Whether you like or not, Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. Although for some, the mere mention of the annual celebration itself may conjure up contention, for others it offers an excuse to celebrate love–whether romantic or platonic–through the shared experience of food and drink.
While there are a number of confectioners who have assembled deliciously eye-catching creations for the Valentine’s season–Temper Chocolate and Pastry, Raven Rising, The Bench Bakehouse, to name a few–many eateries in Western Canada are also offering dine-in services. Naturally, many have created multi-course Valentine’s Day-themed menus to celebrate the occasion.
From a shareable multi-course feast at Vancouver’s Maenam to riverside views at the famed Fairmont Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton, to a romantic takeout dinner for two from Saskatoon’s Primal, here are a few of our favourites.
Cafe Medina (Vancouver, B.C.)
Want to make your Valentine’s Day celebrations an all-day affair? Cafe Medina has you covered with its take-home Valentine’s-themed brunch kits. Each kit offers a choice of the restaurant’s signature mains (Fricassée, Cassoulet or Fricassée Champignon) along with liège waffles with salted caramel and milk chocolate lavender topping, dark salted caramel ganache hearts from Beta5, a mimosa kit, and more.
Cafe Medina is also offering guests the ability to add a flower bouquet and additional packs of Beta5 chocolate. Orders can be placed online until noon on Feb. 9.
Crave Kitchen and Wine Bar (Regina, SK)
Crave Kitchen and Wine Bar has created both a traditional and a vegan-friendly multi-course menu for in-person dining on Valentine’s Day. Each starter course comes complete with a bisque and a terrine. For the main course, the traditional menu offers a choice between steelhead with scallops or prosciutto-wrapped beef cheeks, while the vegan menu features a sesame and soy noodle dish with grilled and braised shiitake mushrooms.
For dessert, diners can choose between a passionfruit mousse with caramel panna cotta or a vegan molten vanilla cake. Reservations can be made online.
Concorde Group x Blue Jay Sessions collaboration (Calgary, AB)
While spots like Bridgette Bar and Lulu Bar are full up for dine-in dinner specials when it comes to Valentine's Day weekend, Concorde Hits is still serving up a lineup of interesting dinner packages that can make a night at home memorable. Looking beyond the dinner-for-two packages, the restaurant group has tapped some of Blue Jay Sessions' top singer-songwriters for exclusive digital concerts that can be added onto their meals for just $10.
While live music is still not permitted across Alberta, these bespoke sessions are the next best thing come February 14.
Deane House (Calgary, AB)
With three multi-course menus that offer something delicious for vegetarians, pescatarians, and meat-lovers alike, Deane House has clearly set out to ensure this Valentine’s Day will be one to remember.
Each menu comes complete with an amuse bouche, soup, salad, main course (red fife risotto, steelhead trout or beef Wellington), and dessert. Guests will also have the option to add a number of Valentine’s Day-themed add-ons, such as wine, chocolate, caviar, flowers, Valentine’s Day cards, and more.
Deane House’s Valentine’s Day packages can be ordered online for delivery or pickup.
Fable Diner (Vancouver, B.C.)
Fable Diner is one of the few entrees in our list that isn’t offering takeout options, but once you arrive at the Vancouver eatery you’ll have options aplenty. To start, diners will have the choice between a cauliflower veloute with truffle paste or mussels with wine wine, garlic, and focaccia. Next, guests can choose between a grilled sirloin, a seared sockeye salmon, or a house-made pasta, followed by either an Elvis Gateaux or a strawberry shortcake roll for dessert.
Each of the three courses come with a suggested wine or cocktail pairing. Reservations are highly recommended.
Flores and Pine (Calgary, AB)
Never one to pull any punches when it comes to making memorable thematic dining experiences, Flores and Pine is taking guests on a romantic culinary journey to France this Valentine’s Day with its four-course, French-inspired menu.
Available for dine-in and takeout, Flores and Pine’s Valentine’s Day menu features a 10-ounce tenderloin served with a truffle, lobster, cream sauce, French green beans and tarragon mashed potatoes, and a three-layer chocolate cake with chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert.
Wine and Champagne pairings along with a selection of Valentine’s Day-themed add-ons will be available upon checkout. Reservations for both dine-in and takeout can be made online.
Harvest Room at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
There are few institutions in Edmonton as iconic as the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. Now that Alberta restaurants are permitted to reboot their dine-in service, the hotel's Harvest Room will be boasting its usual cozy ambience and riverside views come Valentine's Day.
The restaurant's six-course menu sounds enticing from start (oyster with apple mignonette) to finish (white chocolate parfait with strawberry mousse) and rings in at $149 per person. A condensed three-course dinner ($69 per person) is also available for pickup on February 13 and 14 for those that feel more comfortable celebrating at home.
Maenam (Vancouver, B.C.)
Chef Angus An has created a pair of Valentine’s Day tasting menus that feature a selection of shareable items from the acclaimed Thai restaurant. Maenam's Valentine’s Day lunch menu includes options such as grilled Thai house-made pork sausage salad with crispy rice and the tom ka coconut soup with banana blossom and mushrooms, while the dinner menu features restaurant favourites like local sturgeon with galangal and Thai basil and southern-style seafood turmeric gati curry with makrut lime and ikura.
Reservations for in-person dining and takeout can be made online and over the phone. Some delivery will also be available via UberEats.
Pizzeria Farina (Vancouver, B.C.)
It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day in Vancouver without Pizzeria Farina’s signature heart-shaped Margherita pizzas. Topped with tomato sauce, Fior di Latte, olive oil and basil, Pizzeria Farina’s annual Valentine’s offering is the perfect way to celebrate without going all out.
For those who do take their Valentine’s experience to the next level, Pizzeria Farina is also offering a Valentine’s dinner for two package, which features a bottle of Lambrusco and a strawberry gianduja crostata for dessert.
Limited quantities will be available for takeout on Feb. 14.
Primal Pasta (Saskatoon, SK)
If you’re looking to treat your Valentine to an extra special night in Saskatoon, look no further than acclaimed chef Christie Peters and Primal Pasta. In addition to a delicious multi-course menu for two with a selection of date night dishes that range from spaghetti pomodoro and beef tenderloin to chocolate budino and the restaurant’s famous fried bread, Primal is throwing in a stunning rose from Blossom Florals to make sure your evening ends on a high note.
Oysters, wine, Prosecco, and more will be available upon request. Orders can be made via email for pickup between Feb. 12-14.
The Velvet Glove (Winnipeg, MB)
The acclaimed Velvet Glove restaurant at the historic Fairmont Winnipeg is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a luxurious prix-fixe menu for two. From a series of starters highlighted by dishes like the harvest grain-crusted goat cheese souffle to main courses like Manitoba pickerel with B.C. scallops and citrus beurre blanc, to a selection of desserts like chocolate truffles, macarons, and more, VG’s Valentine’s spread has something for everyone.
Orders can be placed by email until February 10 at noon. Additional pre-selected beverage pairings will be available upon request.
Yellow Door Bistro (Calgary, AB)
Chef Quinn Staple and the culinary team at Yellow Door Bistro are celebrating both Valentine’s Day and their triumphant return to in-person dining with a four-course prix-fixe menu for two. To start, each couple will be treated to a prawn cocktail along with crab-stuffed mushroom caps with truffle mornay sauce.
For the main course, Yellow Door is serving up a beef short rib wellington with a lobster tail, lemon pomme puree, and garlic broccolini, followed by a chocolate fondue with strawberries, cookies, and brownies for dessert. Optional wine pairings are available for each course for an additional $30 per person.
Reservations can be made online.
