Best Fort Worth restaurants for Valentine's Day 2021 dining-in or to-go
January 22,2021
See full CultureMap article by Celestina Blok here.
A day dedicated to celebrating romance, Valentine’s Day gives restaurants an opportunity to showcase super fancy meals for two. And this year, as the pandemic still hangs on, most are offering those specials to-go, as well. (One even comes packaged with rose petals and a candle.)
Here’s where to toast with your loved one on Valentine’s Day in Fort Worth; the list will continue to be updated as more restaurants announce plans. (All specials are available on Sunday, February 14 unless noted otherwise.)
Bacchus at Hotel Vin
The buzzy new Bacchus Kitchen + Bar, located inside Grapevine’s splashy new Hotel Vin, will offer a three-course prix-fixe Valentine’s Day dinner. Start with choice of oysters or seared tuna, choice of lobster mac and cheese, 8-ounce prime filet, ravioli or roasted airline chicken, and enjoy rhubarb meringue for dessert. The dinner is $85 per person, with wine pairings available starting at $45. Or, gather your gal pals and celebrate Galentine’s Day on February 13 with a girlfriend getaway package. Included is $100 credit at Bacchus, a bottle of G.H. Mumm champagne, complimentary valet, early check-in and late check-out, and turn down service. See all Valentine’s weekend overnight packages here.
Blue Mesa Grill
Valentine's Day dine-in brunch includes tacos, enchiladas, adobe pie, omelets, migas, huevos rancheros, chicken & waffles, fruit, desserts, OJ, coffee. It's served 10 am-3 pm, $24 per person. Also a package to-go for two includes corn griddle cakes with BBQ pork and pickled onion, Southwest Caesar salad, red chile beef tenderloin, shrimp & crab enchiladas, loaded mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. $100, available February 12-14. Order at bluemesagrill.com/blue-mesa-to-go/ for pickup or delivery for $7.
Bonefish Grill
Filet & Lobster Tail with a 7-ounce filet and steamed cold water lobster tail is available at the Southlake restaurant, February 4-15. Pair with exclusive 20th Anniversary Weedon Island Wine Blend, a limited-edition private label wine available by the bottle or glass only at Bonefish Grill. Available for carryout but not delivery by ordering at order.bonefishgrill.com.
Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine
There are two menus to choose from at Jon Bonnell’s namesake restaurant: one for dining in and one to-go. Highlights from the four-course, prix-fixe dine-in menu include elk tacos, smoked lobster bisque, and grilled beef tenderloin filet. A dessert sampler is included in the $90 per-person price. Or, pick up a contact-free, fully-cooked, and cold-packed dinner for two with reheating instructions curbside. That menu ($135 for two) includes peppercorn Caesar salad, lobster tails, and beef tenderloin with black truffle mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus, plus a chocolate ganache tart with Melt cherries jubilee ice cream. Both menus are only available on February 14, and Valentine’s to-go orders must be placed by February 5.
B&B Butchers & Restaurant
The Shops at Clearfork steakhouse has a $125-per-person, three-course, prix-fixe menu (choices are here and include surf & turf, beef Wellington, and crab-stuffed lobster tail), plus complimentary strawberries and chocolates, for those dining in or taking their meal to-go. Pre-order dinners online starting February 1 for pickup between February 11-14, with 24-hour notice. You can also add a flower arrangement to pickup with the meal, with 48-hour notice.
Central Market
The gourmet grocery stores in Fort Worth and Southlake are bursting with Valentine's specials in every department, but special chef-prepared meals for two include Mediterranean Chicken Dinner, Tenderloin Dinner, Lobster Dinner, Surf ‘n’ Turf Dinner, and a brunch that includes quiche and French toast casserole. Orders may be placed starting February 1, with pickup scheduled during store hours February 12-14. More information and ordering at centralmarket.com.
Craft & Vine
The downtown Roanoke wine and dining destination will offer a four-course Valentine’s Day menu that includes a glass of bubbly. Start with deviled crab, a persimmon and pomegranate salad, and then choose from grilled filet with diver scallops or buttermilk fried Texas quail over homestead grits. Save room for stout chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse and raspberry coulis. The menu is $140 per couple.
Cru
The Shops at Clearfork wine bistro is doing a four-course menu, available February 13-14 for dine-in or to-go. The package to-go for two includes asparagus burrata salad, Chateaubriand, au gratin potatoes, broccolini, and tiramisu, $110. Sweatheart Sunday brunch features three courses for $30, plus $2 mimosas and bellinis.
Ellerbe Fine Foods
The upscale West Magnolia Avenue dining destination will offer three nights to celebrate with a three-course menu, Friday through Sunday. Creamy cauliflower soup, pecan wood grilled steak with mascarpone grits, and a Texas citrus tartlet are among the menu standouts. Dinner is $95 per person and wine pairings made be added for $35 more.
