You and your partner deserve to enjoy a variety of pleasures on Valentine's Day, and Chicago's chefs are preparing to satisfy your every culinary desire. We're featuring restaurants that will offer specially designed menus on the 14th, but be advised that many establishments not listed here told us that they will enhance their regular menus with unique treats on that day, so chances are good that no matter where you dine, you'll have a memorable lovers' feast.
Allen's Cafe
If you choose this chic, sleek design fan's dream in River North for your romantic celebration, you'll be able to take advantage of either the $85 per person set menu, or the $100 per couple "Dinner for Two" menu. The $85 per person menu will give you a choice of crab cakes or short ribs for the appetizer course, New York strip or Ahi tuna for the entree, and chocolate mousse for dessert (coffee included). The $100 per couple dinner will give each of you a six-ounce filet and one-pound lobster, along with a vegetable medley, red wine au jus, and horseradish potatoes. Allen's will make these menus available both Feb. 12 an 14, and potentially on Friday the 11th; call and confirm the menus if you're interested in a Friday reservation.
Ambria
Is your definition of romance a charming, elegant art nouveau setting serving up exquisite New French cuisine? Then head to Ambria to celebrate Valentine's, where the prix fixe seven-course menu consists of an asparagus salad, Maine lobster, sea diver scallops on warm oysters, game consomme, a choice of olive oil-poached turbot, venison or filet of beef, and either passion vanilla souffle or Ambria's chocolate degustation. The menu is $150 per person, and Ambria requires a credit card number with each reservation. The menu will be offered on Feb. 13-14.
Aria
The folks at the Fairmont's Aria have proclaimed that they've designed their Valentine's Day menu "with passion in mind." Some of the special offerings will be poached oysters on chestnut-crusted white asparagus, pepper-crusted venison with truffled celery root puree and a warmed chocolate cake, served with raspberry and lavender ice cream and candied rose petals. This menu will be available Friday through the big day.
Avenues at The Peninsula Chicago
The Peninsula's premier dining room prepares fresh seasonal seafood dishes to please the palate while the gorgeous view of the Water Tower dazzles the eye. At Avenues, you can have either the six-course menu for $182 per person, or the four-course menu (which includes a specialty chocolate bar) for $180 per couple.
Bistro 110
This French bistro, just off the Mag Mile, is doing up Valentine's Day right with several events planned. On Tuesday, Feb. 8, Chef Dominique Tougne will host an "aphrodisiac cooking class" from 6 to 8 p.m. for $45 per person. You and your valentine can learn how to re-create three of Tougne's love-inspiring dishes: roasted langoustino soup, seared foie gras with sauteed apples and raspberry sauce, and red fruit sorbet float with champagne and fresh berries. You'll wrap up the evening with a cocktail reception in the Vavro Lounge, where you'll down a martini called Love Potion #9.
Romance-themed specials will grace the menu beginning Thursday, Feb. 10, and on Monday the 14th, several couples will find "keys to romance" hidden underneath their desserts, which will entitle them to a one-night stay at the nearby Sofitel. The bistro will also randomly choose a "Most Romantic Couple," who will receive a complimentary tasting menu prepared by Tougne and a carriage ride.
Caliterra
Chef Rick Gresh is celebrating Valentine's all February long by adding liberal doses of chocolate to his menu in unexpected places. He's cooking up cocoa-roasted ostrich, molten foie gras and chocolate "bon bons," white chocolate risotto with vanilla poached prawns and Ahi tuna sprinkled with chocolate salt. Pastry Chef Anthony Scelzo has created a dessert called Symphony of Chocolate, which sounds like every chocoholic's dream, featuring five different choc-full "mini desserts." On the 14th, there will be a special Aphrodisiac Menu for $60 per person. The amuse will be Mumm champagne and caviar, and you'll be able to select your first course, main course and dessert from several delectable options.
China Grill
The Hard Rock Hotel's snazzy China Grill does more than upscale Chinese food. Behold the breadth and depth of the five-course prix fixe menu, which will be offered from Friday through Monday: There will be an oyster sampler (ever had an oyster prepared tempura-style, with lime and pickled red chili, or an oyster roasted with sake and lemongrass?), Kobe beef carpaccio, three types of caviar and roasted South African lobster. The menu will cost $75 per person.
