What options for eating in on Valentine's Day?

[Dari]

If you want to eat out on Valentine's Day in New York your best shot is to reserve seats within one or two weeks after Christmas. I got lazy this time around and, frankly, tired of being herded like cattle and charged 2X to 3X the same meal any other day. I gave my wife the news a couple of weeks ago and, surprisingly, she was cool with it. So, what options do I have? I can't cook. She likes lobster and we usually get the cooked ones at The Lobster Place in the Chelsea Market. Do y'all think that is enough? If not, can I order catered meals from restaurants and pick them up on that day? If so, where?

 

[Fingolfin269]

Enough for what? It really depends on how high maint your wife is. We would normally just order a pizza or some other kind of take out and call it a night. I say normally because this year the Preds have a game on Valentine's Day so we'll be going to that and probably eating a burger or something.

 

[Puppies04]

I know what you can eat on valentines day, giggity.

 

[Ken g6]

I can't cook.

How sure are you of that? Tried watching a cooking channel?

 

[lxskllr]

 

[Dari]

Enough for what? It really depends on how high maint your wife is. We would normally just order a pizza or some other kind of take out and call it a night. I say normally because this year the Preds have a game on Valentine's Day so we'll be going to that and probably eating a burger or something.

I'm not a woman. And we've known each other for less than a decade, so I play the important dates conservatively. No fuckups equals no nagging or regrets down the line. I hate nagging.

How sure are you of that? Tried watching a cooking channel?

Ok. So what meals would you suggest?

 

[DrDoug]

If you want to eat out on Valentine's Day in New York your best shot is to reserve seats within one or two weeks after Christmas. I got lazy this time around and, frankly, tired of being herded like cattle and charged 2X to 3X the same meal any other day. I gave my wife the news a couple of weeks ago and, surprisingly, she was cool with it. So, what options do I have? I can't cook. She likes lobster and we usually get the cooked ones at The Lobster Place in the Chelsea Market. Do y'all think that is enough? If not, can I order catered meals from restaurants and pick them up on that day? If so, where?

You have to reserve seats in advance to eat out on Valentine's Day? I guess I've been doing it wrong. :biggrin:

My wife and I went through the Valentine's stuff for about fifteen years before we both decided to drop it in favor of doing something special together when we both wanted to, rather than doing it on a specific date as if to prove something that neither of us had to prove.

No crowds, no pressure, no problems, all fun.

 

[Ruptga]

I know what you can eat on valentines day, giggity.

This is the obvious answer, though to be fair the obvious was never a strong suit of Dari's.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Just go out to eat some other time this weekend

 

[child of wonder]

Wife and I don't even bother going out to eat near Valentine's Day. We're going to cook at home again this year: pan seared sea scallops, risotto, and asparagus. We splurged and picked up an expensive bottle of wine that we'll drink after the kids go to bed.

The last weekend of the month my parents have the kids overnight and that will be our V-Day getaway as we stay in downtown Minneapolis, eat at the new Surly restaurant, catch a comedy show, then probably finish the night drinking tequila at Barrio.

OP - cooking is so simple. Get some fresh tuna steaks, good olive oil, baking potatoes, brussel sprouts, bacon, and shredded asiago cheese. Get a bag of salad, shredded carrots, croutons, and a dressing she likes.

1 hour before meal time, set the fish out on a plate so they come to room temperature.
Heat oven to 400F. Clean the potatoes, poke a few times with a fork, and rub with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Place right on the oven rack and cook in oven one hour (add 15 minutes if you got those huge baking potatoes).
Marinate brussel sprouts in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper for 10+ minutes. Place on cookie sheet and cook in oven with potatoes for ~45 minutes.
With ~15 minutes left on the potatoes and sprouts finishing, cook bacon until crispy and crumble it up.
With ~5 minutes left on potatoes and sprouts, bring a pan to medium high heat, add olive oil to coat pan. When pan is hot (oil is shiny) salt and pepper one side of the tuna and drop it in. At 2 minutes, salt and pepper the other side and flip. Cook 2 minutes longer and done. Inside will be red, outside cooked to a crisp (exactly what you want).
Sprinkle some shredded asiago cheese on the potatoes about 2-3 minutes before taking them out.

