Fancy or down-to-earth, traditional or downright racy, Valentine’s Day packages come in all shapes, sizes and prices. Following are some of the most intriguing options available next week (for more Valentine’s suggestions, log on to www.metromix.com):
Taking in Valentine’s Day as a single? Then you might like the “Screw Cupid!” promotion taking place Feb. 14 at the Bar Louie restaurants at 1321 W. Taylor St. (312-633-9393) and 1800 N. Lincoln Ave. (312-337-9800). There you’ll find anti-Valentine’s games, drink specials and prizes. Other Bar Louie locations in the city and suburbs will be giving each couple a complimentary dessert with entree purchase.
Bin 36 Lincolnshire, 275 Parkway Drive, Lincolnshire (847-808-9463), is holding a wine-pairing dinner/class for both singles and couples. The evening, which begins at 6 p.m. Feb. 14, includes tarot card-readings and blind wine-tasting games; $50. Meanwhile, Bin 36, 339 N. Dearborn St. (312-755-9463), is featuring a four-course tasting menu on Feb. 14 that includes baked Dungeness crab cannelloni with mascarpone cheese and roasted diver scallops with caviar butter sauce, followed by a dessert called Chocolate Three Ways. $55; $83 with wine pairings.
Bistro 110, 110 E. Pearson St., is rewarding couples for cleaning their plates; a key will be taped to the underside of four plates during the evening of Feb. 14, indicating that the lucky diners have won an overnight package at the Sofitel Water Tower. A Cupid’s Martini Social, for singles and couples alike, begins at 9 p.m. in the bar. 312-266-3110.
Bluepoint Oyster Bar, 741 W. Randolph St., will offer a four-course menu for two on Valentine’s Day. Entree choices include filet mignon, crab legs, seared tuna and crab-stuffed shrimp. Cost is $95.95 per couple; add a bottle of Moet White Star champagne for $60. 312-207-1222.
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!, 2024 N. Halsted St., celebrates the Valentine season Feb. 14-16 with a Flamenco Dinner Show. 773-935-5000.
Cafe Matou, 1846 N. Milwaukee Ave., will be offering a prix-fixe menu Feb. 14-15 that features chilled oysters, onion tart with sage, and roast leg of lamb stuffed with apricots, pine nuts and spinach. $50. 773-384-8911.
Why wait until dinner? Courtright’s, 8989 Archer Ave., Willow Springs, will feature a three-course Valentine’s Day luncheon priced at $25 and including dishes such as tomato bisque, half-rack of lamb, grilled salmon and chocolate truffle mousse cake. There is a four-course Valentine’s dinner as well, available Feb. 14 and 15, priced at $100 with wines and $65 without. 708-839-8000.
Cyrano’s Bistrot & Wine Bar, 546 N. Wells St., will serve a five-course sharing menu for two, priced at $75 per couple, on Feb. 14 and 15. The restaurant also will offer a three-course menu for $32 per person, as well as the regular menu. There will be live music in the Cabaret Room, and a box of homemade chocolates for each lady. 312-467-0546.
Heart-shaped ravioli, lobster risotto and a chocolate pasta dessert are among the special dishes offered Thursday through Feb. 15 at Dinotto Ristorante, 215 W. North Ave. Specials are a la carte; regular menu also available. 312-202-0302.
Elaine, 10 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville, will feature a five-course menu on Feb. 14, with choices in each course; dishes include mushroom gratin with white-truffle cream, peppered foie gras with cinnamon mascarpone polenta and prosciutto-wrapped squab breast with dried figs. Cost is $55, or $110 with premium wines with each course. 630-548-3100.
Flo, 1434 W. Chicago Ave., only recently added dinner service but will have seatings at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Feb. 14. An a la carte menu will feature dishes such as crab cakes, stuffed poblano pepper, shiitake ravioli, cornflake chicken and shrimp Valentino. 312-243-0477.
Gabriel’s, 310 Green Bay Rd., Highwood, offers a four-course set menu on Feb. 14 for $80. 847-433-0031.
