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Tables For Two

Time's running out to make your Valentine's dining plans.

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By KURT LOFT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 1, 2008

Whoever invented Valentine's Day must have been in the restaurant business.

Along with the hard-earned cash guys shovel out on flowers, they burn plenty of bucks on this annual night of packaged sentiment, when prices soar and chocolate takes on mythical proportions.

The ladies love it, of course, as they should. Problem is, most guys don't plan ahead. They wait until the last minute to make a reservation at a fancy-schmancy place, which most likely is booked solid.

Panic sets in, and suddenly a milkshake at Steak 'n Shake sounds pretty good.

Well, we care about your emotional career, which is why you're reading a Valentine's dining story two weeks before the big event. To ease your pain, we called all sorts of restaurants around the area, asking about special menus, fixed prices, champagne and other amorous accouterments.

The good news is a lot of classy places offer Valentine's fare, while others are sticking with their standard menus and prices. For some owners, the night is a delight.

"We always have a good crowd for Valentine's, everybody has a big time, and it's good business," says Bill Shumate, owner of the popular Bella's Italian Cafe in south Tampa. "And we always have some specials, like red ravioli. It's just a festive night."

At Bellini's in Dunedin, owner Ciro Mancini expects at least 250 people to cram his elegant restaurant for Valentine's, so he's sticking with what he does best — his regular fare.

"Last year we had 230 people and this time it's going to be more," he says of the reservation list. "A problem is trying to accommodate everybody with a small menu for that night."

A regular menu means the kitchen keeps cool and diners don't get stabbed in the wallet, says Julio Ruiz, owner of the venerable Café Don Jose, a Temple Terrace landmark since 1975.

"I don't think it's fair to the customer," he says of fixed-priced Valentine's menus. "Restaurants are swamped that day so they make a limited menu to get more bang for the buck. It's the same with New Year's Eve, where they charge $100 for a champagne toast. C'mon."

So, you make the call. And we mean that literally. Lots of places will be booked by the time you finish reading this story, while many others that don't take reservations will be slammed that night. But inevitably, people holding reservations will cancel, so tables will open up. Call the restaurants for times and updates.

 

Valentine's Specials

Here are our choices for restaurants offering special, fixed-price Valentine menus. Regrettably, we couldn't include restaurants that had yet to decide on their menus.

Six Tables, 4267 Henderson Blvd., Tampa; (813) 207-0527. This small, elegant spot is offering fixed-price Valentine's dinners over three nights, Feb. 14-16, with seatings at 6 and 9:15 p.m. The six-course celebration includes seared scallops, duck, beef, rabbit, pompano and lamb; $110 per person plus $18 gratuity.

Restaurant BT, 1633 W. Snow Ave., Tampa; (813) 258-1916. One of Tampa's most creative restaurants offers exquisite French-Vietnamese fare, and the kitchen will serve up a night of delight for $100 per person.

Roy's, 4342 Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa; (813) 873-7697. One of the area's hot spots for fresh seafood and Hawaiian fusion fare, Roy's will offer fixed-price Valentine's specials depending on the entree order, ranging from $55 to $85 per person.

Cafe Dufrain, 707 Harbour Post Drive, Harbour Island, Tampa; (813) 275-9701. Specializing in contemporary fusion, the restaurant overlooks the water and downtown, which makes this a terrific venue for Valentine's and a four-course dinner for $50 a person.

Columbia Restaurant, 2117 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City; (813) 248-4961. Ybor's grand dame of Spanish restaurants offers three seatings of a four-course dinner that includes a live flamenco show for $50 a person.

Watercolour Steakhouse and Grille, Marriott Sand Key, 1201 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater Beach; (727) 596-1100. The $160-per-couple fixed-price dinner (plus tax and gratuity) includes four courses — duck, Dover sole, lobster bisque, Kobe tenderloin — along with a glass of champagne.

La Terrazza, 1727 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City; (813) 248-1326. This intimate Italian restaurant on the main drag will offer a three-course Valentine dinner for $40 per person, ranging from lobster ravioli to veal.

Mise en Place, 442 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 254-5373. This acclaimed restaurant across from the University of Tampa will be serving a decimal special: choose from 10 appetizers, 10 entrees and 10 desserts for $75 person a person.

Cafe Ponte, 13505 Icot Blvd., Clearwater (in the Icot Center); (727) 538-5768. One of the area's finest culinary gems is offering a four-course menu with fish, beef and other fare, along with a glass of champagne, for $75 a person.

Armani's, Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, 2900 Bayport Drive, Tampa; (813) 207-6800. If anybody cancels, you might have a fighting chance on the waiting list at this elegant bayside fixture. The fixed-price, $125-a-person menu includes four courses and a glass of wine.

Gallagher's Steak House, 615 Channelside Drive, Suite 203, Tampa; (813) 229-8000. The $85-per-person fixed price includes appetizer, a main course and dessert. Don't pass up the dry aged beef.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, 4322 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa; (813) 874-9463. This attractively appointed restaurant augments its a la carte menu and 100 wines by the glass with two Valentine's specials — a 40-ounce porterhouse and naked lobster in puff pastry — for $98 a couple.

Zen Forrest, 4148 Rowan Road, New Port Richey; (727) 372-9545. Each year, chef Victor Wang creates something special for his "aphrodisiac menu," a five-course mix of cuisines from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand for $60 per person.

