As is often the case, Carnival season will encompass Valentine’s Day, though, lucky for lovers, the annual celebration that’s the apex for romance falls on a Monday this year when no parades are scheduled to roll. On its surface Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and romance. As such, this would logically lead celebrants to the bedroom. However, a casual, and in no way official, survey of New Orleanians who routinely acknowledge Valentine’s Day with celebration revealed that the romance of Valentine’s Day leads not to the bedroom but to a special meal a deux, most often in restaurants accustomed to the arrival of such gustatory-minded romantics on the feast day of St. Valentine. In preparation for their arrival chefs and restaurateurs plan special menus and bits of lagniappe to accommodate them. Likewise, special provisions are often undertaken to welcome Mardi Gras revelers.
Always top-of-mind for both Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day celebrations, this year is no exception at Commander’s Palace.
On February 18th, Commander’s will start celebrating you and your favorite Krewe, Mardi Gras or otherwise, over lunch. Guests are encouraged to show up in costume (dress code appropriate still applies) or wearing some kitschy Mardi Gras throws. Every day over lunch through Lundi Gras, a different King and Queen will be designated to reign over each dining room, making for much royalty and frivolity under one roof.
Chef Meg Bickford kicked off the Carnival season when she rolled out King Cake ice cream. The rich confection is currently on offer as the house-made, daily special ice cream on the Commander’s menu or you can grab it to go from Le Petit Bleu, Commander’s next door to-go market. Open daily and just steps from the St. Charles Avenue parade route, the upscale take-out spot is ready for paradegoers and party throwers with muffulettas; pimento cheese and pepper jelly finger sandwiches; Chisesi ham and brie croissants; parade route poor boys; and daily selections from the Commander’s menu.
Commander’s is accepting reservations for Valentine’s Day or, for lovebirds cozying up at home, consider Veal Chop Tchoupitoulas from Le Petit Bleu. Each order Includes two raw 14-ounce center cut bone-in veal chops, asparagus spears, stone ground grits enriched with Creole cream cheese and green peppercorn Tchoupitoulas sauce. Just sear off the chops, plate up the delicacies and enjoy adoring applause.
A burnished grid fitted with hanging plants of many varieties drops a few inches from the ceiling at The Bower in the Lower Garden District, and a large rectangular planter bisects the dining room lending a secret garden effect to a clean-lined space. To one side of the room a jewel-like craft cocktail bar headed up by Mickey Mullins is lit in an intimate way to offset the vibrant concoctions on the counter. At the rear of the space is the open kitchen manned by Chef Marcus Woodham and expansive picture windows overlook a lushly planted courtyard and outdoor dining spaces. The menu is divided into small plates, house made pasta, large plates, house-made charcuterie, cheeses and boards. On Valentine’s Day the cocktail bar will be serving up Rums and Roses cocktails (Diplomatico and Don Q rums, rhubarb liqueur, grapefruit juice and rose syrup garnished with dried roses).
Located in the Central Business District, for the past four years Briquette has inhabited the space built in the 1800s as the home of Rodd Brothers Molasses Refinery. At the center of the vibrant, contemporary space is an exposition-style kitchen enclosed with glass. An 18-foot char grill and parallel chilled bar displaying numerous specimens of whole fish divides the restaurant from the kitchen and sets the tone for the menu. On February 14, proprietor Anna Tusa will welcome romantics with a Two Can Dine for $99 three course menu. Guests will be seated with an amuse buche from the kitchen, followed by a choice of the Briquette Salad or Crab Bisque. Entrées on offer for the special evening include choices of filet medallions served with seasonal sides and seafood garnishes and finished with sauce Béarnaise, or blackened redfish served over fresh arugula with fried green tomatoes and topped with grilled Gulf shrimp. For dessert diners will enjoy bread pudding beignets to share with demitasse cups of Irish coffee.
Check the Briquette website for a date and details but, per annual tradition, Briquette will partner with a top winery to offer a five-course Mardi Gras Masquerade Wine Dinner for $125 per person on a Friday evening in February. With a prime location on St. Peters Street, Briquette will be open all day on Mardi Gras Day.
A few blocks away, Copper Vine’s lush hanging garden, climbing vines and deep, plush seating create a sexy atmosphere. Gorgeous both inside and out, Copper Vine features several seating options both upstairs and down, including a deep balcony overlooking the action on Poydras Street. A popular spot with people who live downtown, the graceful building is on the National Register of Historic Places and once housed the legendary Maylie’s. The original bar inside was restored to serve 30 aromatic and flavorful wines on tap. Chef Amy Marthens’ menu pairs and shares easily. This place is a sure bet for scoring points for style on Valentine’s Day. Copper Vine will also host a Mardi Gras Wine Dinner. Visit the website for details.
Located in the ultra-hip Virgin Hotel, for dinner on Valentine’s Day Chef Alex Harrell of the Commons Club will offer three-course prix fixe dinner, complete with a large format entrée (to be revealed) that’s guaranteed to be perfect for sharing. Spirit Guide Christy Bradley will have lovers and others swooning for her special Raspberry Truffle Martini (Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, Skyy Raspberry Vodka, Chambord and blackberry syrup served up in a cocoa rimmed glass with Luxardo cherry garnish).
