Love is in the air — and this Valentine’s Day, it’ll be in a slew of Baltimore-area restaurants, too.
Here’s a sampling of some of the fine eateries offering deals. Pro tip: Don’t wait until Feb. 13 to make a reservation.
Alizee will serve a three-course, prix-fixe menu for $66 per guest, which includes one free rose, a champagne toast and no added tax and gratuity fees. Choose one dish from the “Court Me,” “Love Me,” and “Treat Me” sections. Options include Maryland crab bisque, truffled lobster risotto, Moroccan spiced lamb loin and house-made gelato. (4 W. University Parkway, Tuscany-Canterbury; 443-449-6200.)
Avenue Kitchen and Bar will offer a special menu priced at $50 per person. Add an additional $15 for wine pairings. (911 W. 36th St., Hampden; 443-961-8515.)
The Belvedere will offer a four-course, prix-fixe menu for $79 per guest — not including tax and gratuity — on Feb. 11 and Feb. 14. Cocktail attire is required. Enjoy free entrance to the 13th-floor ballroom after dinner for drinks, dancing and live music. The ballroom experience is available for a cover charge of $20 per person, or $30 per couple, if you choose to dine elsewhere. (1 E. Chase St., Mount Vernon; 410-332-1000, ext. 302.)
B&O American Brasserie will serve a three-course, prix-fixe menu for $65 per person. Choices include lobster carrot bisque, stuffed Cornish hen, farro risotto and chocolate hazelnut cake. (2 N. Charles St., downtown; 443-692-6172.)
Charleston will offer two separate five-course menus (the “X” and “O” menus) for $169 per person, or $239 with wine pairings. Menu items include shrimp bisque, pan roasted sea scallops, grilled beef tenderloin and red velvet cake. (1000 Lancaster St., Harbor East; 410-332-7373.)
Chez Hugo Bistro will serve a four-course tasting menu for $55 per person. Enjoy grilled oysters, a salad with pear and blue cheese, ribeye with potato puffs and chocolate custard. (206 E. Redwood St., downtown; 443-438-3002.)
Cinghiale will serve a four-course, prix-fixe menu for $99 per guest, with optional wine pairings available for $139. The menu includes grilled bruschetta with burrata, risotto with shrimp, grilled big eye tuna and bittersweet chocolate custard for dessert. The full a la carte menu will not be available. (822 Lancaster St., Harbor East; 410-547-8282.)
Citron will serve a four-course menu for $85 per guest from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16. Enjoy the lobster bisque, grilled octopus, seared scallops and creme brûlée. Cocktails will be priced at $12. (2605 Quarry Lake Drive, Quarry Lake; 410-363-0900.)
Flamant will serve a four-course, prix-fixe menu for $85 per person with an optional wine pairing available for an additional $55. Options include trout caviar, white bean soup, coffee-and-chili-rubbed braised short ribs and chocolate beignets. A credit card is required to reserve your table. (17 Annapolis St., Annapolis; 410-267-0274.)
Gertrude’s Restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art has three opportunities: First, at Valentine’s Day Tea (complete with finger foods and a range of other menu options for $30 per person) on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9. Next, at a “Galentine’s” Day Dinner for ladies, priced at $49 per guest for a three-course menu or $39 for the vegan option on Feb. 13. And finally, with a “Valentine Aphrodisiac Menu” on Feb. 14 for $49 per person or $39 for the vegan option. (10 Art Museum Drive, Johns Hopkins Homewood; 410-889-3399.)
Johnny’s will serve a three-course, prix-fixe menu for $35 per person. Dishes include the mushroom bisque, roasted halibut, flat-iron steak and the strawberry shortcake trifle. The regular menu will also be available. (4800 Roland Ave., Roland Park; 410-773-0777.)
La Cuchara will offer a four-course, prix-fixe menu for $89 per person. Dishes include the lobster bisque, Parisian gnocchi, Roseda Farms strip steak and crispy oysters with charred lemon. Save room for dessert, too. (3600 Clipper Mill Road, Woodberry; 443-708-3838.)
Le Bistro du Village will serve a three-course, prix-fixe dinner with a complimentary glass of champagne for $55 per guest, excluding tax and gratuity. Menu items include duck escargots, citrus greens, prime rib and dessert crepes. (1609 Sulgrave Ave., Mount Washington; 410-542-9000.)
Lupa will serve a four-course, prix-fixe menu for $79 per person, or $109 with wine pairings. Selections include crispy polenta sticks, potato gnocchi with oxtail ragu, braised lamb shoulder and strawberry gelato. (10215 Wincopin Circle, Columbia; 410-964-9999.)
Minnow will serve a four-course, prix-fixe meal for $59 per guest. Options include roasted cauliflower, cured duck, farro risotto and chocolate eclairs. (2 E. Wells St., South Baltimore; 443-759-6537.)
Osteria 177 will serve a four-course, prix-fixe menu for $90. Enjoy dishes like breaded calamari, pasta with sautéed smoked salmon, veal chop and chocolate cake with pistachio gelato. (177 Main St., Annapolis; 410-267-7700.)
