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“The Strong Buzz Guide to Valentine's Day Dining (for couples, singles and everyone in between)”

Valentine’s Day is perfect for New York. It’s a city full of single, beautiful people obsessed with dining out. Whether you’re looking for a four-star restaurant where fresh truffles will be grated over your lover’s risotto (if not your lover), or a cold beer to wash down a gourmet pizza (and any bitterness you may have about this overly commercialized love fest), the options are more than you could imagine. Married, single, partnered, “it’s complicated,” or whatever your relationship status, there’s a perfect restaurant for you. The Strong Buzz team has compiled a list to help you navigate the choices, so you've got options for whether you're in love or just hungry (for love or otherwise).

-- Bao Ong

GOOD FOR PIZZA-LOVING SINGLES OR COUPLES: Motorino

Where: 319 Graham Ave., 718-599-8899, www.motorinopizza.com
On the menu: New Yorkers love their thin-crusted, foldable pizzas. But pizza for Valentine’s? Come on, the economy isn’t that bad. Chef Mathieu Palombino begs to differ. He loves pizza and will be serving heart-shaped Neapolitan pies at this popular Williamsburg pizzeria. If your foodie snob date isn’t sold on the pizzas – doused with San Marzano tomato sauce, slightly charred on the edges from a wood-fired oven -- Palombino will happily shave black winter truffles on top for an additional $15. There’s also BYOB service available. Tasty pizza, truffles and wine? Only in New York can you turn pizza gourmet for Valentine’s.

PERFECT FOR LOCAVORE COUPLES: Braeburn

Where: 117 Perry St. (between Greenwich and Hudson), 212-255-0696

On the menu: If you’re celebrating Valentine’s in the West Village, you’re already on your way to a successful night. In one of the most romantic enclaves of Manhattan, Chef Brian Bistrong is offering a warm and flavorful menu at Braeburn. A $55 three-course prix fixe menu per person includes items like lobster with parsnips and a silky chocolate soufflé for two. One meal here could ignite enough romance for an entire weekend, but Braeburn will serve the prix fixe menu Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Valentine’s weekend.

BEST FOR SERIOUS COUPLES: Le Bernardin

Where: 155 W. 51st St. (between 6th and 7th Avenues), 212-554-1515, www.le-bernardin.com

On the menu: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s were great and everything, but you probably didn’t have much one-on-one time with your sweetie pie. So if you want to pull out all the stops on a day that’s about the two of you, why not go to Le Bernardin, New York’s acclaimed four-star seafood restaurant? Chef Eric Ripert – sorry ladies, this French guy is taken – knows his way around fish. He’s offering a seven course ($185 per person, $355 with wine) black truffle tasting menus on the 13th and 14th along with his "standard" (like anything he does is standard) four-course menu ($109 per person). The menus aren’t finalized yet because Ripert will select the freshest, seasonal seafood available.

GOOD FOR COZY COUPLES: Aroma Kitchen & Winebar

Where: 36 E. 4th St. (between Bowery and Lafayette), 212-375-0100, www.aromanyc.com

On the menu: You can’t cook to save your life or have enough money to hit Le Cirque but don’t let that stop you from celebrating Valentine’s. New York is full of options, not everything has to be dirt cheap or over-the-top. Enter Aroma Kitchen & Winebar in the East Village. Its urban, rustic interior with exposed brick and dark wood radiates sweet and romantic. Owners Alexandra Degriorgio and Vito Polosa have created a four-course Valentine’s Day dinner for $75 per person with a $35 wine pairing option from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. The Italian-focused menu includes highlights such as fisherman stew, roasted veal and a trio of chocolates for dessert. There’s surely more to offer here than just a sweet aroma wafting from your dessert.

FOR DRINKING SINGLES: The Sunburnt Cow

Where: 137 Ave. C (between 8th and 9th streets), 212-529-0005, www.thesunburntcow.com

On the menu: New York is full of singles and many of us want to stay that way. But that doesn’t mean you have to barricade yourself in a tiny apartment drinking bourbon and listening to Joni Mitchell. (Though knock yourself out if that's what you're up for.) Instead, head down to The Sunburnt Cow for the second annual No Love at the Cow Valentine’s Day party at 6 p.m. There’s a $20 happy hour special offering all-you-can-drink specials for two hours – including the “love potion.” And if you don’t find someone special for the day, there’s always the “Ice Luge of Love” bar serving frosty shots.

