Patch Picks: Where to Dine with Your Sweetie on Valentine's Day

If you're dreaming of a decadent meal spent gazing into your sweetie's eyes by candlelight this Valentine's Day, the restaurants of Palo Alto are ready and waiting to help make your dream come true.

Here is Patch's guide to the special menus and romantic perks many Palo Alto restaurants are offering up in an attempt to woo you through their front doors come Tuesday night, Feb. 14.

Amber Dhara Restaurant

150 University Ave., Palo Alto

650-329-9644

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with both traditional and modern Indian cuisine at Amber Dhara, which is offering a three-course, romantic Gourmands chef menu. Choices include lemon grass chicken kofta, California fig and lamb, paneer and cranberry pasanda, a chocolate dessert and more. The price is $50 per person, which includes the three-course meal and red roses for the woman. A complimentary cocktail toast will be offered for diners between 5-6 p.m. The menu is offered between 5-10:30 p.m.

Café Renzo

473 University Ave., Palo Alto

650-329-8300

Café Renzo is known for its casual yet elegant Italian fare. This year, for the day of romance, the café will offer a special menu that is available prix-fixe with five courses, or a la carte. Start with a choice or soup or salad; choose from a list of appetizers including Carpaccio Veneziano, Mozzarella Caprese and Antipasti de Gli Innamorati; a first entrée course such as prawns or ravioli; a second course of Chilean sea bass or filet mignon; and finally, enjoy a dessert of two chocolate hearts filled with chocolate and strawberry gelato. Price is $80 per couple.

California Café

700 Welch Road, Palo Alto

650-325-2233

Executive Chef Mark Pettyjohn will serve up a special, three-course , prix-fixe Valentine’s meal for $35 per person. Choices include lobster bisque, Dungeness crab cakes, roasted salmon, the signature Bistro Filet, mushroom strudel, tiramisu, butterscotch pecan bread pudding, and many more. A special Valentine’s wine flight for $11 will also be available. The Valentine’s menu will be available along with the restaurant’s usual a la carte menu.

642 Ramona St., Palo Alto

650-329-9533

Coconuts, which serves up authentic Caribbean and West Indian cuisine, will offer a special menu for Valentine’s Day, featuring favorite dishes such as curried crab coquettes, shrimp soup oysters, okra and roasted sea bass, as well as desserts like Caribbean key lime pie and chocolate mousse.

180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (Stanford Shopping Center)

650-329-8457

In addition to its juicy, USDA-approved steaks, Fleming’s is equally known for its award-winning “Fleming’s 100” wine list, featuring 100 wines available by the glass, many for $10 or less. For Valentine’s Day this year, Fleming’s will offer various a la carte selections on its special menu. Try the Bella-tini Cocktail for $9.95; entrees such as Filet Mignon and Prawns, Prime New York Strip and King Crab Legs, and Lobster alongside Lobster Mac and Cheese, each for $69.95; and a dessert of red velvet cake served with espresso truffles for $9.50. Plus, each couple that dines from the Valentine’s menu will receive a $25 gift card good toward a future visit to Fleming’s.

520 Cowper St., Palo Alto

650- 853-3888

This beloved Italian restaurant will be serving its regular menu for Valentine’s Day in addition to its special, a la carte “Lazio Festa Regionale” menu, which celebrates the cuisine of the Lazio province of Italy. The restaurant will also be offering a smaller, three-course, prix-fixe “Taste of Lazio” menu for $31.99 per person.

Joya Restaurant & Lounge

339 University Ave., Palo Alto

650- 853-9800

Joya’s cuisine can perhaps best be described as a modern twist on the culinary traditions of Spain and Latin America. For Valentine’s Day, the chef will offer up a special, five-course, prix-fixe menu, the highlights of which include Dungeness crab-crusted halibut, lobster empanadas, grilled filet mignon and wild mushroom Paella. The price is $65 per person.

855 El Camino Real, Ste. 110, Palo Alto

650- 853-9200

The staff of Mayfield describes the style of its food by its four “hallmarks” of “rustic, wood-fired, sustainable and seasonal.” This contemporary American restaurant will offer a special, four-course tasting menu on Valentine’s Day this year, which includes a salad, a seared scallops appetizer, a grilled filet entrée, and chocolate cabernet mousse cake for dessert. The price is $68 per person. A wine pairing for each course is also available for a total of $40.

855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (Town & Country Village, Bldg. 1)

650- 323-1555

Enjoy a decadent steak-and-lobster dinner for two, complete with champagne, for $110 at Scott’s Seafood in Palo Alto on Valentine’s Day. Live music will be playing, and complimentary roses at your table will be offered, while supplies last.

546 University Ave., Palo Alto

650- 325-8500

The staff of Tamarine describes the restaurant as “a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant that features the light but flavor-intensive culinary delicacies of Vietnam.” For Valentine’s Day, Tamarine will offer a four-course, prix-fixe menu that specially features food cooked with ingredients long believed to be natural aphrodisiac properties. The cost is $70 per guest.

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