Dine with your dearest at the sweetest spots in Louisville this Valentine’s Day. Enjoy a gourmet three-course meal prepared by a skilled local chef, or relax over a casual evening filled with tasty appetizers and champagne. No matter what you desire, Louisville restaurants can deliver. Check out these one-night-only Valentine’s Day menus (and a few that are available for two or three nights)!
Anoosh Bistro
4864 Brownsboro Center, Louisville, KY 40207 • (502) 690-6585
Hours: February 14, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations limited. Call to reserve a table.
Chefs Anoosh Shariat and Mark Ford are offering up a marvelous three-course menu at Anoosh Bistro this Valentine’s Day. “This menu provides guests with vegetarian, fish or beef options for the appetizer and entrĂ©e courses, and Pastry Chef Amanda Hammad has created decadent desserts for a sweet finale to the meal,” Anoosh shares. For starters, try the grilled shrimp or Kentucky Bibb lettuce salad. For the second-course, dive into the grilled beef tenderloin, braised lamb shank or vegetable strudel. Be sure to get dessert, too! You’ll fall in love with the Red Velvet Bomb or Caramel Nut Torte.
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Steak & Bourbon
1321 Herr Lane, #130, Louisville, KY 40222 • (502) 708-2196
Hours: February 14, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations recommended.
Steak & Bourbon in Westport Village offers an exceptional way to celebrate the evening with your date. You can order from the regular menu, but the special Valentine’s Day menu features a 32-ounce Tomahawk ribeye, 7-ounce butter-poached lobster tail and two sides of your choice. “Valentine’s Day is all about sharing, and that’s exactly the opportunity we are affording our guests,” says Corporate Executive Chef Zack Wolf. “The 32-ounce Tomahawk ribeye is aged a minimum of 21 days. Pair that with the lobster tail, and you’ve got a delicious classic.”
Bottle & Bond Kitchen and Bar
1500 Parkway Drive, Bardstown, KY 40004 • (502) 252-6331
Hours: Regular and Valentine’s Day menus available February 13-15, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations recommended.
Bottle & Bond offers refined Southern comfort food from Executive Director of Culinary Operations John Castro, as well as 400 vintage American whiskeys curated by author Fred Minnick. The special 2020 Valentine’s Day menu, which is available for three days, offers several appetizers, including fried jumbo shrimp, a jumbo shrimp cocktail, and crab cakes with banana pepper tartar sauce and remoulade sauce. Entrées include a 4-ounce filet with crab cake and a baked potato or a 4-ounce filet with fried jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce and a baked potato. For dessert, a selection of sweets includes cheesecake with bourbon caramel, cheesecake with berry compote and caramel pie with bourbon whipped cream. John says it is difficult to choose a particular favorite when it comes to his dishes: “It’s hard to say. They are all classics for a special day!”
Decca
812 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206 • (502) 749-8128
Hours: February 14, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Reservations recommended.
Decca’s warm and inviting interior is the perfect place for a special Valentine’s Day dinner. Located in a renovated 1870s building, Decca features two dining rooms, a courtyard and a beautiful cellar where you can have a tasty post-dinner drink. And did we mention your meal is accompanied by a live performance by the John Smart Quartet? Diners can also enjoy a three-course prix fixe Valentine’s menu for $85 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and wine pairings are available for $35. Executive Chef Cody Stone recommends the salmon dish: “It’s served with tahini, pomelo and charred beets, and the way those ingredients work together really expresses the season we’re in right now, featuring root vegetables and citrus. This is one of my favorites right now.”
The Fat Lamb
2011 Grinstead Drive, Louisville, KY 40204 • (502) 409-7499
Hours: February 14, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations recommended.
The Fat Lamb is known for its decadent menu items. They offer delicious house-made ricotta gnocchi in a rich truffle cream sauce and amazing slow-cooked lamb ragu over creamy polenta. Owner/Chef Dallas McGarity suggests the Nutella mascarpone mousse for dessert. “It is one of those items on the menu where every spoonful changes your life,” he comments. “I have seen people eat a bite, and when they do, their eyes roll back, and they melt into their seat. It’s such a great way to end a meal on Valentine’s Day.”
Portage House
117 E. Riverside Drive, Jeffersonville, IN 47130 • (812) 913-4250
Hours: February 14, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations recommended.
Gaze out onto the Ohio River and take in the view of the Louisville skyline as you linger over dinner and drinks at Portage House, also owned by Dallas McGarity, who suggests diners start their Valentine’s dinner at Portage House with a tasty appetizer. “We do commercial fried oysters with Cajun tartar sauce and dressed greens. This is the perfect way to get you going for Valentine’s Day,” he says. Entrée selections include braised beef short ribs, cornmeal-fried catfish, garlic-marinated pork tenderloin and hot sauce-marinated chicken. At the end of the evening, take a stroll by the river and enjoy the magnificent views.
