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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Valentine's Day 2011

Valentines heartImage via Wikipedia
 At the request of a reader, I am once again soliciting advice on where to go for Valentine's dinner.  Since the holiday falls on a Monday this year, a day when a lot of restaurants are normally closed, I was curious to see what was available. It turns out a lot of places are opening specially for the day, and many with specially priced menus.  And what am I doing?  I am having Brad Gates Catering deliver my Valentine's dinner to my house, a tradition he started last year as part of his catering service and which I hope continues because what a great way to enjoy a great meal in the comfort of your own home (especially on a Monday!).
This year's meal includes a smoked trout and
crab cake, mushroom gnocchi and Gunthrop Farms
Pork shoulder. Yum.

A bit of research shows special Valentine's dinners at the following locations:


and Hoaglin to Go is offering a V-Day dinner for two carry out special

Many other downtown restaurants will be open with their regular menus.

For a few non-downtown restaurants offering special V-Day meals, check out:


So, where are you going? And what do you recommend?  If I wasn't eating at home, I might lean toward Euphoria after my last meal there, or I am also intrigued by the Pizzology three course menu.  And please comment and let us know of any other places that are offering special menus for Valentine's Day that I missed.

Have a good one,
Erin

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13 comments:

  1. There is also a special V-Day dinner being offered at Barking Dog and Taste Cafe.

    thanks @Lowpsihighspeed from twitter for the tip!

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  2. Also, looks the the Loft at Trader's Point is doing a V-Day menu too!

    http://www.tpforganics.com/the-loft-restaurant/

    thanks @strawberryjam10 for the tip!

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  3. The girlfriend and I will most likely be going to Matteo's in Noblesville. It's kind of our place, and it's close and we both really enjoy it. Last year we went to Vera Mae's in Muncie because I was living there at the time. It was quite good, and a place worthy of checking out if you're ever in the area.

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  4. Brent,

    Matteo's is a good thought--certainly a romantic kind of vibe. And thanks, for the Vera Mae's rec. I have read a few interesting things about it...and having spent a fair amount of time in Muncie in my youth, I don't remember a lot of good restaurants... any other places you liked?

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  5. Jessica in NoblesvilleFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:53 PM

    I'm so excited to have reservations for Recess! We had been on the waiting list and just were confirmed for a table today, whoo hoo! We'll be going with good friends. Recess just put up their menu for the evening, and it looks great.

    Our second-choice plan was Pizzology, who also has a great menu.

    For the first time, Uptown in Noblesville Square is doing a valentine's dinner which also looks like fun, and a good price deal.

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  6. Sweet and Savory on Michigan Rd just south of 106th is having a Valentine's Day dinner special as well. Four courses and a champagne toast. I've been meaning to send you a note to check them out. It's my wife's favorite lunch place, especially since they moved to their new, larger location a few months ago.

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  7. A few years ago, we had Oceannaire's V-Day menu - delish! This year, hubs made reso's and I have no idea where. However, catering in - delightful!

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  8. Jessica- Lucky! I saw the menu yesterday and thought it looked great. Will love to hear how it is! And thanks for the other recs.

    Ryan- thanks, I have officially added Sweet and Savory to the list!

    citynomnoms, well I hope you share where you end up after! And that is sweet that he is surprising you. Enjoy!

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  9. @Erin

    The problem with Muncie and restaurants is that it's a town overtaken by chain mania. There may be one or 2 more independent places in the downtown area worth trying, but in Muncie they tend to be more lunch oriented and tend to come and go. I'm probably forgetting something, but no other independent restaurants are jumping out at me at the moment.

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  10. Also, Goose the Market is offering a pretty damn good looking take out V-Day meal. Lobster,steak, wine and dessert....but you have to order by Friday. So if this sounds good, give them a call!

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  11. Thanks for the tip! Going to Iozzo's tonight for the first time. I couldn't pass up that deal.

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  12. also, Buda Lounge offering a good deal...

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  13. Jessica in NoblesvilleFebruary 16, 2011 at 10:58 PM

    My husband and I were lucky enough to score reservations for their Valentine's Day dinner last night. It was a single serving, with appetizers starting at 6:30 and the main dinner at 7:15. Wines were served with each course (6 glasses in all, oy vey!) and the pairings featured a great breadth of German Rieslings and one Champagne.

    The best of the appetizers, I thought, were these perfectly fried mushrooms with a little dab of dijon mustard. They were hot, earthy and had some sort of yummy marinade.

    The first course was a trio of shibumi oysters. My hubby does not care for oysters, so I ate his share, and gladly. They were sweet, served with a little icy apple granita and nestled on a salty foam. The sweet and salt worked nicely together.

    Next was a seared bass featuring brown butter sauce and hazelnuts. So far, every piece of fish I've had there has been cooked perfectly, and this was no exception. The nuts and browned butter were perfect, and their richness was balanced with little fresh pea shoots ... a very bright, citrusy green.

    Next up, little bites of rabbit in a gingery sauce with spinach, topped with one palm-sized carrot-stuffed ravioli. This is the second time I've had rabbit at Recess, and I'm just not that into it. A little too chewy. But the carrot ravioli was absolutely perfect, I could be happy with a bowlful of those with some butter.

    The "pork al pastor" was a pork loin cooked medium rare, seasoned with ancho peppers, served with a pepper and pineapple salsa, and a little avocado dip ... not quite a guacamole but close. All this was presented on top of cilantro rice with little bits of crunchy tortillas. They must've tossed that rice seconds before serving, because the tortillas remained crisp. This was probably my favorite dish of the night, every element was wonderful, and the plating was beautiful. Too bad I was getting full by this point, I couldn't finish it all.

    The dessert was foie gras served as a slice, brulee-style with caramelized sugar, citrus peel, salt and cocoa nibs. To the side was a little cannelle of a sorbet, maybe pineapple or tangerine? And a crisp cookie topped the sorbet. Ok, this is where things got a little out of hand. I had never tried foie gras before (I grew up in a Jewish household with a father who used to murder chicken livers). I guess it was good, rich ... but after so much food and wine, it was just too heavy. I had maybe 3 bites. I would have much preferred something a little lighter at this point, more of the sorbet or even just 2 pieces of excellent chocolate?

    Again, another excellent and interesting meal at Recess, with an amazing wine pairing ... just too much wine and rich food by the end of it ... too bad I had to work this morning! I can't wait to see what Greg Hardesty is cooking up next door.

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