Fixture Kitchen and Social Lounge
A $39 per person three-course special will run Thursday through Sunday over Valentine’s weekend. Start with salad or corn and crawfish bisque, then choose from blackened redfish, lobster pasta, or smoked prime rib. Dessert calls for salted caramel bread pudding or chocolate cake. Add wine pairings for $20 more per person.
Fort Worth Zoo
As a fundraiser, the zoo is offering a virtual Valentine's or Galentine's party package to enjoy at home. Both packages include a virtual show featuring the zoo's animals and food and beverages to be picked up at the zoo. The Valentine's package ($125 per couple) includes a pre-packaged dinner for two and a bottle of wine from Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine. The Galentine's package ($65 per person) includes a pre-packaged appetizer platter and specialty cosmopolitan cocktail from Bonnell’s, along with a calligraphy lesson and craft kit. For more details on the specials, ordering, and pickup, visit the event website.
The Healthy Hippie Cafe & Bar
Vegan cafe in Watauga is offering a special five-course Valentine's meal February 12-14. Menu includes Cranberry Pepper Meatball Plate, Dreamy Hearts of Artichoke Soup, Berry Burst Salad, Trumpet Mushrooms over Beet Pasta with Amore Sauce, and Heart-Shaped Double Chocolate Cake with Raspberries and Candied Rose Petals. A $75 per-couple ticket includes live music, the full five courses, coffee, and tea — alcoholic beverages sold separately. Call 817 849-9080 to reserve your spot, or order online at thehealthyhippiecafe.com.
La Onda
The new Race Street coastal-inspired restaurant that’s set to take over the former Gypsy Scoops’ space is opening Valentine’s weekend for a pre-set dinner menu. Chef Victor Villarreal’s menu includes oysters (with pearls), smoked mussels with Argentinian red shrimp, dry aged branzino or strip loin, and a citrus dessert infused with gin. The $100 per person price includes cocktail and beer pairings from Real Ale Brewing Company and Real Spirits out of Blanco, Texas.
Lili's Bistro
The longtime Magnolia Avenue favorite is serving its regular menu, along with a special Valentine's menu of three courses for $40. First course consists of Greek, wedge, or spinach salad; entree choices are beef Wellington, horseradish crusted buffalo tenderloin, or Mediterranean or Thai curry grilled rack of lamb. For dessert, Lili's famous doughnuts and ice cream. Reservations are required, with seatings available February 12-14.
Local Foods Kitchen
The Fort Worth gourmet to-go destination has become popular for its weekly curbside pickup specials for two. Order by February 10 for a Valentine’s special menu that includes an artisan cheese and smoked salmon plate, lobster ceviche, whole beef tenderloin roast for two with sides, and deep dish chocolate chip lava cakes. The price is $130 and pickup is February 13 from 2:30-4:30 pm.
Magdalena's
Chef Juan Rodriguez's kitchen is doing a five-course Valentine's Kit for two, offered to-go only for $110. Courses include: Crispy Onion and Mixed Green Salad with Candied Bacon and a Blueberry-Jalapeño Vinaigrette; Maryland Crab Cake with Meyer Lemon Tartar Sauce; Red Wine Braised Short Rib with Parmesan Grits and Brussels Sprouts; Bread Crumb Crusted Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter Angel Hair Pasta; and White Chocolate Pot de Crème with Pistachios and Candied Citrus Peels. Order by emailing orders@magdalenastx.com by 5 pm February 8 for pickup between 12-2 pm February 13.
The Meat Board
The Camp Bowie butcher shop and restaurant has a couple of packages complete with ingredients to prepare dinner at home. Sweetheart Ribye package ($115) comes with 32 ounces of Sweetheart Ribeye heart-shaped ribeyes, two Caribbean spiny lobster tails, two twice-baked potatoes, fresh house salad, and four chocolate-covered strawberries. Prime Filets for Two package ($95) includes two 8-ounce prime beef filets, New England scallops for two, twice baked potatoes for two, fresh house salad, and four chocolate-covered strawberries. Order at 844-693-6328 or orders@themeatboard.com.
Mi Dia From Scratch
Chef Gabriel DeLeon will debut a new dish over Valentine’s weekend available for dine-in or to-go. The “La Parilla” will feature wood-grilled duck lollipops, combination fajitas, shrimp brochette, and chorizo and queso fresco, all served with house-made flour tortillas, charred salsa, guajillo rice, and charra beans for $38. Try it with Mi Dia’s pomegranate-infused margarita of the month called Por Siempre, which translates to “forever.”
