Forget roses and stale chocolates. For Valentine?s Day this year, give your sweetie what he or she really wants ? a night out of the kitchen.
While sipping a glass of wine, Patrick Russell, owner of Kooper?s Tavern in Fells Point, prepared his five-course Valentine?s Day menu to include aphrodisiacs such as oysters, chocolate and champagne. An artisan cheese plate accompanied by some bubbly starts off the meal, and the entrees include grilled oysters Rockefeller, twin jumbo lump crab cakes and blackened chicken alfredo over linguini.
Russell is hoping to set a fun and relaxed atmosphere for this lovers? holiday.
“Kooper?s is not typically where someone would associate having a fancy, romantic dinner,” he said. “We want people to dress casually, have fun, sit by the fire and have a great meal. And don?t worry; we?ll overpour the wine.” He is planning to serve wine from his personal home cellar.
Eddie?s of Roland Park, locally known for its prepared foods and deli sandwiches, will be offering a traditional Valentine?s Day menu for 2007. The fun element is that patrons can pick it up and take it home to stage their own romantic atmosphere.
“I picked a menu of traditional Valentine?s Day foods,” Eddie?s chef Stan Levy said. “The food that we serve is upscale, but not too complicated. We try to make it user-friendly.”
The day?s menu will include lobster tail, filet mignon, rack of lamb and jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab imperial for a set price of $89.
The most popular romance-inducing dessert at Eddie?s has proven to be the chocolate decadence, an “ultra-rich, heart-shaped chocolate cake,” Levy said.
The Milton Inn, located in Sparks, often sells out on Valentine?s Day simply because of its elegant menu, according to head chef Brian Boston.
“I was definitely thinking of foods that are romantic, foods that are considered aphrodisiacs,” Boston said. “It?s a celebratory day. People are looking for the really nice, special occasion food.”
Entrees on the $85 menu include veal scaloppine oscar, red snapper and filet Chesapeake. For dessert, Boston recommends the chocolate passion pate and the almond tuille.
“Creme brulee is the bestseller, but the tuille cup is a very nice, light dessert,” he said. “There is no chocolate, but some nice fresh berries and the almond tuille, which is very nice.”
Serving up love
» Eddie?s of Roland Park
5113 Roland Ave., Baltimore
410-323-3656; eddiesofrolandpark.com
» Kooper?s Tavern
1702 Thames St., Baltimore
410-563-5423; koopers.com
» The Milton Inn
14833 York Road, Sparks
410-771-4366; miltoninn.com
