And how was your Valentine's Day Dinner?

[nevets]

We went to Blackfish for our Valentine's Day dinner. It turned out to be a fixed price ($75 a head) four course meal. The food was good, but the entree choices were very limited (scallops, beef or chicken). I started with the oysters with lemon foam, which were tasty. My SO had the lobster broth which was tasty but a bit too salty. Next course was the grilled shrimp for me (texture okay, sauce not that flavorful) and the foie gras for my SO. The foie gras was artfully presented (rolled in a ball with a cherry center and covered with pistachio crumbs) and was the taste highlight of the meal. Next we both had scallops which were perfectly cooked, but there were only three on the plate. Dessert was vanilla crème brulee for me and the warm chocolate cake for my SO. All in all, a tasty meal, but not a great value at $75. The wait staff was clearly in "volume" mode, but the service was efficient and attentive.

We’re tiring of going out on Valentine’s Day, with the limited menus and move ‘em through atmospheres. Next year, I’m cooking a romantic dinner at home.

[mazza3]

my valentine's day was v good, and my dinner was somewhere between good and very good. i took my mans out to ansill and we ordered the following:

soup of the day - spicy tomato (notably thin tasting, definitely not one of the better tomato soups i've had).

marrow on baguette - slightly undercooked, it's been better there before. many tables around us also ordered it and theirs looked fine, so i guess they just flubbed ours.

grilled lamb chops over lentils - the winner of the night. lentils had a soury, bile-y taste that i associate with cuvee, but i loved them.

branzino fillet with porcini and grilled scallions - also very good, but the porcini were a mis-match with the dish. but i love them, so i just ate them separately. the fish was delicious, especially the skin.

brussles sprouts with bacon - tis a good thing we like burnt food, becuase these little gems were almost completely black. i made better sprouts at home the night after, but i enjoyed these anyway.

humboldt fog cheese to end it. oh heaven is mine! i love this cheese so much....

so in conclusion, food was all over the place in quality, it was valentine's day so i wasn't disappointed. we both have roommates, so cooking at home wasn't an option, but we weren't disappointed. life was better when he lived alone though, cooking at home = best thing ever....

and when we left, mr ansill was at the bar. the coat check girl had disappeared and the hostess was seating several parties, but he noticed us waiting and offered to get our jackets for us. i tipped him and he said that he would give it to the girls and i thanked him. i thought the whole exchange was a very nice showing of his character and was worth mentioning. :)

[Bridget1720]

We went to Chelsea Prime in Atlantic City. The food was good, but we both thought that it wasn't as good as the other Stephen Starr's we've been to.

The atmosphere was just as over the top as other Starr restaurants though. White pattent leather booths, low lighting, old hollywood photos on the wall. Our waiter was dressed in an old fashioned tux. Very nice atmosphere.

For apps we ordered the Scallops wrapped in bacon, simply delicious. They were presented on a fried green tomato with some kind of maple syrup. We also got a tomato mozz salad. Tomatos were mushy. We both ordered the 8 oz filet. Mine was supposed to be done Medium, his Medium Rare, but both came out the same.

I would go back if I wanted a fancy Starr experience, but if I want a steak I'd rather go to Gallaghers.

[sockii]

We went out tonight instead of Saturday night and as such enjoyed a very lovely dinner at Melograno - though we were lucky we arrived a little after 5pm, as there was already a line out the door by 5:30! Our own lovely wine, the stuffed quail + bisteak florentine (not quite the real thing, but close). Last night we stayed home and enjoyed crab claws and salad from DiBruno Bros (picked up earlier in the day) and a sardine pasta dish I made that took a few hours but was well worth the effort.

[the dog ate my homework]

Restaurant Taquet in Wayne. They were doing a nice, steady business (not too jammed or rushed) and the servers did their jobs well. Great meal, except for the special soup of the night: Lobster Bisque. Too much herb (chives?) and no sherry that I could taste. I always love a good Lobster Bisque so this was disappointing. But, as always, the duck was fab. 3 course meal for one price, with the plat determining the cost. We spent about $45 for one dinner...$50 for the other, plus wine.

[mitchh]

We had a wonderful takeout sushi dinner from Sushikazu.

In addition to the very good sashimi deluxe, spicy tuna balls and caterpillar roll, they did a Valentines roll that was basically a California roll with chocolate. It was surprisingly good.

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

We had such a wonderful dinner

Dirty Martini to start followed by the main event!

Alaskan King Crab Legs and Grilled Oysters

And more martinis!

[The Chowhound Team]

Just a friendly reminder, Folks, the Pennsylvania board is all about where to find great chow in local restaurants. Please do chime in as to what local restaurants you may have patronized on Valentine's Day, but please remember, what you cooked at home is out of scope for this board.

Thanks.

[AmblerGirl]

I had a great experience on valentine's day for the first time in years, because this is the first year that I was finally able to convince my husband to stay home. It is the anniversary of when he proposed, so my husband wants to have a special night, and to him going out is special. Every year it is the same hassle, with the overpriced menu, bad service, and crowds, complete amateur night. This year, we set the table nicely, got some yummy spanish cheese, I made a simple dinner of ribeye steaks, roasted potatos, and tomato/feta salad and fresh strawberries and cream for dessert. Perfect.

We decided to do our "big" dinner out on Friday night instead, with the expectation that we would avoid the valentines day hassle. Big mistake. We went to Roy's (I posted about it earlier) and had a tasty meal but were overwhelmed my the crowds and the wait, it totally ruined an otherwise great night. I'm not sure if it was because it was valentine's weekend, or if it is just Roy's general practice to overbook, because I have experienced this before at Roy's.

[JanR]

Thanks Nevets. I was just thinking of starting a similar thread. We did the romantic dinner at home and I'm very glad we did (although last year at Modo Mio was surprisingly unrushed -- I doubted we'd be that lucky two years in a row). Made champagne risotto with scallops and red velvet cake (of course, in a heart-shape!), accompanied by the remaining champagne. Very nice candlelit dinner. Don't think we'll want to go out for V-Day again. I had been thinking of going to Littlefish tonight as an alternative but turns out their prix fixe Sunday night dinners are booked months in advance now!