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BOOK THIS: FIVE RESTAURANTS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
Valentine’s Day is one week away. If you plan on celebrating with dinner at a local restaurant and haven’t made reservations yet, stop what you’re doing and head to the booking site now. Feb. 14 also happens to be the Friday before the Presidents Day long weekend this year, so make moves if you want to get into your favorite spot.
Need some recommendations? That’s what I’m here for. Here are five romantic restaurants offering special Valentine’s Day dinner menus:
La Posta Restaurant, Santa Cruz: This California-Italian Seabright spot is offering a three-course menu with options like a winter salad with lobster and black truffle, duck porchetta with polenta, and olive oil cake with blood orange creme-fraiche gelato. $100 per person.
Gabriella Café, Santa Cruz: This landmark restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz has put together a four-course menu emphasizing seasonal ingredients from local farms, with options like a local Dungeness crab cake appetizer and seared duck breast with apple-kumquat gastrique. $95 per person.
Vim Dining & Desserts, Santa Cruz: A hidden gem on Mission Street, Vim has prepared a six-course tasting menu with standard or vegetarian options, finishing with a selection of house-made desserts. $150 per person.
Persephone Restaurant, Aptos: In addition to a special four-course menu, special Champagne and sparkling wine options will also be available for purchase. Entrees include chicken roulade, Manhattan steak, and pesto and artichoke risotto. Available Feb. 14 and Feb. 15. $95 per person.
The Grove Café & Bakery, Felton: The Grove’s thoughtful Valentine’s menu has a standard and a vegan option, and includes three courses plus a small bite at the start of the meal. A wine pairing for each course is also available for $35. $75 per person.
BEST OF THE WEEK AHEAD
Below, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
The Lookout Santa Cruz app is available now in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Learn more here.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
ICYMI – here are the food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed, plus important news from beyond our borders picked by yours truly.
- Low stock numbers usher in a “devastating” Dungeness crab season (Lookout)
- Dozens of businesses close countywide to protest Trump immigration policies (Lookout)
- Veteran restaurateurs open fast-casual Tortilla Shack in Santa Cruz (Lookout)
- Waffle House announced 50-cent surcharge on eggs because of bird flu (NBC News)
- For undocumented restaurant workers, everything is in question (Eater)
