Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, and couples who want to do it up big with dinner out should reserve their spots early to avoid any last-minute disappointment. (Don't worry, in the next issue we'll list more casual, walk-in options as well.)
Eternal Romance
The 1770 House brings its cozy warmth and candlelit glow to the holiday celebrating love with a special three-course menu and special February room rates that are 15 percent off the regular winter prices for the month.
On Feb. 14, the restaurant will serve Michael Rozzi's menu in the dining room and in the tavern with sparkling toast selections directed by Michael Cohen. The wine list will highlight champagne and sparkling wines from France, Spain, New Mexico, and California, with two selections by the glass, seven by the half-bottle, and seven by the bottle.
Expect to see appetizers such as Montauk lobster and Milk Pail green apple salad, Balsam Farm beets and Cashel blue cheese, baby kale with pear, prosciutto, and mozzarella, Gulf shrimp with hearts of palm and avocado, and seared Hudson Valley foie gras.
The entree choices will include Montauk sea scallops, Montauk fluke almandine, hand-cut fettuccini with lamb meatballs, Berkshire pork tenderloin, and a duo of grass-fed New York strip steak and braised short rib.
The meal will end with a choice of sticky date cake with toffee sauce and vanilla gelato, dark chocolate cheesecake, peanut butter mousse, cappuccino pot de creme, and rustic local apple crostata with salted caramel gelato.
Menus and reservation information for rooms or dinner can be found on the website. Hotel rooms will come with a complimentary bottle of house sparkling wine. Rates start at $234 on weekdays and $319 on weekends, excluding President's Day.
Nick and Toni's Out and In
Nick and Toni's restaurant in East Hampton will open its doors on Feb. 14 with mood-setting menus for dining in or dining out for Valentine's Day.
In the dining room and other spaces of the restaurant, a special set menu of four-courses will be offered for $125 per person plus tax and tip. An at home a la carte menu is accessible online, where orders can also be placed.
The meal begins with a glass of an Italian sparkling rose served with roasted red and yellow beets and fresh goat cheese. Appetizer choices are tortellini in brodo, warm baby arugula salad, truffled burrata, wood roasted local oysters, and prosciutto with roasted stuffed figs. Main courses consist of a wild mushroom risotto, Montauk sea scallops, whole roasted black sea bass, roasted chicken, New Zealand lamb chops, or New York Waygu strip steak. Coconut tart, chocolate truffle torte, and tartufo for two are the dessert options. Salted butter caramels add to the sweet ending.
At home options include a Newlight sourdough frantoia with extra virgin olive oil and marinated olives, a Caesar-style romaine salad, and the tortellini, arugula salad, burrata, oyster, and prosciutto appetizers previously mentioned. There is also an artisanal cheese selection available. The main courses are the same as the dine-in options with the addition of a penne alla vecchia bettola with spicy oven roasted tomato and grana Padano. Desserts are also the same with the addition of almond biscotti.
Reservations can be made on the website or by calling 631-324-3550.
Shades of Red
Bridgehampton's Almond Restaurant will offer a "shades of red" meal this Valentine's Day. A four-course menu will consist of appetizer choices such as clams casino, duck charcuterie, and a Montauk tuna loin B.L.T. sandwich. It's "middles" course choices are Happy Valley pork tortellini or salt baked fingerlings with caviar and a red onion crema. The entrees on offer are Peconic Bay scallops, General Tso's fluke, or shawarma-spiced rack of lamb, all with appropriate and inventive sides. Finishing off the meal are beignets with a pink peppercorn anglaise, Amarena cherries, and pistachio brittle. The meal is $90 plus tax and gratuity. The special menu will be offered only on Valentine's Day.
