AMERICA'S MOST ROMANTIC RESTAURANTS 2/4/2011 4:24:44 PM Link | | Add comment From The February 2011 issue of Travel & Leisure
Sure, ocean sunsets are a romantic cliché, but that doesn’t make them any less dramatic. And sunset views from every table out over the Pacific Ocean and Russian River bathe the River’s End in romance. The wine (heavy on area vintages, of course) and food only add to the experience. Share the succulent Dungeness crab—fresh off the Sonoma Coast fishing boats—and don’t miss the made-for-two crème brûlée with bourbon-soaked vanilla beans and chocolate ganache.
When comfort food is the key to a romantic evening, this French farmhouse–style restaurant—modeled after a Provence auberge—is where to go. Dishes like “grand-mère’s” rabbit stew and Louisiana shrimp with butternut squash risotto served in cast-iron skillets feel right at home in the restaurant’s intimate wood-and-stucco setting.
Florida’s most secluded retreat can be reached only by seaplane or boat, but a meal at Little Palm Island is worth the quick trip over the Gulf’s azure waters. Explore the five-and-a-half seaside acres along crushed seashell paths, then meander to the breezy, candlelit dining room. Dine on the terrace set above the beach or at a table right on the white sand, next to a roaring bonfire.
The romance of this small ski town is only enhanced by the Snake River Grill’s sophisticated spin on Wild West dining. With its wood-burning oven and luxe log-cabin atmosphere, “the SRG” (as locals call it) sets the mood for delicious dishes like elk osso bucco and goose leg confit
The setting may be a 19th-century stone-walled citrus-packing house, but the experience at this rustic SoCal restaurant (in the T+L award-winning San Ysidro Ranch) is thoroughly modern. Find your table laid with fresh, local sunflowers; then share a Belgian chocolate pot de crème under the stars on the ocean-view deck, with its wood-burning fireplace and heated stone flooring.
Set at 10,900 feet, this Aspen bistro serves up 40-mile views of the surrounding peaks, along with an Alps-like menu of raclette, venison ragout, and strudels. Open only on Thursday nights during ski season (December–April), this snug, former ski patrol hut serves dinner to guests arriving via a starlit snowcat ride up the mountain in the Aspen Highlands. Choose from spiced cider, mulled wine, or hot cocoa to keep you warm during the half-hour trip.
Ignore all the marriage proposals taking place around you: the real romance here is the iconic New York City view, looking out to the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty. But unlike some view-focused restaurants, the American menu lives up to its iconic surroundings (and has a Michelin star to prove it), featuring stone crabs from Florida, chicken from the Pennsylvania Amish, beef from Nebraska, and foie gras from the Hudson Valley.
Some advice: arrive early for your reservation. Views of the Blue Ridge Mountains—seen by a pre-dinner stroll around the property—are the perfect appetizer to a romantic dinner. And “Chef’s Table” dinners kick the romance factor up a notch: sit next to the kitchen’s baronial fireplace and watch as chef Patrick O’Connell creates a multicourse meal before your eyes.
Calling a Thomas Keller restaurant “romantic” is kind of like calling an Apple product “well designed.” Yet the combination of a Napa setting, three Michelin stars, and careful-to-a-fault service makes The French Laundry impossible to ignore. The real world practically disappears as you pass through the vine-covered entrance to this sanctuary of inventive, French-inflected American cuisine.
The mashup of chic, modern Everest and Chicago’s circa-1893 stock exchange building creates a spark that fuels its romance. Adding to the flame is a rich menu complemented by some 1,600 bottles of wine. The views don’t hurt, either, with the Sears Tower and its imposing neighbors just beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Draped in 900 yards of rich fabric, mood-lit with candelabras, and topped off with a floral centerpiece featuring dozens of orchids, Fleur de Lys, in San Francisco’s Nob Hill area, is opulent dining at its best. Share dishes from a mouthwatering menu of fresh caviars, fondants, soufflés, and meat cuts, plus a specialized—and equally indulgent—vegetarian menu.
L.A.’s Little Door may as well be called The Secret Garden—its intimate patio, accessed through rustic wooden doors, is filled with bougainvilleas and has a tiled fountain and koi pond. Wrought-iron candelabras bathe the lush garden in soft light, and an outdoor bar serves champagne and wine (and the entire selection is offered by the glass).
No, you’re not in Napa Valley—The Vineyards, set amid junipers, limestone ledges, and (of course) rows of vines, is pure Texas Hill country. Dine on mesquite prime rib and poblano corn chowder in the glass-enclosed patio with views of the active vineyard and rose garden, or in the candlelit wine cellar. Complement the meal with a bottle from the house selection of Texas vintages, like the restaurant’s signature cuvée. Cap off the night with dessert at a private table set among the vines.
As cheesy as a replica Eiffel Tower might seem—especially in Sin City—this is no Vegas buffet. Ride the glass elevator to the 11th floor, high above the buzzing Strip, where you can watch the Bellagio’s water-fountain light show from floor-to-ceiling windows. Choose from an extensive French menu—from blue cheese soufflé to herbed crêpes and creamy foie gras—all paired with the restaurant’s wide variety of wines.
Glassmaker Simon Pearce’s restaurant, housed in a restored mill overlooking the falls of Vermont’s Ottauquechee River and its covered bridge, is a food destination worth its out-of-the-way address. The exposed-brick and blond wood terrace dining room—hanging over the falls—is open and airy in the summer and fully glass-encased during winter. Ask for “table #5,” an intimate two-seat table set directly over the rushing river.
Whether or not you believe in the oyster-as-aphrodisiac theory, this Boston restaurant is the place to indulge on bivalves. And these are fresh—brought in from coastal Duxbury, just outside the city. Romantic ambience comes with shutters made of Wyoming snow fence, a Jet Mist granite bar, Vermont farmhouse-reclaimed wood wainscoting, and a three-dimensional wall of Gabion cages filled with the signature mollusk’s shells.
While a 12-acre organic farm minutes from downtown Phoenix may sound like a mirage, Quiessence, set in a historic farmhouse at the back of the sprawling property, is enchantingly real. Walk along a crooked flagstone path, behind a walled garden, to your table under light-strung trellises on the patio. A daily-evolving menu dictated by local produce, house-made pastas, and a well-edited domestic wine and cheese menu round out the experience.
Located in the original carriage house of Charleston’s stately Wentworth Mansion, the building dates back to—you guessed it—1886. And it still boasts much of its original charm, like the wood-burning kitchen fireplace, stable doors, and gleaming heart-of-pine floors. Retreat into one of the recessed booths set along one wall, designed to mimic the original carriage openings, to enjoy dishes like truffle-laced roast chicken and fennel-dusted Carolina trout by candlelight.
This eclectic South Beach restaurant is located off the lobby of The Hotel, an Art Deco hot spot designed by the ever-stylish Todd Oldham. Persian-inspired mosaic door pulls, airbrushed tiles, and velveteen sofas define the indoor dining room, but the real draw is the restaurant’s courtyard, where white umbrella-canopied tables sit amid lush, tropical greenery and lit-up palm trees. Surprise your date with a pink champagne or apple martini—aglow with colorful neon ice cubes.
Start with the restaurant’s signature coconut mai tai as you settle in to a “sunset table” on the outdoor lanai overlooking Kauai’s Poipu Beach. Watch whales playing in the surf, or simply focus on the flavorful Pacific Rim cuisine in front of you—macadamia buttered mahimahi, fresh ceviche served in a coconut shell, and the molten chocolate “desire,” a decadent flourless chocolate mocha tart.
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AMERICA'S MOST ROMANTIC RESTAURANTS