Long Island Valentine's Day restaurants with special menus
Spaghetti pomodoro topped with basil at Osteria Morini at Roosevelt Field in Garden City. Credit: Daniel Brennan
Restaurants across Long Island count on Valentine’s Day to bring in diners who might otherwise be inclined to hibernate at home, designing heartwarming menus that embolden lovers to brave the cold. Fireside cheese fondue, truffle arancini, lobster agnolotti with caviar and red velvet cheesecake are only a few of the temptations that await this year:
NASSAU COUNTY
The Cove
74 Shore Rd., Glen Cove
This waterside spot has a $55 Valentine’s Day prix fixe with plenty of the seafood specialties it is known for. The appetizers include lobster bisque, tuna tartare and truffle arancini. Main courses include Branzino filet with tomato, olive and caper confit; seafood spaghetti; and lamb chops with broccoli rabe and lemon potatoes. For dessert, there will be olive oil cake, crème brûlée cheesecake, or mixed berries and cream. More info: 516-676-1211, thecoveny.com
Juniper Westbury
990 Corporate Dr., Westbury
Located in the Vanderbilt Hotel, Juniper's $95 Valentine’s Day prix-fixe menu starts with appetizers such as fig and burrata salad with speck and baby greens; crispy sushi rice with spicy salmon and hoisin; and coconut shrimp with sweet chili sauce. Entrees include roasted chicken with herb potatoes, pan-roasted hake with French lentils and lobster ravioli. Then comes romantic desserts: Red velvet cheesecake, spiced mocha lava cake or Meyer lemon panna cotta. More info: 516-820-1200, juniperlongisland.com
Mangia Bene
14 S. Park Ave., Rockville Centre
Celebrate with Italian comfort food at Mangia Bene, where the Valentine’s Day three-course prix fixe ($60) features classic appetizers like baked clams, fried calamari and rice balls. Entrees are similarly satisfying: Spaghetti cacio e pepe, lamb osso buco, and crabmeat-stuffed colossal shrimp with saffron risotto. For dessert, it's chocolate-covered strawberries with a complimentary glass of Prosecco. More info: 516-447-6744, mangiabenervc.com
Dining at Mangia Bene in Rockville Centre. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Osteria Morini
630 Old Country Rd., Garden City
Osteria Morini's $65 prix fixe dinner will be offerd along with its classic a la carte Emilia-Romagna menu from 4 to 9 p.m. on Valentine's Day. (Specials will be available through Feb. 18). Craft a meal from regional choices like an antipasti platter of prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano, peperoncino and grissini; main choices include braised short rib with black truffle purée and there will be three flavors of gelato — vanilla, chocolate and lemon-olive oil — for dessert. More info: 516-604-0870, osteriamorini.com
Spuntino Wine Bar and Italian Tapas
1002 Old Country Rd., Garden City
Wine and small plates specialist Spuntino has an attractive wine-friendly tasting menu Feb. 14-18. The five courses begin with an endive salad with goat cheese and orange, move on to crab cake with mustard beurre blanc and then beet campanelle with Alfredo sauce. Filet mignon with Chianti reduction and merlot poached pears round out the meal. It's $70 ($100 with wine parings for each course). More info: 516-228-5400, spuntinowinebar.com
Volpe at Fox Hollow
7725 Jericho Tpk., Woodbury
For $95 a person, diners at Volpe can enjoy a 3-course prix fixe that includes a choice of appetizer (clams Casino, shrimp cocktail, burrata and prosciutto, Caesar salad), entree (filet mignon, veal Milanese, heart-shaped ravioli), and dessert (tiramisu, cheesecake, limoncello flute). An added attraction: live music starting at 7 p.m. in the ultraromantic Gold Coast dining room. More info: 516-921-1415, thefoxhollow.com
The Union
1899 Park Blvd., East Meadow
This sparkling newcomer located inside Eisenhower Park is offering a special a la carte menu, printed on pretty pink card stock, for Feb. 14. Love-themed items include a “Lovestruck Martini” ($19) made with Hendrick’s gin and rose water, seafood towers in two sizes ($110-$215), South African cold water lobster tail ($58), Tomahawk steak for two ($158), and chocolate mousse with glazed strawberries and candied pistachios ($15). More info: 516-684-9106, theunion.restaurant
Wild Honey
1 E. Main St., Oyster Bay
Always a popular date night spot, Wild Honey is upping the ante for Valentine’s Day with a $65 three-course prix fixe menu. With 10 starters (from gumbo with andouille sausage and chicken to crispy lobster spring roll to blueberry and goat cheese salad), 9 entrees (pan-seared scallops with gnocchi, slow-cooked baby back ribs, and hoisin and soy-glazed prawns to name a few), and a dessert trio consisting of warm chocolate cake, banana-caramel cannoli, and lemon tart with Raspberry Coulis, there is an upscale meal for every taste. More info: 516-922-4690, wildhoneyrestaurant.com
SUFFOLK COUNTY
1770 House
143 Main St., East Hampton
This candlelit, antiques-filled dining room, housed in a historic old inn, is the perfect spot for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. Dishes with luxurious ingredients are on the $95 three-course prix fixe menu: King salmon gravlax with quail egg and everything bagel crumble; lobster and avocado salad with smoked trout caviar; roasted Long Island duck breast with spiced parsnip and brandied cherries; rack of lamb and beef tenderloin Chateaubriand for two with Bernaise sauce. Dessert choices include house favorite sticky date cake with toffee sauce and vanilla gelato. More info: 631-324-1770, 1770house.com
