Valentine’s Day – or Galentine’s Day if you choose to celebrate with your BFFs instead – is an opportunity for restaurants to create a special meal that folds in all the decadence. And, remember, this is one of the most popular dining-out dates of the year so you really do want to make a reservation in advance. Here’s what local spots are offering in celebration of Valentine’s Day this year.
1. Amara Studios
2625 S. GREELY ST., SUITE 100
Hosted on Feb. 10, as an event offering by this retail boutique, the three-course Valentine’s Day meal ($150) is co-curated by Private Palate and Nonfiction Natural Wines. Included with the event is a gift bag from the store, which focuses on clothing, shoes and accessories for women, a mix of vintage and new.
Book a table through this link.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
2. Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro
3133 E. NEWBERRY BLVD.
Served between Feb. 9 and Feb. 14, this fine-dining eatery’s Valentine’s Day menu ($95) spans four courses and features classic French dishes like pistachio-crusted foie gras torchon (surcharge applies), creamy mushroom soup with a black-truffle beignet, herb de provence marinated venison chops and then—for dessert—a choice of three desserts: flourless chocolate cake, brest pastry and sorbet trio.
Book a table through the restaurant’s website.
3. Birch
459 E. PLEASANT ST.
A three-course Valentine’s Day dining menu ($84) starts with canapes before easing into selections for each course, such as smoked-walleye cheesecake with caviar as a starter, charcoal-grilled beef flatiron and short rib, and a chocolate rye tart. For vegetarians, there’s a meat- and fish-free option in each course, too.
Book a table through Tock.
4. BRAVO! Italian Cucina
95 N. MOORLAND RD., BROOKFIELD
Launched just for Valentine’s Day, this special meal for two ($59.99)—available for dine-in and take-out—folds in a salad (chopped or Caesar) and choice of four entrees (lobster and shrimp fettucine, a pasta dish, chicken caprese and grilled salmon), ending on a sweet note with dessert.
Book a table through this link.
5. CAVAS
401 E. ERIE ST.
After a brief closure, this Third Ward restaurant reopens on Valentine’s Day with a unique six-course dinner menu ($150). Choose from two seating times: 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. On Chef Ana’s “Lover’s Menu” are items like raw oysters, caviar, pistachio-encrusted New Zealand lamp chops with fig butter and tequila pineapple relish, and strawberry panna cotta. Sparkling Cava—or cocktails or other wines—is available at the bar.
Book a table through this link.
5. Company Brewing
735 E. CENTER ST.
This Riverwest brewery’s four-course Valentine’s Day dinner ($65) is dubbed “A Dinner at Tony’s” and essentially recreates beloved favorites from Italian-American restaurants. Seatings are at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Pairings (both alcohol and non-alcohol) cost an additional $10.
Book a table through this link.
6. Dream Dance Steakhouse
1721 W. CANAL ST.
Located inside Potawatomi Casino Hotel, where the wine list clocks in at 600 bottles, the steakhouse’s Week of Love special ($140 for two people) is available Feb. 14-17. There are three courses.
Book a table through this link.
7. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
15665 W. BLUEMOUND RD., BROOKFIELD
This wine-focused steakhouse’s Valentine’s Day menu ($230) is a three-course surf-and-turf special that includes—for the entrée—a shareable 28-ounce prime bone-in New York Strip, 6-ounce filet mignon, crab-stuffed lobster tails and mushroom sauté. The meal kicks off with oysters Rockefeller and shrimp cocktail. Then, for dessert, two dark-chocolate tortes are served. The good news is that this menu’s available Feb. 8-Feb. 19.
Book a table through this link.
8. IKEA
7500 S. IKEA WAY, OAK CREEK
Translated into Swedish, Valentine’s Day is Alla Hjärtans Dag (“day of all hearts”). A three-course menu ($49.99 for two or $39.99 for IKEA Family members) on Feb. 14, with a 7 p.m. seating in the store’s restaurant, includes an appetizer, salad and entrée featuring traditional Swedish cuisine.
Reservations not required.
9. Il Cervo
420 W. JUNEAU AVE.
A Valentine’s Day five-course Tasting Menu ($125) prepared by executive chef Chris Myer will be served in the Four Seasons Room, within The Trade, an Autograph Collection Hotel. On the menu are Italian delights: baked ricotta, Tuscan kale salad, gnocchi with crispy pork belly and trumpet mushrooms, prime beef tenderloin and rice pudding. Tack on $40 for wine pairings with each course.
