Edible Events: Valentine’s Day Edition

Stuck for plans this Thursday? If you plan on dining out, we've got some ideas.

Valentine’s Day may be about love and romance, but everyone knows that it’s just as much about food. Whether or not you’re attached, there are plenty of options in and around Boston for a truly memorable meal. Still haven’t booked your reservation? Here are some great ideas to get you started. —by Melissa MacEwen

Still need a Valentine’s Day reservation? Try Puritan & Co. Photo courtesy of Facebook/Puritan & Co.

Upstairs on the Square
Harvard Square’s Upstairs on the Square will continue its Valentine’s Day blow-out with a host of themed events through February 16th, including a special Valentine’s “Menu in the Monday Club” and a Valentine’s “Dinner in the Soiree Dining” on the 14th. There will also be a Cupid’s Wine Dinner on the 12th (that’s tonight!) and an afternoon of “Au Chocolat” Valentine Teas on the 16th.
91 Winthrop St., Cambridge, MA, 617-864-1933, upstairsonthesquare.com

Puritan & Company
Local and seasonal food specialists Puritan & Company have planned the perfect prix fixe menu to drive away the remains of Nemo’s chill. From a Nantucket bay scallop crudo, to a lobster bisque, to a white chocolate crème caramel that features candied kumquats and saffron “caviar,” the menu promises to provide a cozy, delectable evening.
$40 prix fixe menu, though you can add foie gras for an extra $15, 1166 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA, 617-615-6195, puritancambridge.com

The Wine Cellar
Is there anything more romantic than fondue? The Wine Cellar’s prix fixe menu will feature an array of European classics with a Boston spin, including classic Swiss fondue, escargots à la Reine and beef tenderloin and grilled shrimp flambé. Dark chocolate fondue is, of course, for dessert.
$65 prix fixe menu, 30 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA, 617-236-0080, bostoncellar.com

Metropolis Cafe
Though Metropolis does not plan to have a specific Valentine’s Day menu, they will supplement their menu with a number of Valentine’s Day specials, including harissa-marinated seared tuna and tres leches cake. Pair one of those with a stroll down Tremont Street, and you’ve got yourself a nice date indeed.
584 Tremont St., Boston, MA, 617-247-2931, metropolisboston.com

Temple Bar
Valentine’s Day will be a distinctly international event at Temple Bar, as the prix fixe menu includes an intriguing collection of dishes such as Thai coconut-lemongrass soup, pan-seared mahi-mahi with Israeli couscous, and more American classics like grilled ribeye steak. The option to save $10 by booking an early reservation is just as appealing.
$49 prix fixe menu with an optional $19 wine pairing (all reservations booked between 5:00 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. will save $10 per person), 1688 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA, 617-547-5055, templebarcambridge.com

Masa
Fend off the winter chill with a trip to Masa in the South End. Specializing in Southwestern dishes conceived through a New England lens, Masa’s prix fixe Valentine’s Day menu features everything from local Maine lobster bisque with pepper jack cheese croutons, to dry-aged, cowboy-cut ribeye with mushrooms, to a fiery finish of molten chocolate cake, habanero truffles, and Mexican chocolate flan in the chocolate trio.
$59 prix fixe menu, 439 Tremont St., Boston, MA, 617-338-8884, masarestaurant.com

Mama Maria
Mama Maria, arguably the mothership of North End’s Italian restaurants, will feature a sprawling prix fixe menu for Valentine’s Day centered on tried-and-true favorites from its nightly menus. From caviar pasta to black truffle and wild mushroom pasta, the eatery will once again put a decidedly sophisticated spin on America’s favorite comfort food.
$68 prix fixe menu, 3 North Square Boston, MA, 617-523-0077, mammamaria.com

 

Catalyst
Catalyst has outdone itself with a carefully crafted prix fixe menu for Valentine’s Day. Highlights include salt cod croquettes with smoked paprika aioli, bacon-wrapped veal, and Nutella ice cream with toasted marshmallow hazelnut brittle. It might be a bit snowy to eat al fresco on Catalyst’s patio, but the 30-foot floor to ceiling windows will certainly suffice.
$75 prix fixe menu; salad and oysters available separately for $3 and $10 each, respectively, 300 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 617-576-3000, catalystrestaurant.com

Deuxave
The Back Bay’s Deuxave will pare down its menu options to one scrumptious four-course prix fixe Valentine’s Day tasting menu. Though hearty dishes like braised veal ravioli and crispy-skinned black bass still have their places on the menu, holiday-appropriate concoctions with names like coeur de foie gras torchon, “love bird,” “RibEye Love You” and to finish out the evening—”A Chocolate Love Affair” will doubtless be the meal’s focal points.
$99 prix fixe menu with optional $69 wine pairing, 371 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA, 617-517-5915, deuxave.com

Hamersley’s Bistro
Hamersley’s four-course prix fixe Valentine’s Day menu will includes everything from creamy spaghettini with black truffles and Parmesan, to Maine crab cake with tarragon aioli, to seared foie gras with dates, goat cheese and greens … and that’s just for the first course. “Cupid’s Sweet Inspirations” will wrap everything up for dessert.
$110 prix fixe menu, 553 Tremont St., Boston, MA, 617-423-2700, hamersleysbistro.com

 

Craigie on Main
Craigie on Main’s five course prix fixe Valentine’s Day menu will focus on the “colors, textures and flavors of luxury and love” with a decadent color-themed prix fixe menu. The “Sustainable Food/Sustainable Love” menu runs the gamut of surf and turf before concluding with a “chocolate extravaganza” for 2.
$149 prix fixe menu with optional $49 wine pairing; $100 four course Valentine’s Day Menu with optional $39 wine accompaniments available after 10 pm, 853 Main St., Cambridge, MA, 617-497-5511, craigieonmain.com

No. 9 Park
At the very apex of fine V-Day dining stands No. 9 Park with its sumptuous five or eight course prix fixe menu. The courses depart gracefully from No. 9 Park classics like prune stuffed gnocchi to bring diners a tasteful new spin on French and Italian cuisine. Chef and restaurant owner Barbara Lynch’s romantic side shines through on the all-red dessert selection, which includes red currant ice and either passion fruit pavlova or chocolate marquise.
$155 five-course prix fixe menu with optional $75 wine pairing or $195 eight-course prix fixe menu with optional $105 wine pairing, 9 Park St  Boston, MA, 617-742-9991, no9park.com

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