Coco Pazzo
This gorgeously-lit, comfortable-yet-sophisticated River North dining room will give you several special options for dinner on Valentine's Day. Options for starter dishes include roasted red pepper and potato soup and Delaware oysters on the half shell. For the entree, have the Dungeness crab ravioli, Maine lobster with tarragon risotto or roasted Mediterranean sea bass. A chocolate meringue heart, filled with white chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries, will be on the dessert menu, and you'll also receive complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries to finish. You'll order a la carte, and dishes will be priced between $6 to $11 for starters and $18 to $32 for entrees.
Crofton on Wells
The staff at this exemplary purveyor of fine American, with its clean lines and complex cooking, hasn't yet decided on what will be on its February 14 tasting menu. "It depends on the availability of fresh ingredients that day," they told us. But they're sure it will consist of five courses for $75 per person.
Cyrano's Bistro & Wine Bar
A wine bar and cabaret as well as a good old-fashioned French bistro, Cyrano's will offer the sweet sounds of Jovan Mihailovic's violin on the 14th, as well as two special menus. The first is a five-course pre-selected Menu for Two for $59 per person, designed especially for sharing. Oysters, salmon, duck liver mousse, portabello soup, grilled lamb chops with saffron linguini, seared scallops and a dessert sampler will all be yours if you choose this option. The second menu, a three-course prix fixe for $42 per person, will ask you to make your own choices for each course, which will be difficult since you'll have options like escargot with herbed butter, traditional coq au vin, and grilled swordfish. The a la carte menu will also be available.
Don Juan
Featuring unusual takes on popular dishes, Don Juan's thrills as well as satisfies. For Valentine's, it has put together a prix fixe menu for $45 per person that will five items, which you can choose: one salad, one appetizer, one meat, one fish, and one dessert. Beef tenderloin, risotto with shrimp or lobster, roasted chicken and lamb will be among the options. You'll also be able to order the special items a la carte, if you wish.
Everest
Who would have thought that a restaurant featuring Alsatian cuisine could become one of the nation's most lauded destinations for gourmands? Everest is the odds-defying brainchild of Chef Jean Joho, and the spectacular sky-high view (the dining room is perched above the Chicago Stock Exchange) only contributes to the dizzy elation brought on by the food. On February 14th, you'll feast on a multi-course menu ("of around eight courses," they tell us) for $195 per person. The courses will be decided quite close to the day, since they will be based on the best ingredients available at that time.
Geja's Cafe
Fondue dining makes for a fantastic date, since it involves a lot of dipping yummy food and feeding each other. Geja's prides itself on being a veritable hot pot of romance (the Web site currently features Dinner for Life to couples that submit their most romantic Geja's experiences and win the approval of a panel of judges); Geja's intends to make you swoon with its Valentine's Dinner. The dinner will be offered from Feb. 12-14, and costs $80 per person (except for the Saturday 3 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. seatings, which will cost $65 per person). The price includes tax and tip, and pre-payment is required. You'll get Mumm champagne, a rose for your table, a Swiss Gruyere fondue appetizer, Geja's salad, a fondue entree of lobster, shrimp and beef, and the flaming dark Belgian chocolate fondue dessert. For $20 more, you can finish your evening with a horse-drawn carriage ride through Lincoln Park.
Grotto on State
This fashionable Gold Coast eatery, combining and redefining Italian and steakhouse cooking, has created a special dessert for sweet-toothed valentines called the Due Cuore (Two Hearts) that will be available Friday through Monday. It's two puff pastry hearts layered with white and dark chocolate mousse and fresh mixed berries, topped with fresh whipped cream and drizzled with raspberry sauce, and will cost $6.95. Also, on Feb. 13 and 14, each guest will receive a complimentary champagne split.
Heat
Sushi, sashimi and other seafood delights are fresher-than-fresh at this upscale hipster Japanese restaurant in the North/Clybourn neighborhood. On the 14th, there will be two eight-course menus, one for $65 per person, and the other, the Executive Chef's Menu, for $100 per person. Dinner will include a glass of champagne and dessert. The staff couldn't be specific with us, but promised, "You'll get a little bit of everything from the restaurant."
