Valentine’s Grub & Drink Round-Up

Valentine’s Day is almost here. If you’re looking for something to do, here are some ideas. Keep checking back for updates as we get ’em!

CUBA LIBRE – OLD CITY

Cuba Libre is celebrating all weekend long from February 12-15, 2016 in Old City. Cuba Libre will offer its regular a la carte dinner menu featuring Cuban tapas, entrees for two, and a $10 dessert and coffee combo, plus Executive Chef Jennifer Salhoff has prepared two Valentine’s dinner specials —

Crisp Pork Belly: citrus and tamarind braised crispy pork belly, smoked corn crema, red onion escabéche, black corn crisp ($12)

Mar y Tierra: Grilled Brazilian lobster tail and shrimp. Coconut ginger mojo. Slow braised short rib steak, criollo jus. Crispy aji amarillo-culantro gnocchi ($32).

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ELA – QUEEN VILLAGE

Ela offers three great options to celebrate Valentine’s Weekend – Prix Fixe Dinners, Valentine’s To-Go and Valentine’s Sunday Brunch.

Valentine’s Day Prix Fixe Menu will be offered from Friday, February 12 to Sunday, February 14, 2016. Four courses for $65 per person with optional wine pairing, or six courses for $100 per per person with bottle of sparkling wine included.

A special Valentine’s to-go option is also available – three courses for two for $100 with a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine. Chef will prepare your meal and all you have to do is reheat and hide the evidence!

Enjoy a special two-course prix fixe brunch menu for $25.00 per person (with a Mimosa or Bloody Mary included) from 10:30am to 2:30pm on Valentine’s Sunday.

All menus are available at elaphilly.com.

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TOWNSEND – EAST PASSYUNK

On Valentine’s Day, Townsend will offer a romantic $95 per person prix fixe menu featuring luxury ingredients, with an optional wine pairing; reservations are required.  Dishes will include…

• Cape May Salt Oysters with uni, cucumber, lime and furikake

• A choice of Brandade with truffles, brioche, chive emulsion and quail egg or Lobster-Scallop Roulade with savoy cabbage, black truffles and lobster jus

• Braised Oxtail Risotto with Idiazabal cheese and natural jus

• A choice of Speck-Wrapped Cod with white bean garbure and cockle emulsion or Venison en Crepinette with parsnip puree, roasted Brussels sprouts and red wine salmis

• Chocolate Souffle for Two with Pernod chantilly

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LONDON GRILL – FAIRMOUNT

On both Saturday and Sunday, 2/13 and 2/14, London Grill will offer a $40 per person prix fixe menu including three courses from Chef Michael McNally:

• First course options will include Lobster Bisque and Ricotta Gnudi

• Entree options will include

  • Adam’s Short Rib with parsnip puree and red wine jus

  • Eve’s Veal Breast with crispy sweetbreads, polenta and natural jus

  • Horseradish-Cured Salmon with goat cheese pierogi and tomato-strawberry jam

  • Cauliflower Steak with olives, cured lemon and almond romesco

• Dessert options will include Red Velvet Whoopie Pie and Paris-Brest

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THE LITTLE LION – OLD CITY

3 COURSES AND CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL PAIRING

The Little Lion in Old City celebrates its first Valentine’s Weekend with a special three course, three champagne cocktail pairing for $45.00 per person. Selections include menu favorites as well as some special new dishes. The standard a la carte menu is also available.

1st Course: (Select one)
(Paired with Lemon Fizz: lemon shrub, mint, champagne)

Macaroni & Cheese: stewed tomato
Farmers Cheese: grilled bread, local honey
Oysters: raw, fried, or grilled: peach mignonette, house cocktail
Charred Brussels Sprouts: lardons, sherry vinegar
Kale Caesar: cornbread croutons, grana padano, baby kale, roasted garlic caesar

2nd Course: (Select one)
(Paired with Raspberry Crush: raspberry shrub, sparkling pinot noir, apricot brandy)

Prime Rib: truffle mash, whiskey jus, crispy onions
Kale Pesto Pasta: orecchiette, farmers cheese, cauliflower “steak”, crispy kale chips, roasted tomato
Shrimp & Grits:  tasso ham gravy, sharp cheddar grits, gulf coast shrimp
Blackened Catfish: crawfish cream sauce, succotash, broken rice grits
Fried Chicken: jalapeno cheddar cream cheese hot cake, local honey, sour slaw

3rd Course: (Select one)
(Paired with Blood Orange: blood orange shrub, blood orange vodka, orange juice, champagne)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cornbread Pudding: Chantilly cream, powdered sugar, chocolate sauce
Chocolate Mud Jar: chocolate pudding, cookie crumble, Chantilly cream
Blueberry Cobbler: brown butter gelato
Lemon Custard Crème Brulee: burnt sugar crust

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SLICE – RITTENHOUSE, SOUTH PHILLY, WASHINGTON TWP NJ

HEART-SHAPED PIZZA-GRAMS AND CONTEST

This Valentine’s Day, love is in the pizza!  Say “be mine” with a specially delivered heart-shaped pizza-gram from SliCE.  Customize your pie with his/her favorite toppings or select one of SliCE’s signature pie combinations. As a bonus, SliCE will surprise one lucky pizza-gram delivery recipient with a Passyunk-made silver LOVE necklace from Sermania Jewelry (1719 East Passyunk). Sermania’s made-on-Passyunk collection pays homage to Philadelphia’s famous LOVE statue. The winner will be drawn at random based on delivery orders on Sunday, February 14, 2016. Heart-shaped pies are the same price as a traditional pies and are available at all three SliCE locations. Heart-shaped pies are also available for dine-in and take-out, but the jewelry contest is valid on delivery only.

 

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IRON HILL BREWERY – ALL DELAWARE VALLEY LOCATIONS

All Iron Hill Brewery locations will offer special, seasonal menu items from their chefs; in addition, each location will feature Cherry Vanilla Porter, their award-winning Pig Iron Porter aged with whole vanilla beans and finished with concentrated Michigan sour cherry juice, with dark roasted malt flavors that give way to a sour cherry finish.

Menu items may include:

• Ardmore: Warm Apricot and Gorgonzola Crostini with chives and extra-virgin olive oil

• Chestnut Hill: Strawberry Gazpacho with crab and mint

• Lancaster: Oysters on the Half Shell, Wellfleets from Cape Cod with Witberry mignonette and cocktail sauce

• Maple Shade: Roasted Red Beet Hummus with marinated feta cheese, warm pita and crudite

• Media: Pan-Roasted Filet Mignon with sweet potato foam, pomegranate-dressed microgreens, chile gastrique and Russian Imperial Stout jus

• Newark: Seared Diver Scallops with wilted baby greens, red pepper coulis and pickled raspberries

• North Wales: Pan-Seared North Atlantic Salmon with shrimp ravioli, braised Belgian endive and truffled lobster sauce

• Phoenixville: Crispy Duck Breast with rutabaga-turnip hash, barley risotto and Sriracha-honey butter

• Voorhees: Godiva Chocolate Fondue for Two, served with house-made pound cake, strawberries, bananas, pineapple and brownie bites

• West Chester: Avocado-Cilantro Mousse with toasted baguette and Serrano chile “air”

• Wilmington: Red Velvet Cheesecake Parfait with mixed berries, dark chocolate cookie crumble and brown sugar whipped cream