Top Ten Last-Minute Restaurants for Valentine's Day
The title of this blog entry is a little misleading, but what I wanted to call it would have been too long. Think of this list as the top 10 restaurants where I would try to get reservations for Valentine's Day if I had waited until today to make reservations. I would just go down the list.
None of them is the classic Valentine's Day restaurant (those have probably been booked for weeks), but each of them will provide a fairly romantic setting and decent food. I know that personally, except for the last one -- which I still think is worth a try if you've gone through the rest of the list and all of them are booked.
I tried to give my reasons for thinking there might still be a table for you and your significant other. I can't promise anything, obviously. But if you try and any of these is booked, I hope you'll post below. And I'll post an entry on Friday encouraging mini-reviews of the restaurants people did go to on Valentine's Day. Maybe it'll be helpful for next year, if that's not looking too far ahead.
Also, if none of these appeals, you can go to Open Table and plug in the date to see what restaurants still have openings. As of yesterday there were 31 in Baltimore city.
Here's my list: ...
1) Junior's Wine Bar (1117 S. Charles St., 410-727-1212) in Federal Hill. When I ate there last week it wasn't booked for V Day yet, I'm assuming because it's so new. But the front dining room is very romantic and our meal was good, although the place can get noisy. Maybe not so much when everyone is billing and cooing...
2) Tabrizi's in Harborview. People forget about this upscale Mediterranean restaurant on the water because of its out-of-the-way location. The four-course meal with wine costs $75, and dinner includes your choice of veal, rockfish or quail for an entree.
3) Pierpoint in Fells Point. This restaurant now has owner Nancy Longo's full attention since the Green Spring Station venture closed. It's always had plenty of style. Now that she's back the food should be as good as it used to be.
4) Sascha's 527 in Mount Vernon. I ran into owner Sascha at the gym last week, and she told me this good-looking restaurant with the interesting food wasn't booked yet.
5) Martick's Restaurant Francais (214 W. Mulberry St., 410-752-5155) behind the Enoch Pratt. This can be a truly entertaining place to eat with decent French-inspired food, but your date has to like quirky experiences. People forget about Martick's because of its location and because it's been around so long.
6) Orchard Market & Cafe in Towson. Persian food may not be the first cuisine that comes to mind as the food of love, but this out-of-the-way restaurant has lots of charm and good food. Many put it in the hidden treasures category.
7) Donna's in Charles Village. For whatever foolish reason, last year my husband and I decided to go out for dinner last minute on Valentine's Day. This is where we went. This Donna's is often underused because of the parking situation (or rather lack-of-parking situation). Disclaimer: I've known owner Donna Crivello since she worked at The Sun.
8) Suzie's Soba (1009 W. 36th St., 410-243-0051) in Hampden. This has more style and less hon-ness so it's a little more romantic than many of Hampden's eating places. A restaurant that has lips in neon as its logo seems right for Valentine's Day. The food is Japanese and Korean fusion.
9) Rumor Mill in Ellicott City. The executive chef, Tim Daugherty, and his sous chef, Brandon Pekar, are having a three-course Valentine's Day cook off. The mind boggles. But at least it will be different.
10) Tark's Grill in Green Spring Station. This is a shot in the dark, but if you're desperate, I would give this new place, which bills itself as upscale casual with American cuisine, a try. I know a lot of money was spent on renovations there in the space where Longo's was. Tark's opened yesterday, so how booked could it be?
(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)
Comments
Whatever happened to the Prime Rib? That was the best and classiest from the '60s thru 2000. There were some ups and downs through all those years but it remained tops for me with the panio and bass. I believe they were the 1st in Baltimore to put a phone in the mans bathroom. Never used it but it was there just in case. Very cool. Had many wonderful romantic dinners there over 4 decades.
I'm assuming the Prime Rib is booked by now, but it never hurts to check.
Posted by: Rich | February 12, 2008 8:11 AM
Here's another suggestion: Indigma at Madison and N. Charles.
Posted by: gosseyn | February 12, 2008 8:56 AM
Oh, no, you put Junior's at the top of the list!
I called there yesterday to get our reservation (and yes, they were still open), but now hordes of your readers are going to jam pack the place!
We had our first date at Vespa so we are still looking forward to it, no matter how crowded it gets.
Posted by: mitzi | February 12, 2008 8:58 AM
Okay, now we know that EL works out--a good thing!
People might get lucky with trying one of the more popular places at the last minute to see if there are cancellations. The flu is knocking people down right and left. I am one down for the count.
Posted by: Dahlink | February 12, 2008 10:01 AM
Pierpoint is always a good choice!
Posted by: Eve | February 12, 2008 10:46 AM
So is Junior's in the spot where Vespa used to be?
I thought Vespa was always over priced for the quality of food.