FOR OLD SCHOOL ROMANTIC COUPLES (read: dinner and dancing!): Inside Park

Where: 50th St. and Park Ave., 212-593-3333, www.insideparknyc.com

On the menu: Befitting of the Upper East Side, Inside Park at St. Bart’s is a Valentine’s experience that’s bound to be memorable. Yes, the restaurant is classy and the contemporary American cuisine worth the money. But it’s the details that set restaurants apart and this year, Inside Park brings in Gregory Moore and His Cosmopolitan Orchestra for Valentine’s Day dinner. Executive Chef Matthew Weingarten will offer a $50 three-course dinner between 5:30 and 10 p.m. between sets of music from the roaring 20’s and Swing era. Your options include a terrine of duck, Armagnac-soaked prunes and grains of paradise; milk-roasted pork loin and toasted almond panna cotta. So set up a reservation and be prepared to dine and dance the night away.

PERFECT FOR BEER AND CHOCOHOLIC SINGLES OR COUPLES: Jimmy’s No. 43

Where: 43 E. 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues), 212-982-3006, www.jimmysno43.com

On the menu: She loves chocolate and he loves beer. If that’s the case for you, check out Jimmy’s No. 43, a fun and low-key option. The East Village joint will hold one seating at 8 p.m. on Valentine’s featuring artisanal chocolate and craft beer. For $45 per person, Aaron Foster of Taza Chocolate and Jon Lundbom of B. United Importers will pair chocolates (think salted almond, guajillo chile) for you to wash down with Europe’s best beers. Here’s how Jimmy’s is advertising its tasting: “beer + chocolate = bliss.”

GOOD FOR BROOKLYN COUPLES: James

Where: 605 Carlton Ave., 718-942-4255, www.jamesrestaurantny.com

On the menu: For those who refuse to venture into the outer boroughs, we say it’s your loss. At James in Prospect Heights, the husband-and-wife team of Bryan Calvert and Deborah Williamson have received great reviews for their cozy neighborhood restaurant. Tucked into a residential street lined with cute brownstones, James is offering a $75 four-course prix fixe Valentine’s dinner. The options look great: beet risotto with goat cheese and sweet marjoram, aged New York strip with truffled pomme croquettes and chocolate bomb cake with fresh raspberries. Make a date with James.

IDEAL FOR FOODIE COUPLES: Elettaria

Where: 33 W. 8th St. (at MacDougal), 212-677-3833, www.elettarianyc.com

On the menu: Some hip restaurants become all about the scene and not the food. This isn’t the case with Elettaria in Greenwich Village. Chef Akhtar Nawab and Noel Cruz offer a seasonal, new American menu with hints of Asia, especially India. For Valentine’s, the $60 three-course prix fixe menu will play with items already on the menu such as crab meat resala (gnocchi, turmeric-onion soubise, basil seeds, fried herbs) and rice custard with rice water. This 72-seat restaurant boasts a barn-wood ceiling, wide-plank floors and a cozy bar. You also have an option of ordering small plates to share with your Valentine’s.

FOR SWINE LOVING SINGLES or COUPLES: Irving Mill

Where: 116 E. 16th St. (between Union Square East and Irving Place), 212-254-1600, www.irvingmill.com

On the menu: Irving Mill has a little bit of everything for everyone this Valentine’s. Chef Ryan Skeen has two Valentine’s menus available: a $75 four-course menu (including snapper crudo, tagliatelle Bolognese, guinea hen) and $85 seven-course menu (including chicken heart tempura, grilled pork BLT, hearts of palm tres leche) per person. There’s also the option to add the sweethearts special for an additional $15 per person that gets you a 48 oz. shell steak and whole grilled branzino. But if you’re single, don’t let that stop you. A giant round millstone table will be reserved for singles. If you need a little help, order “The Love Bite” – a concoction of gin, veev, pimms, aperol, lim bitters and egg white.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Posted: January 31, 2009

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