Book a table through Tock.
10. Joey Gerard’s – A Bartolotta Supper Club
5601 BROAD ST., GREENDALE
Serving its Valentine’s Day menu (price based on entrée choice) on Feb. 9-10 as well as Feb. 14, the experience stays true to the supper-club experience by offering items like raw beef and onions on cocktail rye bread and bacon-wrapped filet. Red-velvet cake, chocolate lava cake and cherries-jubilee cheesecake are dessert choices. The three-course menu features opportunities to pick what you’d like for each course. Add $35 for wine pairings.
Book a table through the restaurant’s website.
11. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
It’s no coincidence that this Chicago-based deep-dish restaurant chain’s ode to Valentine’s Day is a heart-shaped pizza. Dine in and order this limited-time special at any of the five Milwaukee-area locations, or order one for take-out. Bonus: for every heart-shaped pizza sold in February Lou Malnati’s will donate $1 to the Milwaukee chapter of Feeding America. These pizzas are available throughout all of February.
Order a pizza through this link.
12. Lupi & Iris
777 N. VAN BUREN ST.
What’s unique about this French- and Italian-Mediterranean-style restaurant is that a Valentine’s Day reservation includes not just the three-course food menu ($80+) but also an arrangement of red roses. As for the food, each course comes with a half dozen or so choices, such as cold-water lobster tails with spaghetti or Mediterranean sea bass for the main course.
Book a table (and pre-order roses) through Tock.
13. Movida at Hotel Madrid
600 S. 6TH ST.
Available between Feb. 10 and Feb. 17, the San Valentine Dinner menu ($55) kicks off with Cava and is followed by tapas. Each party gets to take home a paella pan with a recipe to make your own on a future date.
Book a table through OpenTable.
14. MOXIE Food + Drink
501 E. SILVER SPRING DR., WHITEFISH BAY
The restaurant’s four-course Valentine’s Day menu ($65) means you get a sharable dessert (opt for tiramisu, raspberry Chambord cake or flourless chocolate cake), along with choices for an appetizer, soup and salad course, and main course. For the main course, options are chicken piccata, mushroom ragu, salmon almondine and tenderloin filet ($10 additional charge).
Book a table through this link.
15. Polish Center of Wisconsin
6941 S. 68TH ST., FRANKLIN
Partnering with a winery that’s quite close (Spirits of Norway Vineyard in Franksville), this annual wine-paired dinner ($89) specializes in farm-to-table cuisine. For example, local soppressata is used to create antipasto skewers. Dessert ends the meal on a sweet note—a dark-chocolate heart with vanilla crème anglaise and red-wine coulis—and the main course also folds in wine, with the roasted chicken’s red-wine demi glaze.
Book a table through Eventbrite.
16. Saffron
223 N. WATER ST.
On Valentine’s Day, this Third Ward restaurant specializing in Indian cuisine rolls out a prix-fixe, three-course menu ($75), with choices for a small plate, entrée (the five selections range from eggplant terrine to spice-crusted lamb rack) and dessert (chocolate chai pudding or a kiwi ice-cream dessert)
Book a table through OpenTable.
17. Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
139 E. KILBOURN AVE.
“Love in the Dark” is a special Valentine’s Day meal ($175) served in The Dark Room over four dates (Feb. 9 at 6 p.m., Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.). There are four courses along with drink pairings. A glass of bubbles launches into the meal, which features scallop crudo, a pasta dish, smoked New York steak and Chocolate Explosion Cake (paired with Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge Liqueur).
Book a table through Tock.
18. The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar
1503 N. FARWELL AVE.
While you can certainly book a table at this East Side Italian-dining staple, what’s exclusive to Valentine’s Day is its take-and-bake meal lobster ravioli ($250). Included is a make-your-own lobster ravioli kit, two pancetta-wrapped beef tenderloins, two chocolate raspberry martinis, arugula fennel salad, tiramisu, a bottle of Prosecco, a package of the restaurant’s signature coffee blend and biscotti.
Pre-order through the website by Feb. 9 and pick up Feb. 10-18 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
19. Travieso
314 W. MAIN ST., WAUKESHA
This Latin-fusion restaurant pulls out all the stops for their four-course Valentine’s Day menu ($95), inviting guests in at 5:30 p.m. and serving a wine-paired dinner—those wines provided by Bodegas Salentein in Argentina—beginning at 6 p.m.
Book a table through Tock.