Posted by: Zaskar | February 12, 2008 12:02 PM
A friend told me (after I made a suggestion to him to take his wife there for Valentine's) that Sotto Soppra was charging something like $200 for no shows. Can't blame them (the restaurant).
Posted by: Eric | February 12, 2008 12:15 PM
everyones favorite "miss shirley's" also has a great special valentines dinner this thursday!
Posted by: gloria buddemeyer | February 12, 2008 12:44 PM
The Rumor Mill is the place to be. Never did competition taste so good! The staff of Rumor Mill is exceptional.
Posted by: Laura Klebanow | February 12, 2008 1:06 PM
I just got an email with Valentine's specials from Ryan's Daughter, so I'm guessing that they still have availability.
BTW, Elizabeth -- I've seen you mention Open Table, but haven't noticed any mention in your blog of restaurant.com. If you haven't checked it out, I recommend it. They offer discounted restaurant gift certificates (for instance, pay $10 for a $25 GC), and regularly have amazing "sales" with 60-70% off. For people like my husband and me, who enjoy dining out but don't want to break the bank (and aren't embarrassed to use a gift certificate), it's a real find. We eat out much more frequently and try many new places thanks to finding them on the site.
And for those who DO use the discounted GC's, don't forget to tip your server on the full, pre-discount amount of your check! :)
Posted by: Linda | February 12, 2008 1:06 PM
I think Martick's is a great choice. I had dinner there once at about 8:30 on a Saturday night. We were the only customers in the dining room! There's something very romatic about having the restaurant and wait staff all to yourself.
Posted by: Stephanie | February 12, 2008 1:07 PM
Did not realize that Tark's had opened. After looking at the menu and the prices (look at the wine prices while sitting down) you should have a column to let your readers guess at the length of time they will be open! Why do people think that that site is meant for an upscale restaurant when the only place that has succeeded there previously has been casual? (Harvey's)
Posted by: Alan | February 12, 2008 2:28 PM
Another option is the Carlyle Club (500 W University). Lebanese food in a beautiful atmosphere. We went there one year for a last-minute New Year's dinner, and I remember wondering why it wasn't more crowded!
Posted by: Betsy | February 12, 2008 3:04 PM
Good ole Maurice Martick. I love that place, but please folks...hush hush!!
Posted by: Lisa Hawks | February 12, 2008 3:46 PM
Don't Know Tavern will have free drinks (ladies only) and a lite buffet from 5-8pm along with 1/2 price crabcakes for Valentine's Day. Ladies will also receive special treats and roses. Reservations still available.
Posted by: Jason | February 12, 2008 6:00 PM
I'll second Betsy's plug for the Carlyle Club. I think the problem they have is lack of easy parking (not everyone likes to use valet parking), but the food is fabulous, and the room is very romantic, especially if they have a fire going. The CC saved my birthday dinner last year when Longo's closed without notifying us that they wouldn't be open to honor our reservation.
Posted by: Dahlink | February 12, 2008 8:02 PM
Question: Why is it that the ladies always get free drinks and other benefits. This occurs not only on Valentine's Day but other times as well. (Ladies also get to call free on those phone sites that are advertised at 2AM - not that I particularly pay much attention to the ads.) I'm just asking, because it seems to be a practice that is antediluvian and a bit sexist.
Posted by: Rob | February 13, 2008 8:36 AM
Rob: Think bait. What better way to attract the hyper-hormoned Y chromosome, than with lots of X chromosome types. And coming full circle, what better way to attract X chromosomes than 'free'. Not so antediluvian, more Darwinian.
2am phone sites I will leave to your mother to explain to you, at sooo many levels.
(And since I'm here, thank you for the bday ditty.)
Posted by: Robert (the Single One) | February 13, 2008 12:40 PM
I won't comment on the bait aspect. I don't want someone wishing E.D. or syphyllis on me. I've already got gout and heart disease overnight from the wrathful celery god. I guess I shouldn't have taunted the gods on my blog. But his son is doing well in my NASCAR survey. Ow, my big toe hurts ... Gout Pockets!
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | February 13, 2008 1:36 PM
Speaking of mothers (wait for it), I heard one of the worst pick-up lines ever recently.
You're pretty, you look like my mom.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | February 13, 2008 1:44 PM
OMG wrote:
Speaking of mothers (wait for it), I heard one of the worst pick-up lines ever recently.
You're pretty, you look like my mom.
It all depends on how old the guy saying this was. Could be brilliant. Nice guy, good to his mother ...
Posted by: Dahlink | February 13, 2008 2:54 PM
Even if she's a cougar, that's a little too Freudian, I think.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | February 13, 2008 6:28 PM
OMG - I love the Lego Bible link on your blog.
Posted by: Janet | February 14, 2008 7:22 AM