Valentine's Day Dinner Guide

Where to book a romantic dinner for 2 in Dallas on Valentine's Day 2015

Consider celebrating Valentine's Day at one of these Dallas restaurants.

Photo by Malin Strandvall/Flickr

We don't put much stock in Hallmark holidays like Valentine's Day, but we're always up for dinner out at one of our many local restaurants. Here's a list of places where you can get romantic or just get dinner. Listed below are dinners for Valentine's Day on Saturday, February 14, unless otherwise noted.

Bistro 31
Special Valentine's items include oysters, tomato soup, langostine risotto, butter-poached lobster and filet, and for dessert, heart-shaped chocolate cupcake.

Bonefish Grill
Prix fixe menu with filet mignon and lobster accompanied by white truffle butter and garlic whipped potatoes. Also available, imperial topped sea bass—seasoned and stuffed with a range of freshly caught shellfish, lemon caper butter and steamed asparagus. $29. February 9-15. 817-421-3263.

Cafe on the Green
Three-course "Aphrodisiac Menu" includes choice of cardamom crispy oysters or beef tartare; lamb with celeriac mash, halibut with "forbidden" risotto or pheasant breast with gnocchi; and for dessert, molten chocolate cake with praline ice cream. February 13-14. $95, plus $30 for wine pairings selected by Master Sommelier James Tidwell. 972-717-2420.

Canary by Gorji
Four-course featuring Bulgarian feta with pomegranates, Colorado lamb & Texas quail with tabbouleh and tzatziki and wild boar & scallop with gnocchi gorgonzola crème. $79 plus tax and grat. February 14. 972-503-7080.

Cantina Laredo
Three-course dinner at all six locations includes choice of mango salad or vegetable soup with chicken; shrimp with spicy mango mole sauce, chicken breast or 7-ounce Angus filet mignon; and dessert churros or strawberry buñuelos. February 13-14. $35, plus $15 for cocktail pairings.

Carmel
Special menu offerings including Sambuca-marinated sugar-dipped strawberries. February 13-14. 972-745-1300.

CBD Provisions
The Joule's restaurant is featuring fried oyster toast with crispy oysters, harissa aioli, radishes, and their greens for $14 as well as Gulf Coast jambalaya for two with grouper, squid, shrimp, andouille sausage, pimenton aioli, cilantro, and tasso ham for $52. February 13 and 14. 214-261-4500

Cool River Cafe
Three-course menu with choice of Caesar or III Forks salad, filet and lobster Thermidor and white-chocolate crème brûlée cheesecake. February 7-15. $135 per couple. 972-871-8881.

Dallas Chop House
Three-course menu includes choice of lobster bisque, mesclun salad or steak tartare filet mignon or striped bass short ribs with parsnip puree; and bread pudding, almond brownie, lavender-vanilla bean crème brûlée or Chambord red velvet cake. February 13-14. $70 plus $25 for wine. 214-736-7300.

Dallas Fish Market
Three courses featuring special dishes such as oysters with egg sauce, salmon with ginger-lime and salmon with horseradish celery root. For dessert: lingonberry tart with brown butter ice cream. 214-744-3474.

Dallas Museum of Art
The DMA is doing an artful version of dinner and a show: access to Between Action and the Unknown: The Art of Kazuo Shiraga and Sadamasa Motonaga, and a four-course dinner with dishes such as Green Valley pea soup, hickory-smoked sea bass, and vanilla panna cotta. 6-10 pm. $90 per person or $75 for DMA Partners; wine package is an additional $40 per person. Reserve online or call 214-922-1818.

Dee Lincoln Steak & Burger Bar
Appetizer choices include scampi shrimp, roasted poblano bisque or arugula salad. Entrées include chicken breast, rib-eye with scalloped potatoes or black cod with risotto. For dessert: turtle cheesecake. February 13-14, at Dallas and Plano locations. $55. 214-754-4949 (Dallas) or 972-519-1642 (Plano).

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House
Special Valentine's Day menu includes oysters, shrimp remoulade, tuna tartare, bone-in filet, rib-eye, lamb, salmon and sesame tuna. 972-490-9000.

El Chico
Special menu includes tableside guacamole, mixed grill for two, fajitas and strawberry nachos, which are also available à la carte for $3.99. February 3-15 at 13 area locations.

Eureka
Valentine's Day cocktail is a raspberry chocolate kiss with Prichard's Double Chocolate Bourbon, raspberry gomme syrup, and red grapefruit juice. February 9-15. $11. 972-993-2222.

Fearing's
Fixed-price menu in addition to regular menu includes lobster with fettuccine, strip loin steak, and a duo dessert of buttermilk-passionfruit cupcake and double chocolate strawberry parfait. February 13-15 from 6 pm. $100. 214-922-4848.

Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck
Six-course menu featuring poached West Coast oyster, blue fin tuna toro, Thai lobster tail, crispy duck leg with ginger-duck jus and petite winter root vegetables. February 13-15. $125 with optional wine for $50 more. 214-741-5560.

Front Room
Three-course menu includes appetizers such as Scottish salmon, bibb lettuce soup, or Seville salad with oranges and grapefruit. Entrées include branzino, coq au vin or grass-fed rib-eye. Desserts include cheesecake with strawberries, chocolate peanut butter trifle or white chocolate coconut cream pie. $59, plus $25 with wine. 214-219-8282.

Garden Cafe
Four-course meal featuring mushroom duxelles tart with duck confit, poached egg and Hollandaise and blackened lamb rib chops with risotto and boules de tomates. Doors at 7 on February 14. $60, BYOB, no corkage fee. 214-887-8330.

