A little romance
Explore l'amour with our picks for the area's most romantic restaurants
By
KIM HARWELL
Remember
the feelings of first love, those quivery, anxious stirrings in
the stomach?
Erich Schlegel / DMN
The Hotel St. Germain boasts one of the most woo-worthy dining rooms in Dallas.
Here
are our picks of the best dining rooms in town in which to pitch
woo.
Cacharel
So you live in Dallas and your sweetie resides in Cowtown — all
good relationships require compromise. Split the difference with
a romantic French meal in Arlington's best (and possibly only) four-star
restaurant. Just don't let her catch you looking longingly out the
window toward the Ballpark
or — shudder! — Six
Flags Over Texas.
Chaparral
Sometimes you want to trip the lights fantastic; sometimes you just
want to look at them from a high perch while noshing on quality
food and sipping a primo bottle of wine. Chaparral, located
on the 38th floor of downtown's mammoth Adam's
Mark Hotel, offers a fine spot to do both: Let the sparkly backdrop
of Dallas reflect in your lover's eyes, then whisk her (or him)
away to the dance floor, where musicians put out those cool jazz
vibes.
The
French Room
The rumors are true: The lushly Baroque dining room of the Adolphus
Hotel's French Room may well be the loveliest in the city. But
beware if you're not certain that this is "the
one" — the hard-core romantic vibe has driven more than one commitment-phobe
to bended knee in a spontaneous burst of matrimony fever.
The
Grape
The tiny wine bistro on Lower Greenville relishes its reputation
as one of the city's most romantic eateries. It's a favored spot
for proposals and anniversaries; if diners at nearby tables (and
as snug as this dining room is, we do mean "nearby") aren't gazing
lovingly into each other's eyes, they're probably casting a blissful
glance downward into a bowl of the restaurant's sublime signature
mushroom soup.
Hotel
St. Germain
Some of us want to grow up and be firefighters or ballerinas. Those
of us in the know want to grow up and be Claire Heymann. Ms. Heymann
is the owner and proprietor of what might be the most exquisite
pairing of hotel and restaurant ever to grace the city (sorry, Mansion).
Downstairs, her Hotel St. Germain offers a fixed-price menu of exquisite
cuisine; upstairs, seven luxe suites (including one ranked Texas' most romantic by Town
and Country
magazine) beckon those who don't want the romance
to end with dessert.
Lola
the Restaurant
From Juniper to Barclays to Lola, this quaint and comfortable space
on Fairmont has a long history as a romantic rendezvous locale.
The converted house makes a perfect place for longtime loves to
reconnect over food in an intimate setting. Not first-date flashy,
dinner at Lola says, "Honey, I'm glad I chose to settle down with
you." What could be sweeter than that?
McCormick & Schmick's
You know what they say about the aphrodisiac properties of oysters (and if you don't, you should). So it should be enough just to casually mention that this upscale seafood restaurant has an entire section of the menu devoted to these delectable bivalves, harvested from cold-water locales throughout the United States and Canada. Need more? The dining room also boasts romantic "snuggeries," private curtained booths tucked away along the perimeter of the main room. If that doesn't do the trick? Check your pulse, buddy — you're dead.
J. Mark Kegans / DMN
Make your loved one melt over dinner at Simply Fondue.
Simply Fondue
Nothing brings a couple closer than gathering around a small vat
of boiling oil to cook chunks of meat on a skewer. Except maybe
gathering around a small pot of melted liqueur-infused chocolate
to feed each other pieces of angel-food cake and strawberries dipped
in the molten mixture.
In any case, there must be something inherently
sexy about fondue — that's the only explanation we can find for
all those swinger parties in the 1970s.
Saint-Emilion
In Cowtown, the rituals of courtship are just as likely to take
place in between boot-scoots at Billy
Bob's as over a candlelit dinner. All the more reason to embrace
Saint-Emilion, a graceful dining room in the cultural district where
"country" means "Country French cuisine" rather than Reba's latest
chart-topper. If you don't get at least a good-night kiss after
a leisurely – and luscious – dinner here, maybe it's time to reconsider
the priesthood.
York
Street
Looking for an intimate hideaway for your romantic rendezvous? Look
no further than York Street, a hidden gem of a restaurant tucked
away on a residential street in Lakewood. To find a cozier space
than this tiny dining room you'd have to dine at home. Dinner at
York Street says, "See how in-the-know I am?" – or maybe "We need
to go somewhere where my spouse won't see us."
If
none of the above suggestions sets your heart a-flutter – or if
they're already booked by the time you call for reservations – here
are 10 more options for an amour-inducing evening.
• Adelmo's
• Bistro
Louise
• Cafe
Cipriani
• Dakota's Steakhouse
• Il
Sole
• The
Mansion on Turtle Creek
• Marsala
• Mirabelle
• Nana
• Ruffino's
Ristorante Italiano
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10 romantic restaurants is exclusive to GuideLive. © 2006 GuideLive
