Love in the Time of COVID: Where to Wine and Dine With Your Valentine

Valentine’s Day is Sunday, Feb. 14 and cupid is ready to party. Whether your plan includes some self-love, a virtual Galentine’s gathering, or being with your S.O., celebrate with some of these great specials from around the neighborhood.

Want to show some love to the locals? Your neighborhood artisans are ready to help you nose dive into the true meaning of this holiday: sugar. Chocolate, pastries, and candies — oh my, indeed.

• Maria Alejandra Rivera is offering a sampling of Portuguese desserts in small ($10) and large ($20) tasting boxes, including the iconic pasteis de nata. For a list of items and to place an order, visit her Facebook page, Cadinho Bakery.

• Abigail Corral is offering gift boxes of classic chocolate peanut clusters for $10 per dozen. For more info and to place an order, visit her Instagram.

• Amanda Persons is offering six packs of French macarons for $14. For flavors and to place an order, visit her Instagram.

Many of your favorite restaurants are featuring multi-course dinners for pick-up or delivery. And they’ve got you covered from the appetizers to dessert to drinks.

• Local mainstay, Daisies (2523 N. Milwaukee Ave.), is offering Valentine’s Day packages for pick-up, delivery, or dine-in. The menus vary slightly but they all feature their famous pasta and desserts from Brite.

• At Dos Urban Cantina (2928 W. Armitage Ave.) you can choose between a lamb barbacoa or oyster mushroom and red mole feast starting at $99 with options to add regular, skinny, or top-shelf margaritas.

• Flat and Point (3524 W. Fullerton Ave.) is ready for whatever you have planned for your valentine. Its four-course dinner can be picked up as a cold kit to cook/reheat on your schedule or hot and ready to serve.

• Sibling restaurants Osteria Langhe (2824 W. Armitage Ave.) and Testaccio (2456 N. California Ave.) are offering multi-course dinners for pick up at $100, plus an option to add cocktails and wine. While both are Italian, Osteria Langhe’s menu celebrates Piedmontese cuisine and Testaccio draws its inspiration from Rome and the Mediterranean.

• Local CSA Weird Thyme is putting together a four-course dinner for $140 using ingredients from popular purveyors such as Werp Farms. The decadent meal includes cheese and charcuterie, duck confit, and French macarons and will be available for delivery or pick-up at Webster’s Wine Bar (2601 N. Milwaukee Ave.). And where there’s Webster’s, there must be wine, right? Right! Wine pairings will be available for purchase and orders should be placed by Monday, Feb. 8.

• What is more romantic than a spectacular display of meat and cheese? Truly, nothing. Resident charcuterie master, Table, Donkey & Stick (2728 W. Armitage Ave.), is highlighting a five-course shared tasting menu for $100 that includes beef heart pastrami and duck liver mousse, as well as a raclette feast for $85. But if you and your curd nerd are looking for a lighter, hors d’oeuvres-y type option, Beautiful Rind (2211 N. Milwaukee Ave.) has a package that includes a bottle of sparkling wine, a cheese board, and chocolate truffles for $50.

• For those ultra-fancy cocktails (because let’s face it, sometimes a G&T isn’t going to cut it) Billy Sunday has you covered. Starting at $15 a pop, you can choose from a special Valentine’s Day menu that features Champagne, rye, or mezcal cocktails, or opt for one of their tried-and-true concoctions.

• Maplewood Brewery and Distillery (2717 N. Maplewood Ave.) is rolling out some special beers for the occasion. On Feb.12, Triple Raspberry Morbidly Obese Pug will be available on tap in limited quantities and on Valentine’s Day, Maplewood is rolling out its brand new Cuppa Chocolate Strawberry.

• Pretty Cool Ice Cream (2353 N. California Ave.) is partnering with Marz Brewing (3630 S. Iron St.) to bring some nostalgia to your Valentine’s Day with ice cream float kits. Each kit makes two floats and is decked out with two Marz sodas, a pint of Pretty Cool’s vanilla cherry chip ice cream, and all the fun fixings.

• For the ultimate collaboration, check out the “Love in Logan” package brought to you by a number of local businesses. Each set includes a tostada dinner for two from Lonesome Rose (2101 N. California Ave.), a four-pack of Clover Club from Hopewell Brewing (2760 N. Milwaukee Ave.), half of a strawberry-passion fruit cheesecake from Bang Bang Pie (2051 N. California Ave.), flowers from Fleur (2651 N. Milwaukee Ave.), and a romantic or family-friendly game courtesy of Play (3109 W. Logan Blvd.).

However you decide to celebrate, Logan Square has something for every kind of valentine. And remember, love may be in the air but you still have to wear a mask.

Featured photo: File