Gin Mill
Three-course menu includes spinach or arugula salad, strip steak, seafood stew with crusty bread, and flourless chocolate torte. $35. 214-824-3343.

The Grape
Three-course menu is $65, plus $25 for wine. Reservations required for February 14 and recommended for February 13 and 15. 214-828-1981.

Hibashi Teppan Grill & Sushi Bar
Choice of four romantic dinners from the hibashi or sushi chefs with three-, four- and six-course options including shrimp tempura, heart-shaped sushi rolls, 10-piece sashimi adventure, a Valentine's sushi platter, and desserts such as cheesecake or red velvet cake. February 13-15. From $50 to $98 for two. 972-620-3474.

Holy Grail Pub
Five-course beer dinner with cheese plate, mussels, winter greens, lamb chops and trifle. 6 and 8:30 pm. $65. 972-377-6633.

Hotel St. Germain
Fixed-price multicourse dinner is $125 on February 13-14; $95 on February 12 and 15. 214-871-2516.

Kitchen LTO
Four-course menu with choices including oysters Rockefeller, duck slider, smoked salmon, chicken-fried lobster and waffle, lobster bisque, and iceberg or butter lettuce salad. Entrées include tenderloin, chicken-fried rib-eye, Arctic char or pork short rib. For dessert: pink chocolate fondue, Maker's Mark banana pudding or mini chocolate fudge waffle. February 12-14. $79. 214-377-0757.

Lazaranda
Three-course dinner for two with sautéed shrimp and squash blossom empanada, scallop and beef filet brochette with bacon, bell peppers and onions in a red wine sauce, served with creamy lobster rice and sautéed garlic green beans and passionate crepes filled with sauteed fruit and served with walnut ice cream. February 13-15. $37.95. 972-866-8900 for reservations.

Malai Kitchen
Five-course tasting menu including steamed dumplings with duck, shrimp, scallions and chili soy; slow-braised Penang curry short ribs and pan roasted halibut. $55 with optional wine pairings for $35. February 14. 214-599-7857.

Max's Wine Dive
Five-course dinner for two. Oysters, potato leek soup, smoked salmon, beet carpaccio, lobster tortelloni, tenderloin and short rib or Diver scallops. For dessert, choice of chocolate cake or crème brûlée. $100 per couple, $50 extra for wine.

The Original Pancake House
Limited-edition chocolate-cherry crepes filled with rich milk chocolate and Montmorency cherries, simmered in their signature Danish Wine Sauce. February 14-15. $8, at all six area locations.

Pakpao
Two prix fixe menus feature dishes such as steamed mussels, drunken noodles, striped bass, Cornish hen, forbidden rice with pandan panna cotta and coconut-chocolate truffle. $45. 214-749-7002.

Peak & Elm
Three-course dinner with complimentary glass of wine from Times Ten Cellars includes mixed green salad with Texas grapefruit and cucumber; Modelo-braised chicken chocolate-pasilla mole or red snapper with spinach and rice; and strawberry tamales for dessert. Vegan options available. 5, 7 and 9 pm. $35. Call 214-824-7617.

Perry's Steakhouse
Three-course menu features lobster bisque, pork chop, filet mignon, ahi tuna and the milk-chocolate peanut-butter candy bar. February 13-14. $60 before 5:30 pm, $75 6 pm or later.

Public School 214
Anti-Valentine's three-course featuring entrees including bangers & mash with chicken and herb sausage, bacon & brussels mash and caramalized onion au jus as well as a Colorado lamb burger with brie, arugula and tomato cranberry jam. $35. February 13-15.

The Ranch at Las Colinas
Multicourse menu includes bacon-wrapped shrimp and blue corn waffle, shrimp and lobster bisque, fried green tomatoes, striped bass, filet with fingerling potatoes, and dark chocolate tart. February 13-14. $69, or $99 with wine. 972-506-7262.

Sangria
Special Valentine’s Day items include tomato bisque, oysters, lobster paella, Diver scallops with filet mignon and for dessert, chocolate bomb with raspberry puree.

Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill
Seafood feast for two for takeout includes shrimp cocktail, crab-stuffed lobster, salad, sides and Key lime pie. February 13-14; order by February 10. $80. 972-473-2722.

Ser Steak+Spirits
Fixed-price menu includes choice of shrimp ceviche,  oysters Rockefeller, Texas quail, tomato bisque, spinach salad, chocolate-rubbed filet of beef, salmon,  chicken breast , and chocolate lava cake for two . February 13–15. $95, $145 with wine. Includes access to Bubble Lounge. Bubble Lounge is only $25 and includes dessert and champagne. 214-761-7479.

Taverna
Special Valentine’s Day items include bisque, tomato and burrat, mache salad, fettucine pasta, risotto with shallots and shrimp, pork loin and Diver scallops and flourless chocolate cake for dessert.

III Forks
Three-course menu with choice of III Forks salad or lobster bisque, filet and lobster tails, and a chocolate dessert. February 7-15. $155 per couple. 972-267-1776.

Thirteen Pies
Half off all bottles of bubbles and rose on February 14. Celebrate with pizzas and champagne.

Toulouse
Special Valentine’s Day items include oysters, bacon wrapped asparagus, roasted beet and herb salad, Diver scallops with mushroom risotto, crab and lobster soufflé, lamb lollipops and chocolate lava cake.

Veritas
Six-course, day-after-Valentine's dinner with chef Jon Stevens of Stock & Barrel includes grilled country bread, celeriac salad, goat cheese dumplings, Georges Bank flounder-wrapped diver scallop, pork belly and candied carrot croissant bread pudding. Vegetarian and pescatarian substitutions are available with one-week advance notice. February 15. $62. Email jon@stockandbarreldallas.com.

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Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun