Valentine's Day 2019: South Florida Restaurant Guide

February 14 is the most romantic day of the year. Whether you're celebrating with a partner, friends, or flying solo, a great way to show your love and affection is by treating yourself and your loved ones to a special meal. To help you make this year's celebration your most memorable yet, South Florida chefs are cooking up crafted menus with specials dishes that make for the perfect candlelit dinner.

Here are some of South Florida's most enticing Valentine's Day offerings. Advance reservations are strongly suggested.

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Courtesy Cafe Boulud

1. Cafe Boulud. For a lovely Valentine's Day experience with your other half, reserve a table at chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant in Palm Beach, where a blend of French cooking and local hospitality come together to create a lovely meal. Begin with canapes and appetizers like the peekytoe crab salad with pomegranate, or duck and foie gras ballotine with pistachio. Then, enjoy a choice of spice subbed Barramundi with Swiss chard, Meyer lemon cappellini with caviar, and the chef's famous duo of beef, served with white root vegetables. To round out your meal on a sweet note there's shared petits fours, along with a selection of either coeurchocolator perlevanille. 301 Australia Ave., Palm Beach; 561-655-6060; cafeboulud.com. Price is $125 per guest.

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Courtesy of Diplomat Prime

2. Diplomat Prime. Gaze at the sea together from an intimate table at this luxury oceanside steakhouse with chef Rashaad Abdool's elaborate five-course menu of sweet and savory offerings. Highlights include the foie gras french toast, wagyu filet, lobster surf and turf, a half-roasted free range chicken, and a pink champagne sorbet. As a special romantic treat, guests will receive a complimentary champagne glass. 3555 S. Ocean Dr., Hollywood; 954-602-8331; diplomatprime.com. Dinner is priced at $179 per person.

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Courtesy of Dune

3. Dune. For a serene dining experience with a touch of exclusivity, head to this new Fort Lauderdale restaurant, where you and your beloved will be greeted with bubbles on arrival, wine pairings, and complimentary roses. The special menu showcases a savory tuna tartare with avocado, heart of palm, miso dressing and sesame cracker for $18, followed by a lover’s board with filet mignon, head-on prawn, scallop, salsa verde, corn crema, and bearnaise for $75 per couple. After dinner, get closer and snuggle at the beachfront fire pit. 2200 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 754-900-4059; dunefl.com.

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Courtesy of Etaru

4. Etaru. Stylish decor and an extensive, contemporary Japanese menu make this restaurant a great Valentine’s Day choice. The flavor profiles might remind you a bit of your relationship: complex yet perfectly harmonized. Upon arrival, you and your sweetheart will receive a special Lipstick Rose cocktail, followed by a five-course dinner of Black Kampachi sashimi with yuzu truffle dressing, lamb cutlets with Korean spices and cucumber, and an American Wagyu beef rib eye with eryngii mushrooms and wasabi ponzu sauce. End the meal with the dessert platter featuring a specialty Valentine’s Day dessert. The Etaru Hallandale location will screen The Notebook at the oceanside Beach Bar at 9 p.m. 111 S. Surf Rd., Hallandale Beach; 954-271-3222; etarurestaurant.us. Dinner is priced at $120 per person.

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Courtesy of Galley

5. Galley. Set inside the Hilton West Palm Beach, Galley is offering a special Valentine's Day menu that includes soup or salad, juicy bone-in ribeye steak topped with grilled langoustine, and two sides. Galley's oven-baked cookie, and a glass of wine and prosecco per person round out the meal. There will also be specials like the Love at First Slice wood-fire pizza with pepperoni slices in the shape of a heart, an Olive You mezze platter, and specialty cocktails like the Love Potion; a smoking libation crafted with gin, pomegranate juice, and prosecco over an effervescent ball of dry ice. 600 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561-231-6000; hilton.com. Price is $125 per couple.

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Courtesy of Kuro

6. Kuro. Treat your favorite person to a visit to this award-winning Japanese restaurant inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, where you'll enjoy a menu of dishes that are meant to be shared. In addition to its a la carte menu and omakase experience, Kuro will offer a variety of exclusive dishes throughout Valentine’s Day weekend, including the chirashi sushi served with cucumber, micro flowers and umami soy gel ($32); grilled octopus with spicy yuzu, seasonal vegetables and gremolata ($26); the Kuro seafood tower ($80); pan-roasted scallop with bacon, furikake and soy glaze ($30); and a His and Hers cake made with chocolate stout cake, peanut cream, dark chocolate bark, and vanilla raspberry cake with sake lime gel ($13). 1 Seminole Way in Hollywood; 954- 327-7625. seminolehardrockhollywood.com.

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Courtesy of Lona

7. Lona Cocina Tequileria. Valentine's Day offers chef Pablo Salas the perfect opportunity to show off his unique take on Mexico’s soulful cuisine. The special menu features oysters, Osetra caviar, diver scallops, spinalis steak, and cremeux auchocolat for dessert. Appetizers for the table include a lobster tostada with vanilla jalapeno vinaigrette, salsa alambre, and foie gras empanadas with goat cheese, black cherry, and habanero marmalade. For the main course, there is an option of filet mignon with chanterelle fricassee and guajillo beurre blanc or salmon mole with cashews, crema fresca, and piloncillo squash. Enjoy the chocolate ganache for dessert. 321 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-245-3069; lonarestaurant.com. Dinner costs $68 per person.

Courtesy of Mai-Kai

8. Mai-Kai. The atmosphere of the South Pacific is captured in this Fort Lauderdale eatery, with a dining room, tropical gardens, waterfalls, tiki torches, and a Polynesian dance show. A special three-course dinner for two will be served on Valentine's Day with starter choices including the Mai-Kai house salad or coconut lobster bisque, a surf and turf main course with a 20 oz. prime filet mignon and two 8 oz. lobster tails, and a dessert option of banana Bengali or a cherry Hawaiian. 3599 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale; 954-563-3272; maikai.com. Dinner costs $123 per couple and the dance show at $15.

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Courtesy of Pistache French Bistro

9. Pistache French Bistro. With its Art Nouveau brasserie style — red leather banquettes, antique mirrors, a Riviera-like-outdoor setting, and more — this West Palm Beach restaurant is a perfect Valentine’s Day destination. Chef Isaac Cerny's prix-fixe menu will help you charm your date with classic favorites like heirloom tomato and burrata salad, burgundy escargots, and crispy Spanish octopus. Entree selections include a choice of signature beef bourguignon, steak frites, or Hudson Valley duck breast. The list of desserts includes a classic crème brulee, the mousse auchocolat, dark chocolate cake, and the gateaux en pommes or framboisier. 101 N. Clematis St., West Palm Beach, pistachewpb.com. Cost is $80 per guest.

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Courtesy of 3030 Ocean

10. 3030 Ocean. For a passionate combination of flavors, head to this oceanfront steakhouse with your boo and enjoy a special four-course dinner. Share chilled oysters, Homestead strawberry gazpacho with pickled pink shrimp, and handmade smoked sausage. Follow that with ahi tuna carpaccio with melon, Florida citrus with baby greens, and handmade pasta with littleneck clam broth. Entree choices include sautéed red snapper, roasted beef tenderloin, or grilled lamb chops with crispy potato, red cabbage and horseradish crème fraiche. End on a sweet note with a choice of fresh doughnuts with warm chocolate or Florida strawberries and coconut semifreddo. Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, 3030 Holiday Dr., Fort Lauderdale; 954-765-3030; 3030ocean.com. Cost is $89 per person.

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