Alex&nder at Copper and Kings Distillery
1121 E. Washington Street, Louisville, KY 40206 • (502) 561-0267
Hours: February 14, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations recommended.
A four-course meal at Alex&nder, which is also owned by Chef Dallas McGarity, will make your heart sing this Valentine’s Day! For $70, start your meal with bite-sized turmeric and chive hushpuppies, then continue with an appetizer like a pickled beet and wild arugula salad, seared tandoori-spiced scallops, or lamb tartare. Your entrĂ©e selection includes braised wild boar ragu, curried seared salmon or spinach and feta spanakopita. End the evening on a sweet note with a deliciously warm chocolate chip blondie. Dallas notes, “This special is perfect for a couple wanting to have a romantic date night without breaking the bank. I particularly love the lamb tartare and the wild boar ragu. I think it speaks to our animalistic nature, which drives passion and is great for Valentine’s Day.”
At the Italian Table
2359 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky 40206 • (502) 883-0211
Hours: February 14, one seating at 7 p.m.
The moment you enter At the Italian Table, you feel the warmth and authenticity of walking into an Italian osteria (a traditional Italian restaurant). Owner Gina Stipo is an Italian-American chef who lived and worked in Italy for more than 13 years, cooking and teaching while experiencing the Italian cuisine and wine of the Tuscany countryside. Her restaurant is unique in that she serves her guests at two communal tables, which seat just 10 guests each. The meals offer four courses, and everyone is served the same dishes. “I do a special Tortelli dish and always something chocolate and heart-shaped for dessert,” Gina says. “This is a fun Valentine’s Day for couples who like a shared experience. We have people who come every year because it’s so much fun!”
Proof on Main
702 W. Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202 • (502) 217-6360
Hours: February 14 & 15, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Reservations can be made via OpenTable or by contacting the restaurant directly.
You’ll swoon over this special three-course Valentine’s menu offered at Proof on Main, located in the charming 21c Hotel. Your first course offers a choice of a shaved Brussels sprouts salad, red cabbage and celery root soup, or hamachi Crudo (winter citrus, fennel, green apple and sorghum). The main course selections include a cast iron pork chop, day boat scallops, a Prime New York Striploin or hearth-roasted spaghetti squash. Top your evening off with dessert, featuring a warm chocolate brownie, butterscotch pot de créme or sweet potato bread pudding. “With the Valentine’s menu, I wanted to provide a little something for everyone while showcasing the best of Kentucky’s winter produce,” Executive Chef Jonathan Searle says. “We’re here to provide you with an approachable yet refined and memorable dinner for you and the one you love.”
Brasserie Provence
150 North Hurstbourne Parkway, Louisville, KY 40222 • (502) 883-0153
Hours: February 14 & 15, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations required.
You can celebrate your love on two nights with a special Valentine’s Day dinner from Brasserie Provence. Start the evening with the Chesapeake Bay oyster, accompanied by cucumber, salmon caviar and chili oil, then choose a delicious appetizer — either lobster crab bisque, a seared duck foie gras salad or the seared diver sea scallop. Entrée options include a grilled beef filet mignon, seared king salmon, mascarpone black truffle stuffed chicken breast or the vegan option of tofu, asparagus and mushrooms with white wine olive oil sauce. Top the evening off with ebony chocolate macaron cake, vanilla crème brûlée, praline framboise Valentine’s cake or the vegan sorbet trio. Owner Guy Genoud is proud of all of the dishes but says, “On Valentine’s Day, the seared diver sea scallop is my favorite pick, for starters, then the mascarpone black truffle stuffed chicken breast for your entrée. End the evening with the praline framboise Valentine’s cake, and you have a winner!”
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Sou! Southern Kitchen & Bar
9980 Linn Station Road, Louisville, KY 40223 • (502) 614-6499
Hours: February 11-14, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; February 15 & 16, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Regular menu available. Call for reservations.
Sou! (pronounced So-you) is an American soul food restaurant on the east side of town offering down-home food that will warm your heart and body this Valentine’s Day! Chef James Moran’s menu, which is available for nearly a week surrounding Valentine’s Day, has a comforting edge, offering pork chops, chicken and waffles, hanger steaks, and steak and eggs. Appetizers include shrimp and grits, PEI mussels, chicken livers, or crispy Brussels sprouts. “I recommend the cauliflower appetizer and hanger steak,” Chef Moran says, “although everything is delicious!”
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
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