 

Regular Menus

Many of the area's finer restaurants offer outstanding menus that need no Valentine embellishment. Here's a suggestive selection.

Bellarte, Radisson hotel, 12600 Roosevelt Blvd., St. Petersburg; (727) 572-7800. Hotel restaurants often can be an indigestible proposition, but the creative menu and elegant setting here stand out, and we have no qualms enjoying the kitchen's standard fare for Valentine's.

Bern's Steak House, 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa; (813) 251-2421. Are you kidding? Tampa's most famous restaurant was booked for 2008 Valentine's Day during World War II. You'd have better luck getting tickets to the Masters at Augusta National, but call anyway to see if a cancellation has opened a table.

The Capital Grille, Bay Street at International Plaza, 2223 N. West Shore Blvd., Tampa; (813) 830-9433. This regal restaurant serves an eclectic and contemporary menu, emphasizing steak, seafood and poultry.

Charley's Steak House, 4444 W. Cypress St., Tampa; (813) 353-9706. Why mess with a good thing? People come here for the high-end beef and seafood.

Council Oak Steak and Seafood, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 5223 N. Orient Road, Tampa; (813) 627-7628. There's no reason to offer a special Valentine's menu here because this place rocks with its spectacular menu and atmosphere.

Malio's Prime Steakhouse, 400 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa; (813) 223-7746. This high-end restaurant serves heavyweight beef in a sexy New York setting.

Cafe Don Jose, 12350 N. 56th St., Tampa; (813) 985-2392. Nothing fancy here other than a delicious blend of Spanish, continental, Mediterranean and Tampa cooking.

Tio Pepe, 2930 Gulf-To-Bay Blvd., Clearwater; (727) 799-3082. One of the area's finer Spanish restaurants sticks to its guns with its regular menu and killer sangria.

Alfano's, 1702 Clearwater-Largo Road, Clearwater; (727) 584-2125. Old-world Alfano's offers its usual menu of creative Italian dishes and crack professional service.

Bella Brava, 515 Central Ave., St. Petersburg; (727) 895-5515. One of downtown's hottest spots, newly renovated and with a revamped menu that will include a few additional Valentine's specials at individual prices.

Bella's Italian Cafe, 1413 S. Howard Ave., Tampa; (813) 254-3355. One of south Tampa's most popular spots caters to regulars who love the pasta, fish and personal pizzas.

Bellini, 487 Main St., Dunedin; (727) 733-5449. This hot spot in Dunedin offers fine Italian cuisine in an operalike setting with live music in the lounge.

Lauro Ristorante, 3915 Henderson Blvd., Tampa; (813) 281-2100. With its distinctive European look and pitched roof, Lauro is hard to miss along commercialized Henderson Boulevard. The chefs plan a limited menu for the big night, and expect plenty of Northern Italian classics.

Red Mesa, 4912 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg; (727) 527-8728. A favorite haunt for Southwest fare in St. Pete, the restaurant presents its usual array of appetizers and entrees with a special Valentine's dessert.

Kelly's for Just About Anything, 319 Main St., Dunedin; (727) 736-5284. The limited version of the normal menu includes special lobster, grouper and other entrees, plus Kelly's famous homemade "chocolate stack."

Catch Twenty-Three, 10103 Montague St. (West Park Village Town Center), Westchase; (813) 920-0045. With a menu specializing in fresh fish — Scottish salmon or Costa Rican tuna, for instance — the restaurant swims with the best, and will offer a few special high-end Valentine's entrees.

Oystercatchers, 6200 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa; (813) 207-6815. The seafood here is among the freshest in town, one reason the restaurants sticks to what it does best with its sharp, varied menu.

Rigatoni Tuscan Oven, 3437 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 879-7000. A cozy spot right on busy Kennedy Boulevard, the restaurant is cooking its regular menu with a few special items thrown in for lovers.

Yoko's Japanese Restaurant, 3217 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa; (813) 835-4311. Sushi and sashimi lovers can't go wrong with the normal fare here, as the product is fresh and imaginatively prepared.

Thai Sweet Basil, 3875 Northdale Blvd., Tampa; (813) 961-8898. Presenting its traditional fare, the restaurant mixes beautifully presented Thai classics with innovative newer dishes.

Spain, 513 Tampa St., Tampa, (813) 223-2831. A few specials will augment the traditional Spanish flavors of this restaurant in the heart of downtown. Live flamenco guitar graces most nights.

Stump's Supper Club, 615 Channelside Drive, Tampa, (813) 226-2261. Stump's nostalgic atmosphere and stick-to-the-ribs comfort food is down-home eatin'.

Pelagia Trattoria, Renaissance Tampa Hotel at International Plaza, 4200 Jim Walter Blvd., Tampa; (813) 313-3235. Management pampers without pretense, and the chef paints a vibrant canvas of Mediterranean cuisine.

Donatello, 232 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; (813) 875-6660. For years, Donatello has been synonymous with class, and caters to Valentine couples who love its stock in trade — Northern Italian fare.

The Wine Cellar, 17307 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach; (727) 393-3491. This restaurant earned its stars for the grand experience and classic style, and is noted for its prime rib, beef Wellington, seafood and extensive wine list.

Kurt Loft can be reached at (813) 259-7570 or kloft@tampatrib.com.

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