It feels like New Year\u2019s Eve was just yesterday, but if my promotional emails are anything to go by, it\u2019s already time to start planning for Valentine\u2019s Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sure, it briefly felt romantic this past week to stay indoors, huddled together with your significant other to keep warm through a winter storm power outage. But, if you prefer your candlelit time more orchestrated and less Oregon Trail,\u00a0check out some of the restaurants competing for your attention this February.<\/p>\n
For Mother\u2019s Day and Father\u2019s Day, I made a point of including holiday card templates for readers who didn\u2019t have time to get cards for their family members. Sorry, but\u00a0I\u2019m not doing that for Valentine\u2019s Day. Instead, I\u2019m giving you dinner ideas in advance, so if you don\u2019t have your act together on Feb. 14, that\u2019s what the youth call \u201ca you problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just kidding<\/a> \u2014 I got you.<\/p>\n Seafood and almond dacquoise cake at The Sicilian Butcher<\/p>\n If Italian food is what you\u2019re after, there\u2019s an abundance of it on the Valentine\u2019s Day menu at The Sicilian Butcher, according to a press release. Feb. 12-15, seafood lovers can pick from jumbo shrimp and lobster ravioli, spaghetti vongole, salmon oreganato or grilled octopus, while pasta fans might go for the rigatoni alla zozzona. Meat entrees include pork Milanese saltimbocca with imported burrata.\u00a0<\/p>\n For a bit of crunch, there\u2019s also a Sicilian fennel orange salad, which has \u201cseasonal assorted citrus,\u201d red onion, pistachio, rainbow radishes and lemon oil. Their specials conclude with dessert, an almond raspberry mousse cake with almond mascarpone mousse, raspberry gelee filling and chocolate-dipped almond dacquoise cake.\u00a0<\/p>\n 3200 Tracewood Way, Fort Worth; 682-253-5222<\/p>\n Chocolate and wine event, wine dinner at Lost Oak Winery<\/p>\n As far as Valentine\u2019s Day food goes, chocolate and wine are a given. To celebrate these classic flavors, Lost Oak Winery in Burleson is hosting a weeklong chocolate and wine pairing event<\/a> Feb. 11-15 during regular business hours.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the specific menu is a surprise you\u2019ll have to taste to believe,\u201d according to the event webpage, guests will enter the tasting room for a self-guided flight of four wines alongside four gourmet chocolates. Walk-in diners are welcome and reservations are not required. The winery\u2019s regular food<\/a> menu features light dishes: a charcuterie board, paninis, flatbreads and caprese salad.<\/p>\n They have several other Valentine\u2019s Day-related events that week, which are viewable on their website, including a catered wine dinner Feb. 12 for $135 per person. The menu<\/a> sees four wines alongside smoked potato and leek soup, a winter wedge salad with brown sugar bacon and pecans, braised ancho honey-crusted beef flap steak and red velvet cake.<\/p>\n The winery will also host an UnValentine\u2019s Dance Party Feb. 13 and a Valentine\u2019s Day market Feb. 14.<\/p>\n 8101 County Road 802, Burleson; 817-426-6625<\/p>\n Clay Pigeon Food & Drink, the seasonal eatery on White Settlement Road, is serving up a prix-fixe multicourse menu Feb. 14 starting off with a pimento cheese and caviar tea sandwich amuse bouche.<\/p>\n For the first course, diners can choose from three options: Caesar salad with gem lettuce, olive oil croutons and Reggiano; potato bisque with hazelnuts, brown butter and truffles; or beet salad alongside whipped goat cheese, candied pecans and arugula, dressed with extra virgin olive oil and saba, which is similar to balsamic vinegar.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n An 8-ounce eye of ribeye in a bourbon peppercorn sauce is among the entrees and includes whipped potatoes and glazed green beans. The braised short rib with Gouda grits is another option and features smoked mushrooms and Parmesan, while the Hokkaido scallop with cauliflower is accented with brown butter and almond gremolata.<\/p>\n There are two desserts to choose between for the final course: strawberry cheesecake with amaretti crumble and mint or chocolate torte cake with Luxardo cherries.<\/p>\n The three-course prix-fixe dinner is $110; optional wine pairing is $50.<\/p>\n 2731 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth; 817-882-8065<\/p>\n We\u2019d love to hear from you! Send your restaurant tips and hot takes to erin.ratigan@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n