Sure, Hallmark cards are rampant, especially on Valentine's Day, but the true romance of a handwritten missive is sadly lacking in our culture. I miss the imagination and the time it takes to turn a phrase just so. I picture lovers gazing into space, pen nib in mouth, wondering how to communicate the depth of their emotions.
Instead, lovers painstakingly create digital roses out of dashes and @ symbols. I encourage readers to craft a handwritten note and decide on just the right adjectives and poetic metaphors.
Need some inspiration? Check out the following menus. These are love letters from chefs to diners: "strawberry and mascarpone semi-freddo with champagne cake and roses..." I swoon.
Doriola's excels at creating gorgeously nuanced flavors and picture-perfect plates and has two date-night dinners planned, perfect for reservation early birds and procrastinators alike.
On Valentine's Day, owners Vivian and Janet Hickok feature BLT canapés with basil mayo and shrimp, fresh rosemary foccacia, seafood manicotti and triple chocolate mousse cake.
Since Doriola's normally offers one date-night special each month and didn't in January, they've put together a second Valentine's-themed menu for Saturday, Feb. 25. It includes lobster bisque, rack of lamb, penne pasta with garlic cream and a towering coconut layer cake. Seating for each is 6 p.m., and a credit card charge of $50 per person is required during the reservation process.
In Midtown, chef Brett Knipmeyer has written a veritable serenade of a menu ($65 per person) for Kinley's. On Feb. 14, one can choose between shrimp and lobster vol au vent topped with a tomato hollandaise or duck confit and dark cherry crepe on a bed of sautéed spinach and drizzled with port sauce. Then, which holiday-appropriate salad to order: hearts of palm or artichoke hearts?
The hardest decision is yet to be made; Knipmeyer presents two handsome specimens vying for your affections. Cranberry- and thyme-crusted halibut cheeks with walnut-chevre cream, red onion and red chard duels with a grilled New York strip steak with pink peppercorn compound butter on a cabernet bordelaise. The seafood is dressed in red and the steak is manly enough to get away with wearing pink. Perhaps the optional wine pairings ($25 per person), an Alsatian riesling and Napa cabernet, respectively, will decide the winner.
Paris Bakery & Café has two seatings on Valentine's Day, 5:30 and 8 p.m. The prix fixe menu ($50 per person) starts off with the alluring-sounding "glass of champagne and love biscuits." I'm not sure what that is, but I think I've discovered a new nickname for my husband.
The love biscuits are followed by an assortment of savory éclairs, which are certainly a specialty of this bakery. After a velvety tomato soup and paprika sorbet, chef Antoine Amouret unveils a chicken tajine with potatoes and green olives. A berry tiramisu and chocolate hearts are the final flourish on this intimate postcard from France.
Usually known for its foot-stomping blues, Tap Root is singing a different song for Valentine's Day. A live jazz trio accompanies chef Gypsy Rose's romantic four-course series of aphrodisiacs ($75 per person), which also offers the only vegetarian-friendly menu currently available.
Seating is 6 p.m., and guests are greeted with a goat cheese-stuffed fig and raspberry gastrique amuse bouche. For the first course, crispy fried oysters are offset by a creamy poached egg, curly frisee and roasted garlic aioli. Vegetarians can opt for braised fennel, goat cheese and blood orange salad with honey vinaigrette. The entrée choices include corn cakes on braised collards with avocado mousse, scallops on a lavender beurre blanc or a petite filet with mole rub and green chili mash. Gypsy Rose signs off with a not-so-subtle postscript to her love letter -- red velvet whoopie pies with a spicy chili kick.
For those in the know, SubZero is a great martini bar with a sexy, upscale vibe. Chef Jose Wojciechowski created a sultry specials menu with two levels of luxury. The $50-per-person prix fixe is a surf and turf of char-grilled filet mignon and lobster tail accompanied by truffled mashed potatoes, followed by chocolate-dipped strawberries and served with champagne.
The top tier of temptation includes all of this, plus four more lily-gilding courses -- a classic French onion soup, smoked gouda and duck breast quesadilla with apricot sour cream, king crab salad dressed in champagne mustard vinaigrette and a delicate assortment of pastries ($100 per person, by reservation only). Come for the food, stay for the excellent libations.
Many chefs are still working on getting their culinary metaphors ready for the public. In the meantime, revel in the pleasurable anticipation of a delicious evening with loved ones. The upside to these Valentine's Day love letters is that if these promises aren't kept, at least you can get your money back.
Doriola's
Where: 510 W. Tudor Road, Suite 7
Phone: 375-0494
Online: doriolas.com
Kinley's
Where: 3230 Seward Highway
Phone: 644-8953
Online: kinleysrestaurant.com
Paris Bakery & Cafe
Where: 500 Muldoon Road, Suite 6
Phone: 337-2575
Online: parisbakeryandcafe.com
Tap Root
Where: 3300 Spenard Road
Phone: 345-0282
Online: taprootalaska.com
SubZero
Where: 612 F St.
Phone: 276-2337
Online: humpys.com
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