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille
There are lots of options at the Grapevine steakhouse, with various pricing depending on dining time. Dine in at 5:30 pm or earlier and enjoy a three-course prix-fixe menu for $60 per person — at 5:45 pm the price jumps to $75. Menu highlights include turtle gumbo, bacon-wrapped filet topped with jumbo lump crab meat, and white chocolate cheesecake. Or order Perry’s Valentine’s dinner for two to-go ($99 per couple) Thursday through Sunday. That menu includes a filet roast for two served with lobster tails and lobster fondue butter, salad, sides, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and even rose petals and a votive candle for a candlelit dinner at home.
Piola Restaurant and Garden
The hidden Italian favorite is offering a three-course prix-fixe menu including choice of salad, entrée and dessert. Standout items include octopus salad with Bloody Mary dressing, seared barramundi, and cannoli with homemade ricotta cheese. The menu is $59.90 per person.
Provender Hall
Chef Marcus Paslay’s Mule Alley low country dining destination will serve a four-course prix-fixe menu on Sunday only. Highlights include fried green tomatoes, chicken and sausage gumbo, choice of grilled trout hoppin’ John, steak frites, or shrimp and grits, and classic banana pudding with Nilla wafers and whipped cream. The menu is $50 per person, and cocktail specials will be available.
Rainforest Café
Three-course menu at the Grapevine restaurant features corn chowder, Paradise House salad, pastalaya, aloha salmon & shrimp, Key lime pie, and cheesecake. It's $65 for two, served February 12-14.
Reata
The longtime Sundance Square restaurant offers a special Valentine's menu for dining in featuring smoked tenderloin, charbroiled rib eye, pan seared halibut, or citrus crusted chicken — with all the trimmings. A dedicated dinner for two to-go includes entree choice of 8-ounce grilled tenderloin with grilled shrimp, or sundried tomato chicken roulade. Both served with mashed potatoes and broccolini. For dessert, chocolate bread pudding tamale with bourbon glaze and vanilla cream, and chocolate-covered strawberries. A bottle of Domaine Michel Briday is included, too. The package is $125, and add an optional floral arrangement for $35. Call 817-502-8851 to order. Pickup is at the Fort Worth Public Library, 4001 Library Lane, between 5-5:45 pm February 14.
Riscky’s Steakhouse
The 100-year-old Stockyards steakhouse is offering a Texas Twosome Valentine’s special, available for dine-in or to-go. Included are calf fries with house-made gravy (Riscky’s is credited as the first restaurant in history to sell the menu item), choice of salad or soup, a 6-ounce filet and an 18-ounce bone-in ribeye, choice of side (the list is long), and two glasses of wine per person for $69.95. Wine is not included in the to-go option.
Rock Springs Cafe
The restaurant at Fort Worth Botanic Garden is presenting a four-course dinner for two ($150 per couple), set up inside the garden's conservatory, on February 13 and 14. Menu includes a charcuterie board, mixed berry salad, choice of filet mignon or grilled seabass, and cheesecake bites for dessert. A cash bar will be available. Space is limited, and reservations are required. Call 817-336-1100 or email Info@RockSpringsCafe.net to reserve. A Valentine's Day Afternoon Tea will also be available February 13 or 14; call to reserve.
Sky Creek Ranch Kitchen + Bar
The swanky restaurant inside Southlake’s new Delta Hotels by Marriot debuted with consultation by celeb chef Dean Fearing. For Valentine’s weekend, guests can partake in a three-course prix-fixe menu. Highlights include Kumamoto oysters, king crab legs, and a dessert duo of passion fruit crème brulee and red velvet molten lava cake. Dinner is $125 per person and is available Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Silver Fox
Three-course meal at the Fort Worth steakhouse includes III Forks salad or French onion soup, filet mignon and lobster tail with potatoes, sugar snap peas, tomato, and spring onion, and chocolate ganache cake with chocolate-covered strawberries. $180 for two for dine-in, $170 for curbside pick-up, available February 5-14.
Simply Fondue
The Sundance Square fondue restaurant is doing a special four-course menu, a cotton candy champagne toast, a rose, a $20 promotional gift certificate for future use, and more. They'll open early on February 13 and 14, and offer only the special Valentine's Weekend Package those days. On February 12 and 15, they will serve the current menu, as well as the Valentine's Package. For more menu details and reservations, visit the website.
Taste Project
The nonprofit community restaurant (which usually lets patrons choose what they wish to pay for a meal but sets the price for this one) will host its annual Taste the Love Valentine’s fundraising dinner on February 13. The multicourse meal is $300 per couple and BYOB. The 2021 menu is yet to be announced, but past years' highlights included cioppino, crab salad, and porterhouse steak for two. Seating times start at 6 pm, and tickets must be secured here.
