 617.357.4810 for reservations or more information.
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Delight your Valentine with dinner at dbar. Chef Christopher Coombs’ four-course menu costs $55 per person and boasts all sorts of seasonal deliciousness in courses like the Sweetheart Ravioli – a trio of lovely beets filled with herbed Vermont chevre and walnuts or the Honey Bunny – rabbit rillettes on brioche toast with channtenay carrot and honeycrisp apple salad. Reservations are still available – just call 617.265.4490.
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This Valentine’s Day, indulge at Evenfall with an a la carte menu from chef Scott Pelletier. You and your sweetie can try the Kobe beef duo or the creamy lobster bisque before tucking into entrees like Hearts & Sole, artichoke heart and Maine crab stuffed sole with ginger mashed butternut squash, wilted baby spinach and lobster nage. Before you head home, have a little something sweet – maybe the fondue for two or the red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, vanilla ice cream, raspberry-toasted almond tuile and fresh berries. Call Evenfall at 978.521.7550 for more information or to reserve your table.
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Chef Eric Brennan and pastry chef Molly Hanson are putting the final touches on their Valentine’s Day menu at Excelsior. The evening’s menu, four courses in all, costs $90 per person (or $130 per person with accompanying wines) and is available through February 16th. Call Excelsior at 617.426.7878 to reserve your table.
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This Valentine’s Day, Finale is also celebrating an anniversary – ten year’s of their Chocolate Plate for Two. Reserve your table to indulge in this year’s plate, the Chocolate Infatuation which includes delicious, chocolaty treats from pastry chef Nicole Coady. There’s also a whole dinner menu available – order and entrée and the Chocolate Infatuation for $55 per couple or start out with a soup or a salad, followed by an entrée and the Chocolate Infatuation for $70 per couple. Take your pick from any of the Finale locations and call for more information or reservations. Call Boston Park Plaza at 617.423.3184, Brookline Coolidge Corner at 617.232.3233, Cambridge Harvard Square at 617.441.9797 or Natick at 508.647.8300.
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Chef-owner Jim Solomon has put together an outstanding a la carte menu perfect for Valentine’s Day diners at The Fireplace. Get in the mood with oysters on the half shell or indulge with foie gras dumplings with wild mushroom sauté and truffled Madeira cream sauce. Save room for Solomon’s Valentine’s Day specials an end-of-the-meal treat from their aphrodisiac-laced dessert menu. Call 617.975.1900 to reserve your table by the fire.
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Celebrate your beloved at Gargoyles over a three course menu from chef Jason Santos. Santos pulls out all the stops with dishes like grilled shrimp tacos with aloe daiquiri, pineapple salsa and habenero hot sauce; and a giant grilled ribeye for two with fried oysters, truffle potatoes and cast iron Brussels sprouts. Save room for the chocolate sampler for two with its truffles, chocolate dipped strawberries, chocolate cake and turtles. Dinner costs $60 per person. Save a table for you and your sweetie by calling 617.776.5300.
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Bring your honey bun to Glory for a festive Valentine’s dinner accompanied by live musical entertainment from crooner Lou Belmont. Chef Jose Fuentes’ special holiday a la carte menu is full of delicious, celebratory dishes. Belmont takes the stage in the lounge at 7:30pm and the dancing starts at ten. For reservations, call Glory at 978.475.4811.
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Augmenting the regular menu, chef Matthew Richey will be serving a special holiday prix fixe at Grafton Street. The $35 menu offers Valentine’s Day diners choices like seared diver scallops cauliflower puree, crispy potatoes, blood orange syrup; and grilled ny strip steak wild mushroom and potato galette, truffled jus, crispy onions. Reservations are probably your best bet – call Grafton Street at 617.497.0400.
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Seafood lovers can spend Valentine’s Day at Great Bay where chef Adam Fuller is offering a tasting menu built for two. Warm up with chilled oysters, marinated crab salad with winter citrus hearts of palm and Maine lobster. But save room for whole fired loup de mer with Maine shrimp and shiitake hash, mushroom mis broth and stir fried bok choy. The five-course menu costs $75 per person and can be paired with accompanying wines for an addition $40 per person. Call Great Bay at 617.532.5300.
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Grotto is currently accepting reservations for their Valentine’s Day get together. Chef Scott Herritt has planned a three-course dinner, picking some highlights from the regular menu and whipping up some specials just for the occasion. Dinner costs $52 per person and reservations are strongly recommended. Call 617.227.3434 to save your spot.
Boston’s most-loved culinary couple, Fiona & Gordon Hamersley, welcome lovebirds to Hamersley’s Bistro with a $95 four-course Valentine’s Day menu. Among the evening’s romance-inspired offerings: truffled goat cheese crepes with black trumpet cream; and game consommé with mint and chili infused meat balls. For dessert, guests will be smitten with Cupids Little Arrows. Call Hamersley’s at 617.423.2700 soon to make your reservations.
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Bring your beloved to Harvard Square this Valentine’s Day for a romance-laden prix fixe menu from Harvest’s new dynamic duo, chef Mary Dumont and pastry chef Jed Hackney. Among the options on the $70 three-course menu: ahi tuna tartare with Moroccan spices, lemon confit and elephant garlic; and housemade parsley pappardelle with chanterelle mushrooms, baby carrots and garlic confit. You and your beloved can augment dinner with a half glass wine pairing, which raises the price to $85 per person, or opt for the full glass wine pairing and pay $95 per person. Call Harvest at 617.868.2255 to save yourself a table.
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The details are scant but here’s what we know: chef-owner Chris Douglass and chef de cuisine Bill Flumerfelt will be serving a $79 three-course prix fixe at Icarus on Valentine’s Day. Reservations are still available, though the menu is still under wraps, but if the last thirty years are any indication – it’ll be good. Call 617.426.1790.
This Valentine’s Day, earning its title as one of the city’s most romantic restaurants, L’Espalier hosts a weeklong tribute to love. Chef-owner Frank McClelland and chef de cuisine James Hackney go all out serving a lover’s tasting menu from Friday, February 8th through Sunday, February 17th. The seven course tasting costs $94 per person. On Valentine’s Day itself, reserve your spot for the $175 per person prix fixe. The menu is still in the works but you’re in pretty good hands (James Beard Award-, AAA Five Diamond Award- and Mobil Four Star Award-winning hands, to be precise). Call L’Espalier at 617.262.3023 for reservations.
Put your Valentine’s Day celebration in the talented hands of chef Michael Leviton at Lumière. At his award-winning West Newton eatery, Leviton will be dazzling Valentine’s Day diners with a four-course prix fixe. Leviton’s menu costs $80 per person; they’ll pick out the wines for you for an additional $45 per person. Call Lumière at 617.244.9199 to book your table.
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