An “Evening of Enchantment” menu runs Thursday through Feb. 16 at The Grillroom, 33 W. Monroe St. The menu includes four courses, each paired with a glass of wine. Cost is $60; regular menu also available. 312-960-0000.
Harry Caray’s, 33 W. Kinzie St. (312-828-0966), will feature a four-course Umbrian menu (the original St. Valentine was from Umbria) on Valentine’s Day. Price is $75 with wine and $55 without. At Harry Caray’s Rosemont, 10233 W. Higgins Rd., Rosemont (847-699-1200), a three-course dinner for two will be highlighted by a steak-and-lobster entree. Price is $115 per couple and includes a half-bottle of wine; $100 per couple without wine.
This deal is available all month, but it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day: Kinzie Chophouse, 400 N. Wells St., is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. All couples dining in the restaurant who also are celebrating an anniversary of 10 or more years in February (proof required) will receive a complimentary bottle of Dom Perignon champagne. Advance notification required; they don’t want to run out of bubbly. 312-822-0191.
Kitsch’n on Roscoe, 2005 W. Roscoe St., will hold its fifth annual “Retro Valentine’s Day” celebration Feb. 14 and 15. Patrons can participate in a live version of “The Newlywed Game,” open to couples of all persuasions (register to be contestants when making reservations) and featuring all manner of kitschy prizes and special desserts. The regular comfort-food menu will be augmented by a la carte specials. 773-248-7372.
Le Titi de Paris, 1015 W. Dundee Rd., Arlington Heights, will offer a five-course Valentine’s Day menu. Entree choices will include beef tenderloin with prosciutto and gruyere, venison loin with Forbidden rice or seared salmon on dill fettuccine. $59. 847-506-0222.
mk, 868 N. Franklin St., will offer two Valentine menus Thursday through Feb. 15. The grand tasting menu features caviar, lobster, rack of lamb and a half-bottle of Billecart Rose champagne for $80; a shorter menu is priced at $55. Both will conclude with a special chocolate dessert by pastry chef Mindy Segal. 312-482-9179.
Mike Ditka’s, 100 E. Chestnut St., is featuring such romantic fare on Feb. 14 as a shellfish tower for two, passion fruit salad, heart shaped ravioli, and a heart-shaped flourless chocolate cake. Couples can also opt for the Sweetheart Deal for Two, for $89. 312-587-8989.
Mon Ami Gabi, 2300 North Lincoln Park West (773-348-8886), and 260 Oak Brook Center, Oak Brook (630-472-1900), puts oysters, tuna Nicoise, Dover sole, and a bone-in ribeye on the prix-fixe menu, which is $70 per couple, on Feb. 14.
Monsoon, 2813 N. Broadway, will feature special dishes on Valentine’s Day inspired by the Kama Sutra. (We don’t know exactly what that entails, but you might want to bring your camera.) There also will be several champagnes at special prices; buy one and receive a complimentary copy of the Kama Sutra. 773-665-9463.
Napa Valley Grille, 626 N. State St., offers an aphrodisiac menu Feb. 14-15 that makes use of such ingredients as artichokes, almonds, garlic, vanilla, oysters, and, of course, wine. Special drinks, or “love potions,” including Cupid’s Cosmo and Red Velvet Bubbles, will also be available. 312-587-1166.
Nick & Tony’s, 1 E. Wacker Drive (312-467-9449), will feature a four-course Valentine’s Day dinner priced at $49.95, and will bestow a bottle of champagne and a rose to each lady. Regular menu also available. At the Nick & Tony’s in Geneva Commons Shopping Center, Geneva (630-845-0025), a string quartet will play 6-9 p.m. Valentine’s Day; the restaurant will feature a four-course menu for $50, in addition to the regular menu.
At Nine, 440 W. Randolph St., a five-course Valentine dinner is available for $69 Feb. 13-15. 312-575-9900.
NoMI, Park Hyatt Chicago, 800 N. Michigan Ave., has cappuccino of mussel soup, lobster risotto and loin of venison on chef Sandro Gamba’s prix-fixe menu, which is $85. 312-239-4030.
