Valentine’s Day is here, and you still don’t have reservations? Smooth move, bozo. Then again, I’m sure your significant other will have reservations — about you.
You probably can forget about most of the big-ticket restaurants in the area; they’ve been booked for weeks. Then again, Valentine’s Day is a notorious time for cancellations and, strange but true, no-shows (my theory is that thoughtless Romeos reserve tables at several restaurants and never cancel the places they decide not to patronize). If you call that super-exclusive restaurant at, oh, 4 p.m. or so, you might be pleasantly surprised.
And because we’re so thoughtful here at Friday, we’ve assembled this list of last-minute dining, entertainment and hotel options. Of course, some of these places may be very nearly sold out by now, so start calling:
Shows
– To begin with, the fun folks at “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” (pictured above and on our cover) will have Valentine’s performances at 7 and 10 p.m. Friday and 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday in Piper’s Alley, 230 W. North Ave.; there will be flowers for the ladies, a special dessert and prize giveaways including a trip for two to Las Vegas. Tickets are $75, including dinner; call 312-664-8844.
– “Forever Plaid,” playing at the Royal George Cabaret Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., is offering a Valentine’s Day dinner-theater package with nearby Trattoria Gianni (1711 N. Halsted St.). Three-course dinner with glass of wine, plus ticket to the 6 or 9 p.m. performance, is $62.50 per person. Call 312-988-9000.
– Valentine’s Day is opening night for Fourth Wall Productions’ “Luv,” a romantic comedy about the lengths to which people will go in the name of love. It’s playing at Wright College, 4300 N. Narragansett Ave. Tickets are $10; call 773-481-8535.
– Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, 2001 N. Roselle Rd., Schaumburg, will present a “Romance Spectacular” at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Sunday; ladies receive a complimentary flower, and patrons will be eligible to win prizes including overnight hotel stays. Call 847-843-3900.
– “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” which offers some interesting perspectives on romance, is being performed by Shakespeare Repertory in the Ruth Page Theater, 1016 N. Dearborn St., through March 16. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance on Valentine’s Day ($32) are available. Call 312-642-2273.
– The Moulin Rouge in the Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Drive, features the Nicholas Barron Trio on Friday and Saturday. Cover charge is $15; a dinner-show package with dinner in Entre Nous restaurant is $50. Call 312-565-6665.
Restaurants
– Bossa Nova, 1960 N. Clybourn Ave., features a special a la carte Valentine’s Day menu, plus live music from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Call 773-248-4800.
– Boulevard Restaurant, in the Hotel Inter-Continental, 505 N. Michigan Ave., will have candlelit tables, strolling violinists and a special four-course prix-fixe menu for $45 on Friday and Saturday nights (regular menu also available). And each night, one couple will win an overnight stay at the hotel. Call 312-321-8888.
– Cafe Pyrenees, River Tree Court Shopping Center, Ill. Hwy. 60 at Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, features an a la carte Valentine’s Day menu that includes dishes such as grilled sturgeon and salmon over barley risotto, lobster tail en croute and other goodies. Call 847-918-8850.
– Cyrano’s Bistrot & Wine Bar, 546 N. Wells St., features an a la carte Valentine’s Day menu, plus a box of handmade chocolates for the ladies. Call 312-467-0546.
– In addition to its regular menu, Eli’s the Place for Steak, 215 E. Chicago Ave., will feature two special entrees for two — chateaubriand or double sirloin — as well as a double chocolate Tower of Love dessert on Friday and Saturday. Call 312-642-1393.
– erwin, 2925 N. Halsted St., features a prix-fixe menu including a pair of glasses of champagne, a pair of seared tuna medallions, a pair of lamb chops and a pair of desserts. Cost is $75 per couple. Call 773-528-7200.
– A “Like Water for Chocolate” four-course menu will be offered Valentine’s Day at Frida’s, 2143 N. Damen Ave. Cost is $29 per person; call 773-337-4327.
– Grappa, 200 E. Chestnut St., features a five-course Valentine’s menu on Friday and Saturday. Cost is $70; call 312-337-4500.
– Harry Caray’s is featuring prix-fixe menus at its River North (33 W. Kinzie St.) and suburban (933 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling) locations. The city menu is $99 per couple; the suburban deal is a mere $59.95 per couple. Call 312-828-0966 or 847-537-CUBS.
– Hubbard Street Grill, 351 W. Hubbard St., will feature candlelit tables, music by Tina and Russell Rowe and a la carte dinner specials on Valentine’s Day. Call 312-222-0770.
– Le Titi de Paris, 1015 W. Dundee Rd., Arlington Heights, is featuring special lunch and dinner menus on Valentine’s Day. A four-course lunch is $21; the dinner menu, which also will be available Saturday, is a five-course meal for $45. Call 847-506-0222.
