Enjoy romantic multicourse, prix fixe dining experiences this Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is perfect for prix fixe dining. You just choose the place and let the restaurant mostly do the rest.
Pronounced pree fix, this specialty dinner offers a multicourse meal for a set price. The menus often offer choices within courses, but it still helps streamline decision-making.
If you haven’t made plans for Valentine’s Day yet, you’re cutting it close. There are still reservations to be had, but they’re disappearing quickly. Fortunately, many of these offerings are available on days surrounding Saturday, Feb. 14, as well.
Here are some options to consider.
The Blossom Cafe & Banquets in Norridge is offering a five-course celebration for two from 3-10 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 13-15. Diners will start with an appetizer of fried calamari or shrimp de jonghe, followed by lobster bisque soup and a Blossom house salad. Then choose two entrees from options such as Black Angus New York Strip Steak, Atlantic salmon or lemon chicken piccata ($75) or two 7-ounce filet mignons ($85). Shareable dessert choices include the colossal New York cheesecake or triple-layer chocolate cake. Enjoy live music on Friday and Saturday.
Both Bella Napoli (Schaumburg) and sister restaurants Moretti’s (Barrington, Bartlett, Elgin, Fox Lake, Hoffman Estates, Lake in the Hills, Mount Prospect, Rosemont and Schaumburg) are offering special Valentine’s Day dinners Thursday through Wednesday, Feb. 12-18. Dine on surf-and-turf, cashew-crushed halibut or twin filets, and indulge in Chocolate Raspberry Love Cake for dessert. Reservations requested.
CityGate Grille in Naperville is offering a five-course prix fixe dinner designed for romance on Friday, Feb. 13 (Saturday is sold out). Courses include French Kiss Oysters, frutti di mare, a cocoa brown sugar and chili-rubbed rib-eye, herb-roasted venison and tiramisu. It’s $99 per person and each course can be paired with wine from PIUS Estates ($160 for dinner and the pairing). Seatings are at 5 and 7 p.m., and reservations can be made on CityGate’s website or at OpenTable.
Di Pescara in Northbrook is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a three-course dinner for $49.95 per person on Feb. 14. The menu starts with a soup or salad and then moves on to entree choices of filet mignon medallions, almond-crusted whitefish, barbecue ginger salmon, Parmesan-crusted haddock and more. Dessert options include red velvet tiramisu, chocolate mousse cake and Key lime pie. Reservations are available at OpenTable.
On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights will present a prix fixe Valentine’s menu crafted by chef Tim Vidrio, accompanied by live acoustic guitar music to help set the mood. The multicourse meal will include options ranging from seared sea scallops and shrimp à la plancha to duck confit à l’orange, wagyu skirt steak and lobster ravioli. End the evening by choosing from desserts including chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecake and buttermilk crème brûlée with rose jam. It’s $75 per person and reservations can be made through the restaurant’s website.
LAGO by Fabio Viviani in Lake Zurich is hosting Date Night Steak Night Monday through Sunday, Feb. 9-15 (Feb. 14 is completely booked, but you could check for cancellations). The dinner experience for couples features a 32-ounce center-cut Bistecca Alla Fiorentina served with two housemade sides and one dessert to share. It’s $175 per couple and reservations can be made at OpenTable.
Some seats remain on both Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, for a special Valentine’s Day at the McCormick House at Cantigny in Wheaton. The intimate dinner will be served upstairs and features a curated six-course menu with an optional wine pairing. The evening starts with a pâté macaroon amuse bouche, followed by beef tartare, burrata and prosciutto salad, wild mushroom raviolo, Chilean sea bass and dry-aged rib-eye duo. A dark chocolate crémeux wraps up the dinner. It’s $175 per person for dinner or $250 with the wine pairing (prices include gratuity). Check the website for reservations.
The Morton Arboretum in Lisle is hosting a romantic evening Saturday, Feb. 14, in the Gingko Room with a candlelit five-course dinner featuring curated wine pairings and dessert. Guitarist Jim Perona will perform flamenco, classical, baroque and contemporary romantic works throughout the evening. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. seating are $130 ($120 for members) and can be purchased on Morton’s website. It’s a 21-and-older event.
You’re probably not going to find a reservation on Saturday, Feb. 14, at Morton’s The Steakhouse at this point, but the restaurant’s special prix fixe Valentine’s Dinner is available Friday, Feb. 6, through Sunday, Feb. 15. The dinner for two is $179 and includes a starter, a surf-and-turf entree of a 28-ounce New York strip and twin petite lobster tails and dessert. Add a bottle of Flowers chardonnay or pinot noir and a long-stemmed red rose to the table for $99. The steakhouse has locations in Naperville, Northbrook, Rosemont and Schaumburg.
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille has a couple of prix fixe options available Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14. The first, a three-course curated dining experience, starts with a choice of soup or salad, one of nine entrees and then dessert. It’s $79 per person at 5:30 p.m. and earlier and $89 per person at 5:45 p.m. or later. A Candlelight Dinner for Two, complete with rose petals on the table, is $219 per couple with a meal centered around the 12-ounce candlelight filet mignon roast for two with two steamed lobster tails. Locations are in Oak Brook, Schaumburg and Vernon Hills. Find the link to reservations on their website.
Saranello’s in Wheeling will host “An Evening of Amore” at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. The romantic four-course dinner starts with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, followed by dinner. A first course of lobster bisque or romaine heart salad is followed by creamy Tuscan ravioli or orecchiette with sausage and broccoli. Chilean sea bass, Berkshire pork chop or filet mignon follow. For dessert, choose from strawberry skillet cake or Tall, Dark & Handsome chocolate cake. There will be music and dancing to keep the evening going. It’s $109.95 per person. Reservations are available at OpenTable.