Serve with a simple side salad (grab a bag from the grocery store, toss in her favorite dressing, croutons, and carrot shreds) and a good bottle of wine and prepare to enjoy Valentine's day vagina.

 

[MustISO]

How about a nice lunch instead of dinner or a brunch that morning? We're going to do lunch instead of dinner out. We typically say home and the wife cooks a nice dinner. No way I'd be out on Valentine's Days.

If you'd like to prepare a nice dinner you can do something basic like pork chops or chicken in the oven. You could buy dessert during the day.

Pasta would be very easy to do, you could dress it up a little with fresh veggies or a vodka sauce.

 

[DrPizza]

My wife and I went through the Valentine's stuff for about fifteen years before we both decided to drop it in favor of doing something special together when we both wanted to, rather than doing it on a specific date as if to prove something that neither of us had to prove.

No crowds, no pressure, no problems, all fun.

That's what we've done since year 1. Not worth the bother, inferior service at restaurants, since they're more crowded, etc.

 

[zinfamous]

Popeyes

 

[Red Squirrel]

Order pizza, avoid the crowds. :awe:

 

[MrRamon]

Ribeye, baked potato, and asparagus. Cook it! You got this!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I am going to be completely serious: Lobster tails are ridiculously easy to cook. Get 4-6 from the deli counter and cook them like this:

http://allrecipes.com/video/567/how-to-broil-lobster-tails/detail.aspx

(more or less. When I do it, I pull the meat out of the shell, close the shell, and lay the meat on top. It's presentation, that's all.)

Steam some asparagus (wash, cut into 1.5-2" lengths, sprinkle with salt and a pat of butter, microwave on high for 3-4 minutes in a closed tupperware, shake to distribute butter) and, if you have a rice cooker, make a box of pre-seasoned pilaf or couscous. (Those "Near East" brand boxed ones are usually alright, although my housemate thinks they're a bit over seasoned.) With a rice cooker, it's a just-add-water-and-walk-away thing.

Our local grocery store also sells little 4-serving cheesecakes, which would be perfect for dessert.

The bad news is, now she thinks you can cook.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Oh, Costco sells lobster tails.

 

[MrRamon]

Stone Crab Claws are a good way to go also.. mmm

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Cooking on a stove isn't too hard, and cooking with an oven is even easier. Follow the instructions, don't think 'I'll leave it in a bit longer', or 'I'll take it out a few mins sooner', and just pay attention to it. Your wife probably will at least appreciate the effort you were willing to do for her, even if the meal isn't a success.

And if Valentine's Day is meant to do one thing it's not 'spent lots of money on someone' like the commerce wants you to believe, it's showing you care enough about someone to go the extra mile. Doing something you had never done before is a good start, and way better than going to the same restaurant you went to 10 years in a row.You can always take her out another day, surprising your significant other is better than turning her life into 'Oh, it's Valentine's day soon, so he'll take me to that restaurant again and order lobster for me because I liked that the previous years too'.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

make something heart shaped
cake/pasta/etc
done

maybe add a trail of flower petals with some candles for ambiance.

not sure why it has to be dinner since vday is on a weekend this year. you could do something like dance lessons. cooking class. picnic in the afternoon if it's relatively warm.

breakfast/brunch/lunch

 

[Sonikku]

Stay home and feed her your dick.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nut...s-valentine’s-day/ar-AA91biE?ocid=vt_fbmsnhlt

 

[Ruptga]

Stay home and feed her your dick.

A woman after our own hearts :wub:

 

[CraKaJaX]

Stay home and feed her your dick.

ATOT never disappoints. :thumbsup:

 

[BurnItDwn]

Dick is more of appetizer and desert, but for main course, maybe theres places in NYC that have good food that dont do reservations? A Place we really like uses "No wait" instead, it works really well for us. Its more or less like you can say you are waiting in line when you arent there yet ...