– Lucca’s, 2834 N. Southport Ave., features an a la carte “Lover’s Menu” on Valentine’s Day; entrees of lobster, chateaubriand and red snapper are all prepared for two. Call 773-477-2565.
– Maggiano’s Little Italy, 516 N. Clark St., will have a three-piece band playing “nostalgic Italian-American music” (your guess is as good as mine) from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, plus candlelit tables and a special gift for each couple. Call 312-644-7700.
– Mity Nice Grill, Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave., features an a la carte Valentine’s menu on Friday and Saturday, plus a four-course Valentine’s Dinner for Two for $24.95 per person. Call 312-335-4745.
– The Oak Terrace Restaurant, Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton Pl., is featuring three prix-fixe menus on Valentine’s Day, priced at $35, $42 and $48, all including a special romantic dessert — raspberry souffle glace with passion fruit coulis. Call 312-787-2200.
– Provence, 64 Green Bay Rd., Winnetka, will be handing ladies a box of house-made chocolates on Valentine’s Day and will augment its seasonal menu with romantically inspired specials. Call 847-501-5505.
– Quincy Grille on the River, 200 S. Wacker Drive, is featuring a four-course dinner, with champagne toast, for $89 per couple on Valentine’s Day. Entrees include grilled veal chop with roasted fennel compote, ostrich filet with sage-Pernod sauce and grilled swordfish in red-pepper broth. Call 312-627-1800
– An “amore menu for two,” a four-course dinner priced at $48.95 per couple, is featured at Tucci Milan, 6 W. Hubbard St., on Friday. Entrees include rotisserie duck, pappardelle with wild mushrooms and chicken-filled tortellacci. Call 312-222-0044.
– Via Emilia, 2119 N. Clark St., is featuring two multicourse menus on Valentine’s Day, for $75 per couple and $85 per couple respectively. Call 773-248-6283.
– White Rose Inn, 19400 Torrence Ave., Lynwood, will feature a “sensual” six-course dinner for two Friday through Sunday. Cost is $50 per couple; call 708-418-8700.
– Wildfire, 159 W. Erie St., will feature a “red-hot dinner for two” Friday through Sunday for $34.95 per person; couples also will receive complimentary personalized wooden plaques to commemorate the visit. Call 312-787-9000
Hotels
– Doubletree Guest Suites Chicago, 198 E. Delaware Pl., has teamed with Park Avenue Cafe (in the hotel) to offer a “Suite-Heart” package for $249. It includes two-room suite, split of champagne and a five-course dinner for two in Park Avenue Cafe. Offer runs through Feb. 16; call 312-664-1100.
– The Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Drive, features several weekend packages, including a best-of-everything deal for a mere $306,426. The package includes roses, breakfast in bed and a ’97 Lamborghini Roadster. More frugal romantics might want to opt for the Suite Romance package, including dinner for two, for $499; the Rendezvous for Romance, including breakfast, for $269; or the weekend room rate of $169 per night. Call 800-527-4727.
– Not to be left out of the outrageous price tag derby, Hotel Inter-Continental, 505 N. Michigan Ave., offers a $15,000 package on Friday night. You get the Presidential Suite, five dozen roses, private dinner for two in the Grand Ballroom with strolling violinist, Tiffany diamond necklace, men’s gold watch and other goodies. Back on Planet Earth, a Valentine’s Romance package includes deluxe room, champagne and strawberries and breakfast in bed for a miserly $199, available Friday or Saturday night. Call 312-944-4100.
– Hyatt Hotels throughout the Chicagoland area are featuring packages for Valentine’s Day weekend. Among the offerings: A $79 room rate, with champagne and chocolates, at the Hyatt Lisle (630-852-1234); A $99 stay including champagne, chocolates and breakfast-brunch at the Hyatt Oak Brook (630-573-1234); a $99 room rate at the Hyatt on Printers Row (312-9986-1234); and a $117 “Bubbles and Brunch” package, including champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, brunch buffet and bubble bath, at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield (847-605-1234).
– Oak Brook Hills Resort, 3500 Midwest Rd., Westmont, features two Valentine’s packages this weekend. The “Night to Remember” package, $219, includes overnight stay, bottle of champagne, dinner for two and breakfast or brunch; the “Be My Valentine” package, $309, includes all the above plus a second night’s stay. Call 630-850-5555.
– The Regal Knickerbocker Hotel, 163 E. Walton Pl., offers an overnight package that includes champagne, complimentary cocktail, candlelight dinner for two and in-room breakfast for $259 (add a second night for $100 more). Call 312-751-8100.
– The Renaissance Chicago Hotel, One W. Wacker Drive, has a trio of packages available. Overnight stay with breakfast for two, valet parking and health club privileges is $189; the preceding, plus chocolates and champagne on arrival, is $209; and all that plus four-course dinner for two in Cuisines restaurant is $289. Call 312-372-7200.
