Valentine’s Day can be a tough-to-get reservation, and not all good things come to those who wait, so this week is good time to make your plans. There are plenty of local restaurants to entice you out, including these in East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and on Shelter Island.
The 1770 House in East Hampton will have a three-course prix-fixe menu priced at $150. The starters are prosciutto di Parma and fresh mozzarella with fennel, orange, pistachio pesto, and vincotto; lobster and crab salad with osetra caviar, hen’s yolk, toasted brioche, and lemon crème fraîche; duck confit and winter truffle risotto with pecorino, Barolo, and shallot, and scallop with Hudson Valley foie gras and miso, mizuna, sesame, and citrus.
Main courses include wild shrimp scampi with spaghetti nero and oreganato bread crumbs; pan-roasted sea bass with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, brandy, leeks, and matchstick potatoes; grilled lamb loin with ras el hanout rub, sweet pepper romesco, roasted cauliflower purée, and charred broccolini, and chateaubriand for two with béarnaise, creamed spinach, and steak frites.
Desserts are sticky date cake with toffee sauce and vanilla gelato; butterscotch pot de crème with Marcona almond, and warm Valrhona chocolate chip brownie with hazelnut gelato, blood orange marmalade, and dark chocolate sauce.
A la carte specials for the table, with supplements, are oysters on the half shell with cucumber-shallot vinaigrette and poached wild shrimp with a fresh horseradish cocktail.
In addition to its regular a la carte menu, Nick and Toni’s in East Hampton will celebrate Valentine’s Day with four specials available from Friday, Feb. 13, through Feb. 15.
Yellowfin tuna crudo with pickled cucumber, crispy shallot, and saba is the special appetizer. Entrees will include house-made pappardelle with foie gras crema, wild mushrooms, and black winter truffles, and wood-grilled rack of lamb with cauliflower purée, roasted baby vegetables, and sour cherry reduction. The special dessert is chocolate sablé with pistachio ganache, chocolate mousse, Sicilian pistachio, and berries.
East Hampton’s Fresno restaurant will also serve a la carte specials from Friday, Feb. 13, through Feb. 15. Special cocktails are Two Hearts, a freezer martini for two, and a half-bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne.
Food specials include spicy crab bisque with crab-corn salsa chili oil; diver sea scallop crudo with Fresno pepper, cucumber, radish, and Amarillo pepper; duck paella with duck confit, pork belly, shrimp, mussels, and saffron risotto; roasted monkfish with shrimp and chorizo stuffing, potato gnocchi, and mushroom-saffron beurre blanc, and a grilled 16-ounce veal chop with truffle-artichoke gratin, haricots verts, and Bordelaise. For dessert: something sweet to share.
Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton will offer “shades of red” a la carte specials on Feb. 14, in addition to the full a la carte menu. The specials are home-cured venison bresaola with cauliflower remoulade, shaved Mecox Sigit, blood orange, and pumpernickel crisps; smoked beet and ricotta ravioli with Kaluga caviar and horseradish sauce; lobster thermidor for two with buttered brussels sprouts and celery root purée; rack of lamb masala with charred carrots, jasmine rice, pita, and pomegranate raita, and lingonberry jelly doughnuts for two with Amarena cherries, pistachio brittle, and pink peppercorn anglaise.
Also in Bridgehampton, the Greek restaurant Elaia Estiatorio will have a $110 Valentine’s Day prix fix. The meal will begin with an amuse-bouche and glass of Greek or sparkling wine. For the first course, the chef Melissa O’Donnell will offer a choice between a salad of organic roasted beats, clementines, roasted pistachios, and herbed Greek yogurt with a balsamic vinaigrette; wild mushroom risotto, or foie gras with honey and pearl onion compote. The second choice options will be spaghetti squash with spinach, chickpeas, garlic, graviera, and red pepper flakes; lobster tagliatelle, or pomegranate-glazed duck breast. And for dessert it’ll be either winter citrus pavlova or flourless chocolate tahini cake. The a la carte menu will also be available on Valentine’s Day.
The Ram’s Head Inn on Shelter Island has a lineup of Valentine’s Day activities, starting next Thursday at 6 p.m., with a paint and sip event that includes wine. The cost is $60. A murder mystery dinner is set for Friday, Feb. 13 (uh-oh), at 5:30. A welcome open bar and a two-course prix fixe dinner are available for $95.
The main event is a Valentine’s Day dinner and cabaret from 4 to 9 on the holiday. The live cabaret-style music will run from 5:30 to 8:30, and be accompanied by a three-course prix fixe family style menu that includes champagne and wine pairings. Nonalcoholic pairings will be available on request. The cost is $195.
Check back next week for more specials.