Alpina
45 Front St., Greenport
This cozy Swiss-Italian wine bar has a chef-designed $75 prix fixe that begins with a welcome cocktail or a glass of Champagne, moves on to appetizer choices including raclette with fingerling potatoes and cornichons and entrees like venison pie or fondue for two. For dessert, choose between a chocolate chartreuse soufflé and a red currant and almond tart. Wine pairings available upon request. Seatings at 6 and 8 p.m. A limited a la carte menu will be available at the bar. More info: 631-477-2600, alpinany.com
Piedmontese beef tartar at Alpina in Greenport. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Bayberry
501 Main St., Islip
Bayberry, the stylishly renovated new restaurant occupying the space formerly held by Maxwell’s, celebrates Valentine’s Day from Feb. 14 through Feb. 18 with a special Surf’n’Turf prix fixe menu, priced at $75. Settle into a turquoise velvet banquette and order an appetizer (choices include crab cakes, Peking duck tacos, and chilled oysters) and dessert (here the choices are flourless chocolate mousse cake, blackberry tres leches, and maple bourbon crème brûlée) to go along with your main course of filet mignon, lobster tail, confit potato purée, and butter-poached asparagus. More info: 631-210-0011, bayberryislip.com
Calissa
1020 Montauk Hwy., Water Mill
The glamorous Greek spot is offering seasonal additions to its menu on Feb. 14, and continuing through the weekend: A raw bar platter with oysters, shrimp and salmon crudo ($50); red snapper with roasted squash, tomatoes and black olives ($45) plus osso buco with mashed potatoes and red wine ($50). In addition, the restaurant will pour a Champagne flight ($35). Diners have the option of finishing the evening with dessert in the restaurant’s après ski-inspired lounge, where specials include St. Moritz (a glass of Greek bubbles along with chocolate-covered strawberries, $25) and Cortina (a glass of Champagne and chocolate fondue for $35). Reservations recommended. More info: 631-500-9292, calissahamptons.com
Branzino filet with arugula at Calissa in Watermill. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Fifth Season
34 East Broadway, Port Jefferson
Keeping the focus on winter ingredients, the Fifth Season offers a warming Valentine’s Day menu for $75. The meal begins with butternut squash ravioli in a maple and herb cream sauce. Choose from a half-dozen second courses, including lobster and clam chowder, chicken spring rolls, and a wedge salad with crispy onions and blue cheese dressing. Third course choices include bacon and fig-glazed Berkshire pork chop, pan-seared Scottish salmon and oven-roasted filet mignon. For dessert there is a choice of flourless molten chocolate cake, tiramisu, vegan coconut rice pudding and apple crumb tart. More info: 631-477-8500, thefifth-season.com
H2O Seafood and Sushi
215 W. Main St., Smithtown
The seafood specialist’s $75 holiday prix fixe includes starters like the Sweetheart Roll (Thai chili shrimp, mango), the Starr Roll (salmon, tempura crunch, avocado), and the H2O Roll (spicy tuna, cucumber, eel sauce). Second course choices include everything-crusted tuna, lobster pot pie, and, for landlubbers, filet mignon Wellington or a 16-ounce rib-eye. Dessert selections are a trio of V-Day favorites: Warm chocolate brownie, strawberry cheesecake, and tiramisu. More info: 631-361-6464, smithtown.h2oseafoodsushi.com
The Last Word
13 Wall St., Huntington
This craft cocktail lounge located in the heart of Huntington Village, will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, Feb. 14 with a special three-course prix fixe menu for $58, including romance-inspired dishes like oysters with mignonette, surf and turf, and heart-shaped churros. More info: 631-629-4545, thelastwordhuntington.com
Specialty cocktails at The Last Word in Huntington. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
The Melting Pot
2377 Broadhollow Rd., Farmingdale
A five-course, $94 prix fixe menu of fondue favorites will warm the hearts of cheese and chocolate lovers on Feb. 14 at The Melting Pot. The romantic experience starts with a chef-curated amuse-bouche, moves on to cheese fondue featuring black truffle Cheddar or a mixture of Swiss cheeses and hot honey, before making a detour through a salad course, and returning to an entree fondue featuring steak, chicken, or shrimp with vegetables and dipping sauces. For dessert, think pear and dark chocolate or Bananas Foster white chocolate fondue. Special Valentine’s Day cocktails, including a passion fruit martini, will be available. More info: 631-752-4242, meltingpot.com
The State Room
67 W. Main St., Patchogue
This intimate upstairs space has expert bartenders and a speakeasy vibe. It will be serving an extravagant 6-course prix fixe menu on Valentine’s Day, from 4 to 8 p.m. for $155 a person, with beverage pairings by request. Begin with Parker House rolls with quince jam and cultured butter, move on to oysters with smoked trout roe, and then tuna crudo. The pasta course will be burrata tortellini in Parmesan brood with winter truffle. Then it’s on to scallop with turnip, artichoke and saffron maltese. Long Island duck with sunchoke, mushroom and cocoa jus rounds out the meal. For dessert, there is a spectacular baked Alaska for two. As an extra enhancement, order a flower arrangement from Flora Blue Studio to be delivered to your table at the end of your meal. More info: 631-447-2337, thestateroomli.com
