You won't find love in a bottle of bubbly or a bouquet of roses on Valentine's Day. You'll find it spending time with someone special. Set a dinner date, or order a heart-shaped pizza, or even go so far as to nab the Champagne and the flowers in advance. It doesn't matter how you do it or where you live in North Texas, there's a sweet Valentine's Day spot near you.
Downtown Dallas and Uptown Dallas
Dallas Fish Market's three-course dinner menu sounds like a lovely, lively way to celebrate with a sweetheart. Highlights from the first course include a choice of smoked salmon "everything" pancakes or roasted beet roots; the second course could mean lobster three ways or black bass with miso and brown-butter dashi; and the third course offers chocolate pudding, strawberries and cream, or black pepper-olive oil ice cream sandwiches. $65 per person. Each dish can come with wine pairings for an extra fee. Dallas Fish Market is located at 1501 Main St., Dallas.
Valentine's dinner at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck, inside the iconic Reunion Tower, has to be one of the most romantic spots to dine in Dallas. The special dinner runs Feb 9. through Feb. 17, which means you don't have to fight for a seat on V-Day. The chefs have unabashedly created a six-course menu of aphrodisiacs, too. Steamy! $125 per person. Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck is located at 300 Reunion Blvd., Dallas.
Del Frisco's Grille (which has a restaurant in Uptown Dallas in addition to three more across D-FW) offers a sophisticated, fun menu for anyone who wants food that doesn't feel quite as fancy as, say, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House. The Grille's V-Day menu is a la carte and offers shareable appetizers like cheesesteak egg rolls and artichoke beignets; entrees like a cheeseburger with sloppy sauce or the more healthful option of salmon and asparagus; and desserts galore. (If it were me? The coconut cream pie with white chocolate shavings is a favorite. Oh, wait. The Nutella bread pudding is great, too. Go ahead and get both; it's a celebration.) Many of Del Frisco's Grille's entrees are gluten-free, and all have nutritional information available — a rarity at a sit-down restaurant on Valentine's Day. Dishes priced separately. Del Frisco's Grilles are located in Uptown Dallas, Fort Worth, Southlake and Plano; find one here.
Far North Dallas
At Al Biernat's, Valentine's dinner is surf and turf and sparkling rosé. The surf is a 3-pound East Coast lobster, flown into Dallas live. The turf is a 12-ounce filet mignon. Order at least a week in advance so the lobsters can arrive in time. $95 per person. Available at Al Biernat's North, 5251 Spring Valley Road, Dallas; and at the original Al Biernat's, 4217 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas.
Table 13 offers a throwback dinner with live music. The dining room is modeled to look like the early 1960s, with a classic menu to match: beef carpaccio, veal cordon bleu, lemon cake and the like. $75 per person. Table 13 is located at 4812 Belt Line Road, Addison.
Fort Worth
Big spenders, head to B&B Butchers & Restaurant in Fort Worth. Your date will surely be surprised to find flowers and sparkling wine already at the table (which can be ordered in advance). The full menu is available, in addition to some romantic specials like surf and turf and chocolate-covered strawberries. A $120 sandwich is also available, if you're into that kind of thing. Prices are a la carte. B&B Butchers is located at 5212 Marathon Ave., Fort Worth.
Bird Cafe's menu looks delightful. The high point of the four-course meal is the choice of an entree: charred tomato ravioli, pan-seared monkfish or grilled Akaushi rib-eye. I'm eyeing the sugar cookie cheesecake with bourbon toffee for dessert. $75 per person. Bird Cafe is located at 155 E. Fourth St., Fort Worth.
DeSoto, Flower Mound, Rockwall and more
El Chico is offering a low-cost dinner of just $32.99 for two people. That's the lowest price on this list, by far. Dinner comes with guacamole, made tableside; fajitas for two; and a dessert called cheesecake nachos. (Those are cinnamon chips topped with cheesecake, whipped cream, candied walnuts and chocolate and caramel drizzle.) The deal runs Feb. 13 through Feb. 17. El Chico has restaurants in DeSoto, Flower Mound, Granbury, Pantego, Richland Hills and Rockwall.
Plano
Spring for a sexy beer dinner at Holy Grail Pub in Plano. Each of five courses will be paired with a sudsy brew, like the pork tenderloin with sour plum sauce and broccolini entree matched with Boulevard's Bourbon Barrel Quad. $65 per person. 8240 Preston Road (south of State Highway 121), Plano.
Frisco
Dee Lincoln Prime offers the sophistication of a steakhouse from a rare point of view: from female "steak queen" Dee Lincoln. Dinner is Feb. 14 and 15 at Lincoln's newest restaurant, at The Star in Frisco. Options on the three-course menu include crab cakes; a spicy tuna rainbow roll; kale and romaine Caesar salad; lobster bisque; a 16-ounce prime rib-eye with peppercorn sauce; Chilean sea bass with brown butter soy and more. $85 per person. Dee Lincoln Prime is located at 6670 Winning Drive, Suite 400, Frisco.