Couples looking for an extraordinary Valentine’s experience will find it in the Four Season’s Hotel’s A Streetcar Experience to be Desired package. A stay in the ultra-luxe hotel includes a private streetcar ride on our city’s historic St. Charles line. Your streetcar will be customized with music and décor to suit your special occasion. A local historian will await your arrival, ready to share the sights and sounds of the of the city you think you already know. Upon arrival back at the riverfront hotel you and your honey will enjoy a wine-paired dinner at Chef Alon Shaya’s Miss River, before retreating to your sexy suite. Upon your return home, you’ll receive an online album with professional photographs from your streetcar tour of town.
On Valentine’s Day Tujague’s will be welcoming guests to a new location on upper Decatur Street with an array of specialty Valentine’s Day desserts from Pastry Chef Karen Anderson. Throughout Carnival season Tujague’s will offer special Carnival-inspired cocktails from Beverage Director Amber Harrington. The Mardi Gras Smash (bourbon, blackberry syrup and Giffard passion fruit liqueur) celebrates the season.
Intimate and always interesting, Palm & Pine invites you to BYOD (Bring Your Own Dog) to Brunch on February 20, aka Barkus Sunday. The restaurant will be open with their normal hours and menu, and will have special dog treats and to-go drinks. On February 27, there will be a special Bacchus and Thoth Brunch 10:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m. The private Rampart Room is available for booking and a restaurant buyout is an option for bigger party needs.
Couples dining in Miss River on Valentine’s Day will experience the launch of the restaurant’s Love Letter menu. Curated by Chef Alon Shaya, the menu is the culinary personification of Alon’s Love Letter to Louisiana based on his experience of our local culture and cuisine in his nearly 20 years here. As the signature lobby-level restaurant of the long-awaited Four Seasons Hotel at the foot of Canal Street, Miss River is an over-the-top celebration of the kind of grand dining once so common here (and now something of a rarity). Culinary theater takes place around the Food Stage where chefs display extravagant plating of signature dishes like the Whole Buttermilk Fried Chicken served with dipping sauces and Clay Pot Dirty Rice that arrives with a crispy bottom, topped with pan-roasted duck breast, duck egg yolk, creamy liver pâté and scallions.
Lundi Gras will bring a “Pining for the 90’s Brunch” with a special 1990s theme, jams, offerings from an à la carte themed menu and themed cocktails. Get ready for some Cosmopolitans! Costuming as your favorite 1990s icon is highly encouraged.
On Mardi Gras Day, Palm&Pine will be open 9 a.m.-noon for to-go only for drinks and a limited menu of parade-friendly dishes like breakfast tacos, Foie Gras King Cake and Turkey Neck Gumbo.
On Valentine’s Day Palm&Pine is offering a special three-course menu for $60 with optional wine pairings for $30. There will be choices for each course and the menu will have some signature items as well as a few new dishes. Check the website for the latest details. Not open on Valentine’s Day but still super sexy, St. John is the spot for a pre- or post-Krewe du Vieux (February 12) meal or cocktail. The parade rolls one block from the French Quarter hot spot. With cozy booths overlooking the open chefs’ kitchen as well as outdoor balcony seating overlooking Decatur Street, Chef Eric Cook’s mind blowing haute-Creole cuisine and crafty cocktails make for an unforgettable experience.
Chef Nathanial Zimet usually takes Mondays off, but he’s making an exception for Valentine’s Day at Boucherie in the Riverbend area, where the covered tropical outdoor patio was recently doubled in size. If the evening is a cool one, towering outdoor heaters will keep you cozy while enjoying a special multi-course menu with wine pairings. Visit the website for more details.
Around the corner Bourree is offering the Bourree Snack Pack for at-home and parade route feasting. The $50 to-go pack includes a half-gallon of one of the daily daiquiri offerings (including King Cake, available through Mardi Gras Day), one dozen wings (with choice of two sauces), two orders of fries and two spicy fried chicken sandwiches. Bourree is also an official pick-up spot for those hard-to-get Dong Phuong King Cakes.
Both Arnaud’s and Galatoire’s are popular and worthy destinations for both romantic dinners for two and larger gathering for a Carnival krewe.
The former boasts the perennially popular Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum, named for successor and daughter of the restaurant’s founder, Count Arnaud. Wells allegedly reigned as Queen of over 22 Mardi Gras balls from 1937 to 1968, more than any other woman in the history of Carnival. The museum, located on the second floor of the expansive restaurant, showcases over two dozen lavish Mardi Gras costumes, including 13 of Mrs. Wells’ Queen costumes. The collection is enhanced by vintage photographs, fabulous Carnival masks and faux jewels, elaborate krewe invitations and party favors. The museum is free and open to all, not just restaurant patrons, during restaurant hours.
Each year, the Galatoire Foundation Mardi Gras Auction raises funds to aide local nonprofits. To date the auctions have raised more than $2.2 million. Now in its 16th year, the Mardi Gras auction will be held this year on Monday, February 7. One hundred percent of the funds raised at the auction will benefit Covenant House and Patio Planters of the Vieux Carré – the organization that produces Caroling in Jackson Square every holiday season – and the Galatoire Foundation. The auction allows attendees the opportunity to reserve the most coveted tables of the year for the Friday before Mardi Gras (February 25), the busiest day of the year for the restaurant.
Reservations for the Mardi Gras auction are now open. Cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m. The auction begins at 6:30 p.m. A $50 donation is required per couple with a $25 donation for every additional guest. Call Galatoire’s to secure a spot. Limited seating is available.
