The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Romance abounds with dining options
Romance abounds with creative Valentine’s dining options
Like almost everything else, that intimate Valentine’s Day dinner for the two of you will be different this year.
Even with vaccines as the light at the end of the long COVID-19 tunnel and a recently revised curfew, social distancing and face masks remain the mode for romance — and most everything else — unless you already share a household.
If that’s the case, polish the good silverware, search for a tablecloth and matching dishes, buy some bubbly, candles and flowers and plan your own at-home celebration of romance. Several clever restaurateurs will step in to make it fun.
Nick Kustala and partner Michelle Kucinich, whose restaurants include the The Fat Tomato in Willoughby, step in with assistance, just as they did for New Year’s Eve when the since-redesigned andnamed eatery was still Allure Bistro and Social Club.
This time, they’re offering a fivecourse meal that is a combo of dishes already prepared when you pick up the package and those you cook yourself with guidance from the chef on an interactive video. You get the link when you reserve the dinner, at $150 for two, at 216392-3663. You’re able to ask questions and get live feedback via the video presentation, which also will include a wine demonstration and instructions to make a craft cocktail. The cocktail, a Cupid’s Arrow, will feature blood orange juice, lemon juice and Luxor cherries.
Reservation deadline is Feb. 7. The virtual dinners will be live streamed at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 and 13 and at 4 p.m. Feb. 14.
Choose a Lobster Bisque or Wild Mushroom Bisque to start, then move on to an Italian Caesar Salad and Smoked Mozzarella Ravioli. Kustala will show how to make a Blue Cheese Crusted Rib Eye Steak with roast garlic and asparagus. Finish your meal with Michelle’s Black Velvet Cake.
Ask about the extras available when you call. They include a dozen long stem red roses, a dozen Kumoto oysters and a split of White Star champagne along with several other wines.
Those who made reservations may pick up the dinner kits Feb. 11 at The Fat Tomato, 38040 Third St.
Prominent Northeast Ohio restaurateur Zack Bruell’s February menu, priced at $70 for two, includes delivery within 20 minutes of University Circle. Orders must be received 48 hours prior to delivery, and the meals are delightful enough for a special Valentine’s Day dinner. Delivery will cost more for most Lake County addresses.
Menu A starts with a Goat Cheese and Fig Tart, a Mixed Green Salad, Filipino Braised Pork with Rice and Roasted Broccoli and finishes with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. Menu B has Cheese and Charcuterie with Grapes, Dried Cranberries and Crackers; a Spinach Salad with Clementines, Pomegranate Seeds and Candied Nuts; Braised Beef with Sweet Potato Mash and Green Beans; and a Chocolate Cheesecake with Fresh Berries. Menu C features a Shrimp Cocktail; Arugula Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese; Salmon Encroute with Herb Couscous, Ratatouille Vegetables and Dill Sauce; and a Chocolate Mousse Cake.
Place orders with Kim ParadiseAdelstein at 216-296-3440 or kim. paradise-adelstein@ZackBruell. com.
Or consider ordering from Hungry Bee Catery, 8366 Washington St., Bainbridge Township. The gourmet grocery’s Valentine Dinner for two is $80 and comes complete with reheating instructions.
You’ll get a Brie and Sour Cherry Turnover; Mushroom and Gruyere Bisque; Arugula Strawberry Herb Salad; entree of Short Ribs or Pan Roasted Salmon, both served with fingerling potatoes, creamed spinach and carrots; and a Lemon Blueberry Mascarpone Cheesecake for dessert. Substitute a Prime Rib dinner for $20 more.
Orders are due by Feb. 9 for pickup up between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Feb. 13. To order, call 216702-6772.
Cocoa Bombs and Smashboxes
are the Valentine treats available at StoneWater Golf Club in Highland Heights, where they’re made in house at the open-to-the public Rustic Grill.
The heart-shaped Smash Boxes are hollow chocolate edible hearts filled with surprises such as Prosecco, candy and other delights. Those hoping to propose can even have the engagement ring put inside. A small hammer is included to break the three-dimensional heart and reveal the Valentine goodies.
The likewise heart-shaped Cocoa Bombs transform into hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows, once hot milk is poured over them.
Both can be ordered for pickup at StoneWater. Call 440-461-4653.
If eating indoors is your preference, consider Betts in the Kimpton Schofield Hotel at East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland. Reserve ahead to book a romantic and secure greenhouse for your own private dining street side. The transparent structures, which are cleaned between uses, are comfortably heated. Indoor dining with full pandemic protocols in place also is available.
The Betts menu for brunch, lunch and dinner on Valentine weekend includes Lobster Bisque; a Maine Omelet framed around poached lobster; a Surf and Turf
Burger with poached lobster, baked oysters with kale, chicken chorizo bourbon and parmesan; Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Gulf white shrimp, Maine lobster, linguine from Ohio City Pasta, spinach and vodka pink sauce; and a Surf and Turf dinner with a filet mignon and lobster tail.
For reservations or carryout, call 216-357-2680. Top your experience with a hotel overnight and a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum or another downtown attraction.