Pairings Bistro will serve a five-course, prix-fixe menu with wine pairings for $89 per person on Feb. 14 at the restaurant (2105 Laurel Bush Road, #108, Bel Air; 410-569-5006) and Feb. 14 and Feb. 16 at Rockfield Manor (501 E. Churchville Road, Bel Air). Dishes include oyster chowder, baked brie, slow braised beef and raspberry mousse cheesecake. (410-569-5006.)
The Point in Fells will host a “Galentine’s Day Drag Dinner” on Feb. 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The $30 ticket price covers one ticket and an Italian buffet dinner. Bottomless champagne cocktails will be available for an additional $20, and bottles of wine will also be sold for $20. Remember to bring cash to tip the queens. (1738 Thames St., Fells Point; 410-327-7264.)
Rusty Scupper will offer a special a la carte dinner menu from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Choose between appetizers like calamari and jumbo shrimp cocktails, soups and salads, including the Maryland crab and cream of crab soups, entrees such as Maine lobster and braised short ribs, and desserts like rainbow sorbet and raspberry mousse. Prices vary by selections. (402 Key Highway, Inner Harbor; 410-727-3678.)
Rye Street Tavern will serve a three-course prix-fixe menu for $95 per person, with one choice of an appetizer, entree and dessert. Pick between dry-aged Long Island duck, cauliflower risotto, and a lamb rack for two, among other offerings. Add a beverage pairing for $55. (225 E. Cromwell St., Port Covington; 443-662-8000.)
Seasons 52 will offer five opportunities to celebrate the holiday: On Feb. 10, children under 12 will receive a complimentary “mini” dessert; on Feb. 11, enjoy a glass of wine and a flatbread for $15; on Feb. 13, go with your “Galentines” and get a mini bottle of Riondo Prosecco for $5 each; and on Feb. 14, add bottomless Riondo Prosecco for $14.95 with the purchase of an entree. And — if you pop the question at the restaurant on Valentine’s Day — you will receive a complimentary champagne toast at your special table every time you dine there for up to one year. (10300 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 3150, The Mall in Columbia; 410-715-1152.)
Tagliata will offer a four-course, prix-fixe menu ranging from $90-$140, based on the entree chosen. Menu options include chicken parmigiana, ricotta gnocchi, squid ink campanelle and flourless chocolate cake. (1012 Fleet St., Harbor East; 410-244-5830.)
Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurantwill serve a five-course, chef’s-pick menu — which features chilled shrimp, rockfish, filet mignon, carrot and fennel salad and house-made flourless chocolate cake — for $99 per guest. No a la carte service will be offered. Reservations required. (8293 Main St., Ellicott City; 410-465-4004.)
Openings
Hampden, get ready to welcome a new Asian-influenced restaurant from the owner of The Food Market.
TigerStyle, a take-out style restaurant featuring a communal table with 16 seats, will open Feb. 9 at 911 W. 36th St.
The eatery will have an alley entrance behind 36th Street, according to Chad Gauss, owner of The Food Market. The door will be marked with the image of a white tiger.
The food offerings, which range in price from $3 for appetizers to $14 for a meal, will be similar to a Chipotle in that customers will be able to choose from starches, proteins and other toppings. Gauss also promised options that included gluten-free and keto-friendly dishes.
Orto, an “Italian-inspired” restaurant was set to open in Station North on Feb. 2.
Located on the same block as The Charles theater, in a space occupied by Bottega until it closed on New Year’s Eve, Orto will specialize in fare that is “Italian-inspired and locally sourced,” said Elan Kotz, who previously helped open the Food Market in 2012.
“We’re very excited about the opportunity here,” said Kotz, noting that Orto is also on the same block as The Charles, the Baltimore Improv Group theater and Metro Gallery. “I really believe in this location.”
Orto, at 1709 N. Charles St., will have seating for 75, plus room at the bar for an additional eight people. There will also be outside seating, he said.
The restaurant will offer four to six entrees at any one time, plus salads, appetizers and lots of “snack-style” foods.
Although alcohol will not be available initially, Kotz said he hopes to have a liquor license by early spring.
Closings
After nearly 20 years serving bagels, coffee, pastries and other morning delights at Courtney’s Bagels Cafe and Deli, Susan Leeming closed her doors for good Jan. 31. She announced the news in a Facebook post that drew hundreds of reactions and comments from Courtney’s devotees young and old.
According to the Facebook post, the bagel shop will close so that Leeming can spend more time with family and loved ones.
“There are so many memories and stories, and so many beautiful people I have had the privilege to meet along the way, many of whom I am proud to call my friends, many I consider like family,” Leeming wrote in her farewell post online. “It has been an amazing run … but it is time, as all things come to end.”
Encantada, the vegetarian-focused restaurant at Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum, has closed.
The restaurant’s last day was Jan. 24, according to a media release from the museum. It had opened at AVAM in 2015, replacing Mr. Rain’s Fun House, which had closed in June 2014.
Museum officials said they plan on announcing a new restaurant for the third-floor space “in the next few weeks.”
Baltimore Sun reporters John-John Williams IV and Chris Kaltenbach contributed to this article.