Top Five Valentine’s Day Restaurants
disneyclipart.com
February 16, 2009 • written by Emily Vrem, Staff Writer
Filed under Entertainment
Olive Garden: America’s classic Italian restaurant gets the thumbs up for Valentine’s Day. With one of the largest selections of Italian cuisine in town, it is perfect for picky eaters. Each meal comes with the choice of a soup or salad, and of course their famous free garlic buttered bread sticks. The only downside to the conveniently placed restaurant is the availability. Because they no longer take reservations, it is quite possible the wait for your special day could be a long one. The spinach and artichoke dip appetizer is delicious and goes well with their ravioli di portobello mushroom-filled pasta. Each dessert has distinct Italian flavor, like the chocolate torte or the gelato ice cream.
Ambiance: 2
Quality: 4
Service: 2
Price: 3
Hotel Donaldson: The HoDo’s menu has everything. Their entrées include many dishes ranging from mahi mahi to rabbit to a wild rice burger. With beautiful art surrounding the mainly dark and romantic décor, the setting is perfect for small get togethers or dinners-for-two. The featured dish, elk with pomegranate glaze and a cotton candy garnish, was presented nicely alongside an hors d’oeuvre, or “small plate,” with four dips, including a not-too-sweet honey butter and a perfectly blended hummus, served with four distinct types of bread and a thin seasoned cracker. Their delicious wild rice burger, although a bit messy at times, was perfect for vegetarians. It was served with squash and apple soup. The modest portions were sized to leave just enough room for beautifully served and unique desserts such as the peach crème brulee or the mocha cheesecake. Another bonus: sodas were the least expensive of the five restaurants at only $1.50.
Ambiance: 4
Quality: 5
Service: 3
Price: 2
Toscana: After an evening drive downtown and a walk down Broadway, nothing is more welcoming than a warm and cozy restaurant with your special someone. A candlelit pasta dinner at Toscana is the perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day. With no artificial light, romantic ambiance is at its finest. Warm bread is a superb starter, served with perfectly light and tangy Italian dipping oil. The tortellini alla vodka is a large six-cheese-stuffed tortellini tossed with a mushroom, red pepper and basil sauce; a perfect combination to tease your taste buds. Although the service was a bit slow at times, the staff was exceptionally friendly. The restaurant features classic Italian operetta music to set the ideal mood for a dinner-for-two.
Ambiance: 5
Quality: 5
Service: 3
Price: 2
Santa Lucia: Santa Lucia features Greek and Italian dishes. Their menu for Valentine’s Day is limited with single meals just around the 30-dollar mark. Red and purple chairs complement the brown walls with simple architecture and decoration, including a broken column. Before the meal, dry bread was served with a balsamic vinegar and oil dip, which was mediocre in comparison to Toscana’s bread dip. The popular fettuccini alfredo with white wine garlic sauce was bland at best, but the delightfully colorful minestrone soup made up for the loss. Another well-liked dish was the four-cheese stuffed ravioli which was excellent with its unique chive topping. The dessert menu is made fresh each night as a live sampling of each dessert on a tray to entice you into buying.
Ambiance: 3
Quality: 3
Service: 5
Price: 2
Basie’s: A more upbeat restaurant, Basie’s on 42nd Street features a live jazz pianist on Valentine’s Day and live jazz music every Thursday. The restaurant’s atmosphere is beautiful, with musically-inspired paintings and cool soft jazz in the background. The only problem was loud servers discussing unrelated topics. Besides that, their attractively garnished fettuccini alfredo was much more flavorful than Santa Lucia’s ultra-plain version. On Valentine’s Day, two dinners for two are served, one a lobster tail and prime rib combo, the other a tenderloin and sea bass combo, each one including a dessert, two side dishes and a drink to share. Each meal is $99; however, the full menu is also available for purchase.
Ambiance: 4
Quality: 4
Service: 3
Price: 1
*Ratings are out of five; price: 1=Expensive, 5=Inexpensive
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