The Groundhogs may not have had a consensus about this winter's length (they never do), but what we know for sure is that Feb. 14 is Valentine's Day. Here is a sampling of what the East End's restaurants are offering for a night of romance.
Nick and Toni's
Nick and Toni's in East Hampton will have a $100 prix fixe menu for love-struck diners on Feb. 14.
The menu offers an amuse bouche of crispy artichoke with lemon aioli. The antipasti are lobster bisque, Montauk Pearl oysters, an arugula salad from the restaurant's greenhouse, local fluke crudo, and a baby beet and goat cheese salad. Main courses are mushroom and ricotta agnolotti, seared jumbo prawns, roasted lamb chops, roasted chicken, grilled big-eye tuna, and New York Wagyu strip steak.
The meal ends with a choice of ricotta and blood orange cake, pistachio budino, or a rainbow cookie torta. A dessert amuse follows with chocolate fudge petit fours.
Reservations are suggested and can be made through the restaurant's website.
Highway Restaurant and Bar
Although Highway Restaurant and Bar will not be open on Valentine's Day, it will have a special Valentine's Day Asian menu for two to take home for $180 from next Thursday through Feb. 13. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The menu is made up of chicken and cabbage dumplings, papaya and crab, spicy tuna, peanut noodles, crispy duck, Thai chicken stir fry, and bok choy. It can be ordered through the restaurant's website 48 hours in advance.
Baron's Cove
Baron's Cove's cozy dining rooms, candlelight, and fireplace in Sag Harbor are romantic at any time of the year. For Valentine's Day, its chef, Nicholas Vogel, has designed an $85 three-course menu of celebratory dishes such as seared foie gras with pistachio crumble, smoked spinach and ricotta ravioli, peppercorn-crusted New York strip steak with bearnaise sauce, seared local tuna, and a petite red velvet cake -- of course -- to finish, along with other appropriately themed desserts.
The meal is available not just one night, but all weekend from Friday, Feb. 11, to the holiday itself. Reservations can be made at 631-725-2100.
K Pasa
What's happening for Valentine's Day, you ask? The answer might be tacos in Sag Harbor at K Pasa. The restaurant will have its regular menu and recommends its margaritas to celebrate or "wash away the heartbreak." A chocolate tres leches cake to share is a romantic way to end the meal. Reservations or to-go orders can be made at 631-800-8226 (TACO).
Almond
The Valentine's Day menu at Bridgehampton's Almond Restaurant has a "shades of red" theme and will be its only option on Feb. 14.
Four courses will cost $90 and will highlight local ingredients. The appetizer course choices consist of oysters, foie gras, and tuna poke. A middle ravioli course has "Art's ricotta" and "Ian's smoked beets." The other choice is "Marilee's salt baked fingerlings" with caviar and onion creme fraiche.
The menu's entrees include "Up Island" duck breast, Turkish spiced rack of pork, and roast scallops with "Ray's sunchokes" and pancetta. Dessert is blood oranges and chocolate. For those readers in Florida, the Palm Beach location is serving a similar menu.
Reservations in Bridgehampton can be made by calling 631-537-5665.
Elaia Estiatorio
Bridgehampton's Elaia Estiatorio suggests transporting yourself to the Greek Isles with its $39 prix fixe menu for Valentine's Day. It offers a choice of modern Greek specialties for appetizer, entree, and dessert in a light, bright, and summery setting. Restaurant favorites such as grilled octopus and a whole grilled branzino can be had for a $10 supplement.
For a more casual experience, it recommends the bar, where friends and lovers can meet for cocktails and $1 oysters at happy hour. Reservations can be made through its website.
Calissa
Farther west in Water Mill, Calissa is also celebrating the holiday with a Greek accent. Its a la carte menu features a winter hummus with beets and walnuts served with pita, grilled langoustine, pappardelle with lamb ragu, sea scallops with Maine lobster and fava beans, and a carrot cake. It is also serving champagne by the glass ($23 to $26), including Veuve Clicquot and Nicolas Feuillatte.
Lobster Roll
Consider "Lunch" for dinner on Valentine's Day at the new Lobster Roll outpost in Southampton. The familiar seafood shack set on Napeague now has a sister location open year-round at the former Princess Diner.
It is also offering an "elevated" dinner menu featuring scampi-style shrimp, filet of flounder, and Black Angus shell steak. Plant-based and gluten-free items are also plentiful.
If you're missing the taste of summer, the restaurant ships lobster roll kits to the East End, the region, and all over the country. They can be ordered through the restaurant's website, where reservations can also be made.
Union Steak and Sushi
Union Steak and Sushi at Bowden Square in the heart of Southampton Village will have a $79 Valentine's Day menu featuring a choice of appetizer and sushi from its regular dining menu and two choices of entree: lobster Newburg in puff pastry or seared ribeye with roasted potatoes, grilled asparagus, and cabernet demi glace. Profiteroles are for dessert. Reservations can be made by emailing [email protected].
Manna at Lobster Inn
Although the romance of waterfront dining is dampened by early nightfall, Southampton's Manna at Lobster Inn still offers a festive atmosphere for holiday dining.
Its $60 "sweetheart menu" will be offered Valentine's weekend from Feb. 12 to Feb. 14 and includes a glass of Altaneve prosecco. Including something for everyone, the first course choice is a fluke crudo, crab fritter, grilled halloumi cheese with salad, hummus, and naan, or a seafood lover's tower of oysters, clams, and shrimp. Main options are lobster mac and cheese, filet mignon medallions, or wild mushroom risotto. Desserts feature chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate budino with chocolate pastry cream, and whipped cream.
Reservations can be made at the restaurant's website or by calling 631-728-5555.
North Fork Table
North Fork Table in Southold offers a menu for Valentine's Day worth the drive for dining in or taking home. The restaurant is also offering its regular prix fixe menu, after reopening from its winter break on Friday, Feb. 11.
The Valentines menu is $165 per person. It emphasizes local ingredients in dishes like its Two-Mile salad with beets and goat cheese, a North Fork roulade of monkfish and sausage, and a peppered filet mignon and butter-poached lobster with Long Island potatoes. A chocolate souffle makes an impressive finale.
The "love on the go" takeout menu is available for pre-order online and can be picked up from Friday, Feb. 11, to Feb. 14. Its four courses have the same options as the dine-in menu listed above along with a sticky cake and chocolate covered strawberries.
Reservations can be made on the restaurant's website.
Don't Forget Super Bowl
The Super Bowl will be played on Feb. 13 and Main Street Tavern in Amagansett is ready to be headquarters for the big game. Its in-house specials will include such things as buttermilk fried chicken with onion rings and beer.
It also has large platters, serving six to eight, for at home viewing. Appetizers include wings, crispy shrimp, and crispy Asian chicken bites. There are two salad options and entrees like chicken Parmigiana and fish and chips, plus sides. There is also a kids' menu. Takeout platters require a 48-hour notice.
New Brew From Springs
The Springs Brewery will release its new beer on Saturday at the Springs General Store from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The View From the Mountaintop is an 8.2-percent double India pale ale, or I.P.A. It has a base of oats and wheat, which gives it a soft feel in the mouth. It is then dry-hopped with Citra, Galaxy, and Wai-iti hops. This gives the beer big, bright, and tropical notes, according to the brewers, with low bitterness.
