Restaurant Review: For Valentines, Galentines, and all couples, love is food in Chicago
Celebrating Valentine’s Day this Friday, February 14, or throughout the weekend, can mean heart-shaped pizzas and chocolate cakes, couples getaways, or even cloth-draped, candle-lit tables heaped with sliders at White Castle (availability is limited, but there’s the link!)
Two things are certain…it’s the biggest date night of the year, and as Choose Chicago notes, the city’s restaurants are pulling out all the stops so you and your date can celebrate in style!
However…most of the restaurants are already booked on Friday, so we’re looking ahead to the weekend for availability and menus that last to Valentine’s Weekend. These restaurants are memorable, special and have availability throughout the weekend:
At Lincoln Park’s North Pond, 2610 N. Cannon Drive, their Farm-to-Table $190 per person Valentines’s Weekend menu has availability on Sunday, February 16. Imagine a First Course of Beet, Tuna…dry-aged East Coast tuna, Werp Farm’s beets, served with house tostada, and pipian sauce, followed by Mushroom, Farro…a morel mushroom soup, with Anson Mills Farro Piccolo, pickled carrot, and crispy chicken tuille. Third Course is Duck, Raspberries…a duck leg confit, raspberry-milk crumb, celery root-potato Mille Fuille, and Raspberry demi. North Pond’s Entrée features Elk, Mole… a local Illinois elk chop, with Asian Pear-Oaxacan chocolate mole, served with black walnuts. Their desserts include a Ricotta, Whey…a house-made ricotta cake, drizzled with whey caramel, and served with olive oil ice cream or a classic, yet unique Pavlova, with pink peppercorn, passionfruit, whipped ganache, and coquito sorbet. For reservations, click here.
AromanticValentine’s Prix Fixe Dinnerat the South Loop’s Kindling | Downtown Cookout & Cocktails Steakhouse, 202 S. Franklin Street, featuringthe best from Kindling’s fireside hearth. For $88 per person, Kindling’s First Course is an Oyster Duet – wood-fired Rockefeller and Raw oysters served with a champagne mignonette, followed by your choice of Lobster Lover’s Risotto with shellfish brodo, leeks, garlic, mussels and parmesan espuma, or Wood Fired Filet of Beefwith pommes anna, asparagus & bordeaux bordelaise sauce. But save room for Proper Rice Puddingwith cookie spice, chantilly, andvanilla bean, or Classic Warm Chocolate Molten Cakewith melted ice cream sauce & luxardo cherries. For reservations, click here.
In Old Town, Kayao, 1252 N Wells Street, combines Peruvian and Asian culinary traditions for a melting pot of cultures and cuisines! Guests are invited to “embark on a culinary journey that transcends borders and opens hearts.” Enjoy Ceviche Clasico, which offers their Fish of the day, leche de tigre, sweet potato, and Peruvian corn, or Roll Acevichado, which is yellowfin tuna tartare and shrimp tempura in yuzu acevichada sauce. Arroz Con Mariscos, which is Peruvian-style seafood risotto with 12-month aged manchego. Grilled Branzino has a Miso marinade, and escabeche sauce, served with rice. Chaufa is a Chinese-Peruvian fried rice with maitake mushroom, snow peas, and bok choy. Pollo Anticuchero are Airline-cut grilled chicken, smoked ají panca glaze, endive salad, house fries. Finish out this delightful Chinese-Peruvian feast with Lucuma, the Amazonian fruit ice cream, or Panna Cotta with vanilla, Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar honey, and quinoa pop. For reservations, click here.
May your love light shine brightly! 💕
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