Kaze Sushi
This simple-yet-sophisticated sushi heaven in Roscoe Village is offering a five-course prix-fixe menu on the 13th and 14th for $120 per couple. You can expect Kaze's signature sushi with toppings, plus a bottle of red or white wine and a heart-shaped warm strawberry-and-chocolate pudding dessert.
Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club
Renowned for its high energy and high-octane martinis, Kit Kat is planning on pumping up the fun in your love life this Valentine's Day weekend. From Friday though Monday, the "aphrodisiacal" menu will include specials like the Romantic Role Around (its take on a California roll), the Wrap Me Up (jumbo scallops wrapped in bacon), the Penny for Your Lovin' (penne pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach) and the Greek Goddess (chicken breast stuffed with spinach, feta, and mushrooms). Special $10 martinis will include the Velvet Kiss, Stupid Cupid and Love Bite. Diva Kayla Crawford will be singing up a storm on the 14th. Procrastinators need not worry: For $50, the restaurant will deliver a dozen roses in the color of your choice to your table.
Lawry's The Prime Rib
You'd better bring a royal appetite to Lawry's, the king of all prime rib houses. You can order the Special Menu for Two from Feb. 11-14, and it will cost $99 per couple. You'll find that to be an incredible bargain for what you get: spinning bowl salad, sourdough bread, prime rib (the Lawry's Cut) or the salmon option, mashed potatoes and gravy, Yorkshire pudding, a half bottle of champagne, one cherry crisp dessert for two and a small box of truffles.
La Vita
This Little Italy eatery, started by three guys from the neighborhood, has put together a Lovers' Weekend Menu, available Friday through Monday. The $50 per person prix fixe offering includes Italian sparkling wine, heart-shaped ricotta-filled ravioli served with Gulf shrimp and "creamy sensuous tiramisu."
Le Colonial
This standout Vietnamese restaurant always concocts creative delicacies to delight guests, and the Valentine's menu will be no exception. With the $65 per person special menu, which will only be offered on the 14th, you'll have five options for the first course and five options for the entree. The appetizer choices include asparagus and crabmeat soup, battered fried shrimp and grilled sea scallops; the entree choices are whole lobster sauteed with basil, Chilean sea bass, sauteed filet mignon, brochettes of chicken with shiitake mushrooms and ginger-marinated roast duck. Seasonal vegetables and rice will accompany your meal. You'll have several dessert options, too; the chefs are still determining what they will be. A 10 percent tax and 20 percent gratuity will be added to your bill, and pre-payment is required.
Le Francais
Chef Roland Liccioni invites you to taste his fresh take on traditional French cuisine in Wheeling. He's serving up a five-course degustation menu with a flute of Dom Perignon for $115, though you'll be able to order from the a la carte menu if you prefer.
Le Lan
At this stylish French-Vietnamese dining room at the corner of Chicago and Clark, you and your valentine will dine by candlelight on the 14th. You'll feast on a five-course menu for $70 per person, which includes a hand-wrapped box of chocolate treats designed by pastry chef Joel Reno.
Le Passage
Any Rush Street restaurant housed in a former speakeasy and outfitted by a Parisian designer that has a lounge, two bars and a dance floor as well as a dining room can't be a bad bet for Valentine's Day. This year, Le Passage will host three separate "soirees" celebrating romance. Thursday, Feb. 10 will be "French Kiss Night," co-hosted by CS Magazine and Perrier Jouet Champagne. A champagne reception from 8 to 9 p.m. starts the evening, followed by a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres hour: Try the Mon Ami-Tinis and Loverboys (Jack Daniels, Red Bull and a splash of lime juice). Girlfriends be warned: Models in lingerie will roam the premises throughout the evening.
