Valentine’s Weekend Dining in Georgetown
By • February 11, 2021 0 1302
How will Georgetown couples celebrate Valentine’s Day 2021? After too many months of housebound togetherness, local restaurants are betting that couples are ready to dine out — or to splurge on take-home luxury.
D.C. restaurants are once again permitted to offer indoor dining (at 25-percent occupancy, with COVID precautions). Many have also installed heated and protected outdoor seating, while mastering the art of takeout and delivery. What’s more, they are offering tempting deals. And, since Feb. 14 falls on a Sunday, most are extending the festivities for the entire Friday-to-Sunday weekend.
Peacock Café will cosset diners with luxurious three-course Valentine’s packages that include a bottle of wine or champagne and the likes of lobster bisque and beef Wellington. Dinners will culminate in “ecstasy” — the chocolate kind — with an array of decadent treats for dessert, accompanied by a long-stemmed rose (on Sunday). Prices range from $69 to $99 per person. Selections from the café’s regular menu add to the mix.
Martin’s Tavern has witnessed many love stories — most notably Jack Kennedy’s celebrated engagement to Jackie in what is called the “proposal booth.” That booth is off-limits now due to COVID restrictions, but at other tables of four or more, diners will receive a free bottle of champagne on Feb. 14. Martin’s will also offer a five-course meal with edible flowers in the salad, heart-shaped lobster ravioli, filet mignon or halibut with crab and truffle-dusted parmesan fries. Dessert choices are strawberry shortcake or red velvet cake. The prix-fixe dinner at $40 per person ($70 for two) is available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Takeout orders should be made by 4 p.m. on Feb. 12. The regular menu will be offered for dine-in and takeout all weekend.
Chez Billy Sud has “amour” on its Valentine’s weekend menu, with a wine from the cru of Saint-Amour in Beaujolais, a region of France traditionally associated with romance. Specials for the weekend include an appetizer of Jersey sea scallops, savoy cabbage, mushrooms and vermouth cream, as well as chocolate-hazelnut pots de crème,a dessert that dates back to 17th-century France. The regular menus for dine-in and takeout are available, along with in-house seating.
Cafe Milano buzzes these days, says GM Laurent Menoud: “We’re seeing an increase of younger people who are ready to eat out.” That’s in addition to visits from high-profile regulars like John Kerry (the “Panzanella J.K.” salad on the regular menu honors him). For Valentine’s weekend, a $250 tasting menu for two ($500 with a bottle each of champagne, sauvignon blanc and chianti classico) is offered. Highlights include lobster, burrata, gnocchi, beef tenderloin or branzino, followed by a rich chocolate or ricotta-and-pear dessert. For takeout, order the Valentine’s tasting menu by Feb. 10. The regular in-house and takeout menus will also be served.
Lutèce hasinstalled a row of intimate, heated and enclosed “greenhouse chalets,” each seating two to four diners. Carpeted and illuminated by a charming hanging lamp, the cabinets ooze street-side romance. Chef Matt Conroy will prepare a four-course prix-fixe dinner at two seatings (5:30 and 8 p.m.) for $125 per person. Appetizer choices include tuna crudo with avocado, foie gras or burrata with pomegranate, followed by a warming sunchoke soup and a choice of lamb, halibut or French-style gnocchi with kale, plus a dessert. Vegetarian and vegan palates are accommodated.
At 1789 Restaurant, GM Brian Zipin will pour a specially concocted passion fruit and ginger martini that is sure to spark romance at his fine-dining destination. It will be followed by an elegant three-course meal with choices that include foie gras, truffle risotto, wagyu tartare, lamb, fish and surf-and-turf, as well as indulgent desserts ($89 per person; add $25 for black truffles). Stay-at-homes can pamper themselves with a champagne and chocolate truffle package for $88, ordered through Tock.
Glover Park Grill makes dining at home tempting for Valentine’s weekend with the three-course dinner menu offered by chef-owner Michael Schlow. This take-home-only deal ($125 for two) features choices like lobster bisque, short ribs, salmon, filet mignon, mushroom and truffle lasagna and Alex Levine’s celebrated desserts. Order by Thursday, Feb. 11, for pickup on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Tony and Joe’s, Georgetown’swaterfront standby, will offer specials like an iced seafood platter for two for $24 and a surf-and-turf entrée or shrimp scampi paired with a truffle heart dessert for $45, in addition to its regular menus, for both on-site and takeout dining.
