Santa Monica’s penchant for great food and awe-inspiring atmosphere comes particularly in handy for February’s premiere holiday.
Couples are currently making their plans for Valentine’s Day, this upcoming Wednesday and the area’s eateries are cooking up intimate and delicious experiences for the occasion. Several of the city’s finest food spots have multiple courses in store with pre-fixed menus, along with options that go beyond the dinner itself.
The options begin with two oceanfront hotel favorites, the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows and Hotel Casa del Mar. The Fairmont’s festivities start with forging female friendships in a special “Galentine’s Day” tea service on Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Guests will enter the Library and Ocean Terrace to sip and dine on a three-course menu featuring scones, pastries and finger sandwiches paired with a selection of Lot 35 loose-leaf teas. Tickets are $95 and can be purchased online.
Three different restaurants reside within the Fairmont, each with their own offerings on Valentine’s Day itself. The Lobby Lounge will have a three-course pre-fixe and à la carte menu with chicken and truffle agnolotti, salmon wellington with crab ragout, and beef stripling and seared scallop surf and turf on the menu. FIG Restaurant’s seasonal menu offers specials like slow-cooked Octopus, while the intimate Soko Sushi Bar features the 6-course Omakase menu.
Hotel Casa del Mar invites locals to the “Romance by the Sea” dinner with a welcome glass of champagne and amuse-bouche, appetizers like oysters and kampachi crudo, entree options like Chilean sea bass or Ibérico pork chop, and dessert choices such as banana cream or Cupid’s Cake. The dinner is $125 per person.
Throughout February, the hotel is also offering a “Romantic Escape” overnight package including a bottle of champagne on ice upon arrival and a $200 food and beverage credit for dining. The package also guarantees an ocean view table at Mediterranean eatery Terrazza.
Restaurant experiences continue with a four-course pre-fixe menu at Water Grill, curated by executive chefs for $135 per person with an optional wine pairing for $50. Menu highlights for guests are the half-dozen oyster sampler with more than 15 different varieties available, entrees like wild North American hard-shell lobster, and dessert like New York cheesecake.
Thai-based cuisine spot Satdha has a specially curated menu by Chef Gunn Pankum, running from Friday through Valentine’s Day. The menu has four new dishes, including Hor Mok, a red lentil curry quiche entree steamed in a banana leaf mold and served with khao tang, a crispy rice cracker.
Another option is Mediterranean restaurant Mon Ami, which is offering a four-course menu for $89 per person, plus a Mediterranean wine pairing for an additional $29 per person. Course choices include a choice of crab cake or truffle risotto, pan seared scallops or petite filet mignon au poivre and a dessert decision between baklava and sorbet.
thomas@smdp.com