Live out your best Bond-age fantasies at Friday's "A Night to Bond" party, when staff will be gussied up in outfits inspired by everyone's favorite fictional British superspy. You'll order off the 007 drink menu while Bond films play on plasma TV screens. Saturday features the L'Amour a Deux prix-fixe dinner from 6 to 10 p.m. The $65 per person, three-course menu offers several delectable choices like foie gras, lobster chowder, beef tenderloin with potato gratin and goat-cheese-stuffed chicken breast with mushroom risotto. For dessert, you'll have to choose between the chocolate raspberry terrine, lemon sabayon tart and champagne sorbet, a decision almost as tough as selecting which of the three parties to attend.
Menagerie
Well-known for its fantastic service and whimsical fare, as well as its proximity to the equally offbeat Bailiwick Arts Center, Menagerie is serving up a unique dinner for $45 for Valentine's. There will be a tapas plate for two, which will include your selection of four miniature items, an amuse bouche, a glass of champagne, an "intermezzo palate cleanser," your choice of entree and coffee-and-cardamom ice cream served on top of a chocolate cake.
Mj2
This new addition to Park Ridge's dining scene has a warm, casual atmosphere and an international menu, as well as a full bar with more than 30 wines and 10 martinis to choose from. This Valentine's Day, the restaurant offers an incredible value: a three-course meal, with a champagne toast, for $50 per couple, including tax and gratuity. You'll share an appetizer and a dessert, and each of you will have an entree. Options for the first two courses include sugar cane-grilled skewered tuna, filet mignon with tiger shrimp, potato-wrapped salmon and a rich seafood soup. For dessert, you'll pick either the creme brulee or the flourless chocolate cake.
Moto
"To create is not to copy" is Executive Chef Homaro Cantu's motto, so everything at the minimalist, Asian-influenced Moto is specially engineered to be a pleasant and pleasurable surprise. The ten-course Valentine's Day tasting menu will offer plenty of items you'll only find here, like "monkfish seared tableside with green curry, yellow curry and black curry bubbles," "an igloo of eskimo pie for two," and "Ben's 1st annual Valentine's Day surprise." Champagne, caviar, a cheese course and Turkish coffee service are also included. The menu is $125 per person, and the wine progression is an additional $75 per person.
Nine
Located in the Randolph Place building designed by Daniel Burnham, Nine combines the time-proved concept of a great Chicago steakhouse with modern luxe design. The five-course Valentine's Day Tasting Menu for Lovers will cost $70 per person, and each course carries a provocative name: instead of an appetizer, you'll start with a "Flirtation," followed by a "Connection" then a "Temptation." The climax of the meal, your entree, is called, naturally, the "Seduction," and the final flourish, a chocolate cake meant to be shared, is "Satisfaction." DJ Sheldon Knight will spin soothing, and sexy, sounds throughout the evening.
One SixtyBlue
At the edge of the West Randolph/Market District, this beautifully styled outfit serves up French cuisine with remarkably contemporary twists. Chef Martial Noguier has put together a $65 per person Valentine's Day prix fixe menu with three courses. Among the appetizer options are Peekytoe crab salad, Kumamoto oysters, wild rice blini, and homemade kobe oxtail ravioli. For an entree, you can have the beef tenderloin, rack of lamb, veal strip loin, Ahi tuna tournedos, baby monkfish tail or pheasant breast. To wrap it all up, choose from the three-berry profiteroles, passion fruit and strawberry gratin, pina colada parfait, hot chocolate and orange crepes or the chocolate mousse trio.
Opera
Rich and vibrant colors surround you at this South Loop purveyor of edible Chinoiserie, and on Valentine's Day, the chefs guarantee a meal even more dramatic than usual. The sweeping theme is "A Tragic Romance," but there's nothing sad about four scrumptious courses, or "acts" as they call them here, for $50 per person. You'll feast on lobster- and char siu-stuffed beggars purse, crispy tuna rolls with caviar, red wine- and soy-braised short ribs (along with other beef specialties) and mirrored truffles. We're not even sure what some of those dishes are, but the taste of them will probably make you want to sing.