The Table Market & Culinary Studio
For something different, the Near Southside artisan market will host a virtual Valentine's Day Supper Class, which you can follow along and prepare at home. "A make ahead three course menu, suitable for all skill levels, using seasonal ingredients and flavors," they say. "Virtually, we will prepare everything together during the class, so that you can finish everything freshly when you are ready to serve your dinner; each course should take 5-10 minutes of finishing time." The menu consists of Goat cheese, caramelized red onion tart with arugula; Parmesan gnocchi with hot Italian sausage, mushrooms, and kale; and Chocolate baba with crunchy sugared chocolate almonds and whipped cream. Upon registration ($35), participants will receive a packet with shopping list, tools, and recipe for the class. Or, pick up an ingredient kit for 2 ($45) or for 4 ($65) one to two days before the class.
Thirsty Lion astropub & Grill. Three-course dinner for two with bottle of Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay and choices from Caesar or house salad, Atlantic salmon with jasmine cilantro rice and seasonal vegetables, ribeye steak with grilled asparagus, shrimp & butternut squash risotto, Mayana chocolates. $99 for two. Dine-in and pick-up February 12-14 at both locations in Irving and Euless.
Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine
Available Friday through Sunday of Valentine’s weekend, Tinie’s menu for two showcases the upscale Mexican restaurant's eclectic Latin flavors. Start with guacamole tostadas with bacon jam followed by crispy octopus with potatoes and chorizo. The entrée course features carne asada with mole negro, and dessert offers vanilla flan with strawberry compote and chocolate sauce. The menu is $125 for two and half-price bottles of wine will be available.
Toro Toro
The Worthington Renaissance hotel’s flashy Latin-inspired restaurant will offer a special three-course menu for dine-in or to-go. Start with choice of starter, chicken empanadas or tuna and watermelon ceviche, choice of halibut or ribeye for the entrée, and chocolate cake for two with raspberry sorbet. The menu is $75 per person and a champagne toast is included. Make it a Valentine’s weekend staycation with overnight accommodations: the Romance Starts Here package includes a bottle of sparkling wine and chocolates upon arrival, a daily $40 food and beverage credit, and self-parking.
Truluck's. Three-course meal for two includes choices from lobster bisque, green salad, wedge, Ceasar ribeye filet with crab, lobster, crab & shrimp lasagna, parmesan mashed potatoes, asparagus, parmesan yeast rolls and sour cream pound cake wih raspberry jam and cream cheese icing. $199. Curbside menu features ribeye filet, crab leg, crab cake, parmesan mashed potatoes, asparagus, parmesan yeast rolls, and wedding cake. $150 for two. Limitedd quantities available must order by February 13. Uptown 214-220-2401, Southlake, 817-912-0500.
Ventana Grille
Overlooking the greens at the Tierra Verde Golf Club in Arlington, the restaurant is offering a three-course Valentine’s weekend menu for two February 12 and 13. Menu highlights include the avocado crab Louie tower, sliced beef tenderloin with truffle mashed potatoes, scallop linguini, and vanilla panna cotta with passion fruit champagne sauce. The dinner is $60 per couple. Ventana Grille will serve its brunch menu on February 14.
Wicked Butcher
The Sinclair Hotel restaurant downtown will offer a three-course prix-fixe menu with lots of choices. Menu highlights include tuna carpaccio and foie gras, New Zealand rack of lamb, and black cherry cheesecake. The dinner — available February 13 and 14 — is $85 per person with the option to add wine pairings for $75 more. The hotel's XOXO Valentine's package ($599-$719 per night, Valentine's weekend) includes overnight accommodations in a suite, gourmet dinner for two at Wicked Butcher, romantic welcome amenity, and complimentary late check-out.
WineHaus
Recently reopened under new ownership, the Park Place Avenue wine bar is partnering with chef Heath Rowe for a three-course menu. Start with passed apps including seared diver scallops with lobster béarnaise sauce, an entrée of slow-smoked tri-tip with butter-whipped Yukon gold potatoes, and double chocolate tart with pomegranate caramel. The menu is $99 per person and includes three-ounce pours with each course.
Winewood Grill
The Grapevine steakhouse is offering a special dinner for two, Friday through Sunday of Valentine’s weekend. The menu includes choice of salad, a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye and lobster tail, truffle mashed potatoes, and bacon-wrapped greens. Available only for dine-in, the menu is $180 for two.
Wishbone & Flynt
The South Fort Worth restaurant will offer a three-course Valentine’s special for $60 per person. Start with citrus and fennel salad with chile poached shrimp, duck breast a l’orange, and molten chocolate cake. The special will be available Friday through Sunday.
Locations Mentioned: Reata Restaurant, Simply Fondue, Toro Toro, Wicked Butcher