One North Kitchen & Bar, 1 N. Wacker Drive, will feature a four-course Lover’s menu including scallops, lobster, beef tenderloin and a chocolate dessert, priced at $47. Regular menu also available. 312-750-9700.
one sixtyblue, 160 N. Loomis St., will offer a three-course, $60 Valentine’s menu on Feb. 14 and 15. But the real action will be at the Cocoa Bar, which will offer three chocolate-dessert assortments priced at $14, $18 and $22. 312-850-0303.
The three restaurants at Peninsula Chicago, 108 E. Superior St. (312-337-2888), are offering prix-fixe packages on Feb. 14 that include “a red rose for the lady” as well as a Valentine’s Day room rate of $199, with the purchase of dinner. Avenues’ menu, which features pastrami of ocean trout, slow-roasted king salmon, and a “symphony of chocolate,” as well as champagne, $250 per couple; Shanghai Terrace, $198 per couple; The Lobby, $175 per couple.
Chef Sarah Stegner of the Ritz-Carlton Dining Room, 160 E. Pearson St., is preparing a five-course menu for $115, on Feb. 14; the Cafe will feature a three-course dinner for $60. 312-573-5223.
Rumba, 351 W. Hubbard St., will feature strolling musicians from 7-8 p.m., Argentinian tango dancers from 8-9 p.m. and Julian Lugo and his Mambo and Afro-Cuban Orchestra from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. on Feb. 14. The regular menu and a special fixed-price menu will be available. 312-222-1226.
Rushmore, 1023 West Lake Ave., has a three-course menu on Feb. 14, including such starters as a grilled Amish blue cheese sandwich roasted cauliflower chowder and such entrees as Wisconsin rainbow trout with lobster braised fennel and golden whitefish caviar and seared venison with braised apples, bacon and black-eyed peas. $50. 312-421-8845.
The prix-fixe dinner Feb. 14 at Salpicon, 1252 N. Wells St., includes such dishes as resh Delaware oysters, corn-mushroom-stuffed chilies, and rack of Australian baby lamb encrusted with pumpkin seeds. $55. 312-988-7811.
Saussy, 1156 W. Grand Ave., will hand flowers to each lady and will feature live music on Feb. 14; the restaurant will feature a four-course meal for $75, which includes a bottle of wine for each couple. Seatings are at 6:30 and 9 p.m. 312-491-1122.
Shaw’s Crab House, 21 E. Hubbard St., features a finger-food menu, including shrimp cocktail, Maine lobster, crab legs, and oysters, along with a glass of sparkling wine and chocolate, for $49.95. 312-527-2722.
Signature Room at the 95th, John Hancock Center, 875 N. Michigan Ave., is serving a four-course champagne dinner for two on Feb. 14, accompanied by jazz. $68. 312-787-9596.
South Water Kitchen, 225 N. Wabash St., is teaming up with the Hotel Monaco for SWK: Sealed with a Kiss package, which includes dinner for two, complemented by a wine pairing for each course, plus a deluxe room for $259; valid Feb. 14 and 15 only. 312-236-9300.
Spend Valentine’s Day with 312 Chicago, 136 N. LaSalle St., and you might win a Lover’s Weekend in San Francisco. All dinner patrons on Feb. 14 and 15 will receive an entry form for the raffle, which will award one couple airfare to San Francisco, two nights’ stay at a Kimpton Hotel and dinner for two. 312-696-2420.
Va Pensiero, 566 Oak Ave., Evanston, will serve a five-course champagne dinner at 6 p.m.(for $50) and an eight-course champagne diner at 8:30 p.m. (for $65), which will include dancing. 847-475-7779.
Vong’s Thai Kitchen, 6 W. Hubbard St., is celebrating the holiday Feb. 14 with a three-course dinner, for $24.95. 312-644-8664.
Wave, in the W Hotel Lakeshore, 644 N. Lake Shore Drive, will feature a four-course aphrodisiac menu Feb. 14-16. $55. 312-255-4460.
Oysters, shrimp and other alleged aphrodisiacs will highlight the menu Feb. 14 and 15 at Zest, 525 N. Michigan Ave. The eight-course meal (regular menu also available) is $75. 312-321-8766.