Pili Pili
If you know that your date appreciates a phenomenal wine list, innovative Provence-and-Mediterranean-influenced food, and famously delicious house-baked breads, Pili.Pili should be your pick for the 14th. For the first course, choose the warm shrimp bisque, scallop ceviche or seared foie gras. Entree choices include a lobster risotto and sauteed cod steamed with mussels, clams, and Provencal vegetables. The specialty desserts will be the Valrhona fudge cake, which includes cocoa meringue, champagne mousse, and strawberry compote, and the Floating Heart, a vanilla meringue in raspberry soup. You'll order a la carte, with appetizers ranging from $7 to $14 and entrees between $24 and $36.
Pluton
The folks at Pluton don't intend to hold back on Valentine's Day. They're working up a seven-course menu, and you'll choose from among several options for five of them (everyone will get the fourth course "intermezzo" and the sixth course artichoke salad with goat cheese and chervil pesto). Shrimp with almond potato, foie gras terrine, oven-roasted buckwheat soup, crawfish and grits, seared Tasmanian salmon, Long Island duck, bone marrow-crusted beef tenderloin, chocolate hazelnut cake and roasted strawberry vanilla ice cream are only some of the culinary treasures that will be vying for your attention.
Rhapsody
If you're heading to the symphony or anywhere close during Valentine's weekend, consider reserving a table at Rhapsody. A special three-course menu (plus a shrimp empanada amuse bouche) will be available Saturday through Monday. For the first course, you'll choose from among the chestnut porcini bisque, pan-seared duck breast in pasta or the tuna tartar pyramid. Main course options will be fresh Hawaiian escolar with coconut rice, roasted Swan Creek poussin or grilled sirloin steak with potato gnocchi. Chocolate chip ice cream or key lime pie will help you end the evening on a high note. The menu will be $75 per person.
Saffron on Hubbard
A well priced deal, $100 per couple gets you a classy four-course dinner at Saffron. With seatings from 5:30-10 p.m., you'll enjoy a split of champagne to accompany your meal. Begin with a pear, candied walnut and gorgonzola salad, or opt for the lobster bisque. Your second course features a pick of oysters with a truffle froth or spinach and artichoke stuffed portabella mushroom. Black pepper-crusted filet mignon with wasabi infused mashed potatoes, grilled cipolinni onions, broccolini and a cabernet reduction; roasted poussin over champagne risotto finished with a fresh black truffle reduction sauce; and pan-seared halibut with oven roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus with a saffron cream sauce are your entree option. Finish with molten chocolate cake with a chipotle cream sauce.
Salpicon
Salpicon specializes in upscale, unique Mexican dishes served in an exuberant, bright atmosphere, so there's a high probability that its four-course prix fixe menu will leave you smiling. For $75 per person, you and your dinner partner will have seven choices for the appetizer, followed by either light corn soup or cactus salad, eight options for the main course, and yet-to-be-determined dessert. The dishes will cover a broad range of tastes; some of the highlights will be the Chilean sea bass enchiladas, poblano chile stuffed with seafood and rack of Australian baby lamb grilled with an Oaxacan red mole. You can pair each course with wine for an additional $35 per person.
Salud Tequila Lounge
Salud plans to heat up Wicker Park even more than they usually do with their three-course prix fixe menu on the 14th. For $60 per couple, you'll dine on Mexican-influenced dishes and receive a flight of Agavero, a tequila-based aphrodisiac.
Seasons
Celebrate this romantic holiday at the Four Seasons' premier dining room, where a five-course tasting menu will be available for $110 per person. Choose between oysters or foie gras for your first course, then between a bibb lettuce salad or puree of celeriac coup for your second course. Entree options will be aged beef tenderloin, peking duck, diver sea scallops or a vegetarian sampler. The fourth course will be artisan cheeses, and the dessert course hasn't yet been determined, but it certainly won't disappoint.
Spiaggia and Cafe Spiaggia
Spiaggia's Chefs Tony Mantuano and Missy Robbins like to present Italian cuisine in grand, lavish interpretations at this Mag Mile landmark, and they've got several luscious menus planned for San Valentino's. On Sunday, February 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be a Valentine's Brunch at Spiaggia. For $65 per person, you'll dine on three courses accompanied by a glass of sparkling wine, as a harpist provides some romantic background music and you gaze out at great views of Lake Michigan. You'll be able to choose each course, and options will include raw tuna and yellowtail with Osetra caviar, foie gras with duck prosciutto, chestnuts, and 25-year-old balsamic vinegar, soft scrambled eggs with lobster and caviar, and wood-grilled prime strip steak with porcini and quail egg.
