Tuesday
Feb152011
Shout Out: Where & What Did You Eat for V-Day?
With the myriad of Valentine's Day dinners in Fairfield County, and the endless possibilities for a special home cooked Valentine menu, how did your evening pan out? Where did you eat? What did you eat? And most importantly, would you do it again next year? Help your fellow readers make the right choice for February 14th 2012. It's never too early to plan out a good meal.
Where & What Did You Eat for Valentine's Day?
Would you do it again?
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CTbites Shout Out
CTbites Shout Out
Reader Comments (17)
My birthday is a couple days before Valentine's day - So I like to keep the 14th pretty low key - In fact, I don't even make a fancy meal. We stayed in and topped our own pizza. I pre-baked the crust a little bit into heart shapes....and we drank a cheap malbec. It was great!
I love the low-key aspect. The pizzas were great, but next year, I'm thinking TACOS!
I made heart shaped meatloaves for our family valentines day with mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower. For dessert we had gooey lava cakes with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh strawberries.
I use these "holidays" as an excuse to make something I normally would never make and my husband and I tag-teamed Keller's ad hoc fried chicken recipe which requires a 12 hour brine. Make this recipe now, not tomorrow – it's that good. We paired it with a chopped salad, sweet potato fries, an earthy Maremma Italian red, and finished with a small pecan chocolate bourbon pie from Michele's Pies. A decadent yet "worth-it" dinner.
My husband and I stopped going out for Valentine's Day at least four years ago now. Like Amy, we use the holiday as an excuse to cook something fancy. This year, we did seared sea scallops, grilled, beef tenderloin with a red wine reduction, grilled asparagus, twice-baked potatoes with Gorgonzola and caramelized onions, homemade chocolate covered strawberries and cheeses from Cato Corner Farm. Three wine pairings, ending with rose bubbly. Loved every bite, even if I did burn a pan in the process. http://funwithcarbs.com/2011/02/valentines-day-pirate-style/
We went out to dinner to Paci on Saturday night and had a great meal. That was our no kids romantic night.
Last night, we put the kids the bed and had some Chicken Nachos and Quesadillas from Senor Salsa in Fairfield.
Hubby and I dined at Nicholas Roberts to finally check out the fuss you guys have been making about the place. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Fantastic meal, in a low-key environment. Perfect.
Mrs J and I had a fantastic dinner at Bistro Bonne Nuit in NC. The service was, as always, impeccable and the food just gets better all the time. A wonderful goat cheese, beet and baby greens salad followed by venison with baby bok choy. A marvelous meal with an even more marvelous wife. :-))
Home made bolognese with fresh pappardelle from the shop in Westport (forget the name) and a terrific bottle of nebbiolo from New Canaan Wine Merchants. No chocolate
My husband arrived home early with the flu, so the Valentine's Dinner for two that I'd already started became a Valentine's Dinner for one. Nonetheless, it was delicious: Mussels steamed in a spicy organic tomato and white wine sauce on whole wheat pasta, paired with lemon and garlic green beans. It's no 12-hour fried chicken, but it was delicious!
We ate at MOLTO is Fairfield last night!
They had a great Valentine's Day menu with lobster tail, angel hair and a lot of specials they normally don't have. It was romantic and not too busy which really surprised us.
Good work to my fiance` Josh!
We don't celebrate V-day, but I cooked dinner:
Bacon-wrapped chicken breast with mixed greens
Vermont Chèvre with a freshly baked baguette
Dessert, cuz we always need something sweet:
Harry & David truffles and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot
Finally got to try Old Post Tavern last night in Fairfield. The clam chowder, skirt steak and braised short ribs were all standout dishes, and a $30 Malbec was a great value. Came home to some salted caramels and my wife's shortbread cookies w/crumbled potato chips baked in....an amazing salty/sweet dessert!
Looking forward to a return trip to OPT to try their burger or other steaks!!
We stayed in and enjoyed heart shaped meat loaf, mashed sweet potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. Sliced strawberries and whipped cream for dessert!
Duck is the V-day tradition in our house. Alas, grocery store duck legs in no way compare to those raised organically by John Boy's Farm, but I rubbed them with coriander seeds, star anise, cardomom, salt & pepper, browned them and then braised in fresh orange juice, zest, water (w/ all the deglazing flavors), sauteed onions and celery. Made a red-wine sauce flavored w/ organic coco nibs, which added a deep, round, rich flavor. That might have been my favorite part of the meal.
Family Meal standing in the Match kitchen just before cooking John Dory, Ribeye for 2, Truffles, Caviar, Foie Gras for everyone else :-) But Friday night we went to Liana's for a delish dinner of Chicken livers, handmade pastas, and a perfect baby chicken!
Schoolhouse on Saturday.
Maine shrimp ceviche, risotto (using the shrimp shells for stock), and flat iron steak on Sunday (even dug out the grill).
I used it as a day to cook something special with friends. Roasted Lamb Chops with a Pomegranate-Blood Orange Glaze over Mashed Sweet-White Potatoes with a side of Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Figs. We served it with a 2008 Tait Ballbuster Shiraz-Cabernet-Merlot from Barossa Valley in South Australia.