Staying home? Two ideas:
If Valentine's Day is best spent with your sweetheart on the couch, buy some Kate Weiser Chocolates first. They're made in Dallas by a team of local chocolatiers, and we consider them one of the best local food gifts in town. V-Day options include a $30 chocolate "snowlady" named Carla (who gets melted in a pot and turns into peppermint drinking chocolate); a $25 teddy bear with a passion-fruit-chocolate shell; and other red and heart-shaped treats. Kate Weiser retail stores are located in Trinity Groves in Dallas, NorthPark Center in Dallas and Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth; find them here.
Or opt for delivery from Greenville Avenue Pizza Company. They're selling a one-topping, heart-shaped pizza that will be delivered with three roses by a driver wearing a tuxedo T-shirt. Klassy! And casual. $25. Two locations in Dallas. Details at gapc.co.
If you're still shopping for the perfect spot, here are more restaurants in North Texas with special Valentine's Day menus:
- Abacus in Dallas
- Americano in Dallas
- Asador in Dallas
- Beto & Son in Dallas
- Billy Can Can in Dallas
- Bird Bakery in Highland Park
- Biscuit Bar in Plano
- Blue Mesa Grill in Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano
- Blue Sushi Sake Grill in Dallas
- Boston Market, with more than 20 locations in North Texas
- Boulevardier in Dallas
- Bowl & Barrel in Dallas
- Bullion in Dallas
- The Cajun Place in Rockwall
- California Pizza Kitchens in Dallas, Frisco, Grapevine and Plano
- Canopy by Hilton Dallas Uptown's restaurant, Upside West Village
- Cantina Laredo in Addison, Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco and Lewisville
- Carrabba's Italian Grill in Dallas, Hurst and Plano
- CBD Provisions in Dallas
- Checkered Past Winery in Dallas
- City Hall Bistro in Dallas
- Communion Neighborhood Cooperative in Richardson
- Cool River Cafe in Irving
- Cotton Patch Cafe in Allen, Arlington, Burleson, Cedar Hill, Cleburne, Corsicana, Ennis, Flower Mound, Frisco, Granbury, Grapevine, Lewisville, Mansfield, McKinney, North Richland Hills, Rockwall, Waxahachie and Wylie
- Cru Food and Wine Bar in Allen, Dallas, Plano and Fort Worth
- Dakota's in Dallas
- Dallas Chop House in Dallas
- Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House in Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano
- Eatzi's Market and Bakery in Dallas, Fort Worth, Grapevine and Plano
- El Bolero Cocina Mexicana in Dallas
- El Fenix, with 21 locations in D-FW
- Fine China in Dallas
- Flower Child in Addison
- The French Room in Dallas
- Gorji Restaurant in Dallas
- The Grill on the Alley in Dallas
- Hyatt Regency in Dallas
- Imoto in Dallas
- Jalisco Norte in Dallas
- Jasper's in Richardson
- Lucky's in Dallas
- Meddlesome Moth in Dallas
- Merchant House in Dallas
- Mexican Sugar in Plano
- Mimi's Cafe in Arlington and Fort Worth
- Morton's The Steakhouse in Dallas
- Moxie's Grill & Bar in Dallas
- Mudhen in Dallas — serving a vegan Valentine's day menu
- Mutts Canine Cantina (a dog park and bar) in Dallas and Fort Worth
- Namo in Dallas
- Norma's Cafe in Dallas, Frisco and Plano
- Oak in Dallas
- The Oceanaire Seafood Room in Dallas
- Ocean Prime in Dallas
- One90 Smoked Meats in Dallas
- Pakpao Thai in Dallas
- Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Dallas
- Perle on Maple (inside the Stoneleigh) in Dallas
- Perry's Steakhouse & Grille in Frisco, Grapevine and Dallas
- Piada Italian Street Food in Fort Worth, Frisco, Plano and Richardson
- Pinstack in Allen, Las Colinas and Plano
- Princi Italia in Dallas and Plano
- Rapscallion in Dallas
- Roy's Restaurant in Plano
- Ruth's Chris Steak House in Dallas and Fort Worth
- Saint Rocco's in Dallas
- Sassetta in Dallas
- Sauce Pizza and Wine in Irving and Prosper
- Sea Breeze Fish Market and Grill in Plano
- Sevy's Grill in Dallas
- Shell Shack in Plano, Arlington, Mesquite, Denton and Fort Worth
- Silver Fox Steakhouse in Fort Worth, Frisco and Richardson
- Slater's 50/50 in Dallas
- Souk in Dallas
- Soulman's Bar-B-Que, with 21 restaurants near D-FW
- Sushi Marquee in Frisco
- Taco Cabana, with more than two-dozen locations in D-FW
- Tacos and Tequila in Dallas
- Taverna Rossa Craft Pizza and Beer in Plano
- III Forks in Dallas
- Tricky Fish in Fort Worth and Richardson
- Truluck's in Dallas and Southlake
- TJ's Seafood and Market in Dallas
- Uchi in Dallas
- Urbano Cafe in Dallas
- V Eats in Dallas
- Vidorra in Dallas
- Water Grill in Dallas
- Wheelhouse in Dallas
- XO Coffee Company in Plano
- Zaytinya in Frisco
And for the next day, on Feb. 15:
Snuffer's Restaurant and Bar is celebrating Singles Awareness Day by handing out free small-sized cheddar fries with the purchase of any entree. Participants don't actually have to be single; we checked! Snuffer's has nine locations in Dallas-Fort Worth. Find one here. Use an online coupon at snuffers.com/offers/.