On Monday, February 14, a $105-per-person five-course menu will be available in both Spiaggia and its more casual sister, Cafe Spiaggia. You'll be able to select your first three courses, and good luck picking and choosing from lists that include Kobe strip steak with Piemontese white truffle essence, wood-roasted sea scallops, hand-rolled gnocchi, creamy pumpkin risotto, Alaskan wild salmon, Colorado lamb chop and Guinea hen breast wrapped in pancetta.
SushiSamba Rio
It takes two to tango, so bring your date and your dancing shoes to SushiSamba Rio for some Valentine's lessons. At 8 p.m., dancers from Tango Sentido Productions will take the stage and give a brief performance. Then they'll invite guests to join them for some tango instruction till 9 p.m.. Afterwards, feast on the special $69-per-person Omakase menu, which includes five courses and features dishes like peeky toe crab tartare, pan-seared foie gras, a choice between rack of lamb or a sushi indulgence platter, and either a "hot & spicy" chocolate cake or a passion fruit "pudium." You can add on wine pairings for $30 per person. A special martini called La Amistad, with raspberry and passion fruit garnish, will be offered for $10.
Thyme
Chef John Bubala incorporates delicacies from regional French cuisine, rotisserie specials, and fresh American-style seafood and vegetarian dishes into his eclectic menu every night. His Valentine's Day prix-fixe three-course dinners will reach new heights of variety and style. There will be two seatings, and both include the chef's amuse bouche, a glass of champagne and live jazz to accompany your meal. The early seating, for reservations between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., costs $50 per person, and some of your choices will be gulf shrimp with Tahitian vanilla bean nage, asparagus and artichoke tart, roasted duck breast, FloridatTilapia and chicken paillard. The later seating, for reservations between 8:30 and 9 p.m., costs $85 per person, and you'll make your selections from options like Maryland crab cakes, lobster bisque, grilled venison and crayfish crepes. The desserts go from light (lemon and raspberry sorbet) to heavy (chocolate and banana tart with Frangelico whipped cream), so every sweet tooth should be well-pleased.
Tsuki
Home to some of the best maki in Chicago, Tsuki promises that any and all of its dishes will seduce your palate with "exotic flavors" and "hot, spicy aromas." The V-Day menu will deliver on this promise in spades. Some of the options will include hamachi carpaccio (slices of yellowtail topped with the chef's ceviche sauce), Japanese Yahata-style honey chicken with wild rice and bamboo-leaf-wrapped snapper. Choose either the six-course menu for $100 per couple or the seven-course menu for $150 per couple (the seventh course will be a Kobe-style steak with ponzu and sesame sauces). The usual a la carte menu will also be available. Tsuki says it's a Japanese tradition for women to give gifts of chocolate to men on Valentine's Day, so in addition to the menu courses, all women will be given complimentary Japanese chocolates to present to their dinner dates. You can take advantage of these options on either Sunday or Monday.
Vivo
This West Randolph mainstay will offer a $60 per person prix fixe four-course menu on the 14th. For the Antipasti, choose between asparagus with shaved fontina cheese, pan-seared tuna with mint-ginger soy or a grilled eggplant napoleon with goat cheese and roasted peppers. The second course options will be spinach and crab ravioli in an alfredo sauce or four-cheese ravioli in an arrabiatta sauce. For the entree, you'll select the 8-ounce filet, grilled lobster tail, pork medallions, macadamia-nut crusted jumbo shrimp, grilled salmon filet or penne pasta primavera. Then, wrap up the evening with either the double chocolate cake with raspberry center or the fruit tart with mint cream.
X/O
This clubby Boystown restaurant invites singles and couples alike to attend its "Bubbling Over" party, taking place Sunday, Feb. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. Sommelier Amy Lewis will present eight champagnes, and executive chef Bob Zrenner has created some faboo hors d'oeurves to be paired with each champagne course. Tickets are $40 per person, and space is limited, so call or stop by to reserve your spot in advance.
Centerstage Will Feed You
