Where to celebrate Valentine's Day at Bloomington restaurants
With Valentine's Day falling on a Monday this year, many Bloomington restaurants are offering specials during the weekend as well as on Feb. 14, even some that are usually closed on Mondays. From lobster and crab cakes to chocolate brownies and cheesecake, there's something for everyone's taste.
Three-course special at Irish Lion
A three-course dinner for $65 per person plus tax and gratuity will be offered 4-10 p.m. Feb. 12 and 13 at Irish Lion Restaurant and Pub, 212 W. Kirkwood Ave. Reservations are required; go online to www.irishlion.com.
The dinner will begin with a choice of alcoholic (Kir Royale) or nonalcoholic (Sweet Sunrise) drink followed by an appetizer of Ploughman's plate, oysters on the half shell or shrimp cocktail. Entrée choices are a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mushrooms, béarnaise sauce, caramelized carrots and parsnips; or a grilled lobster tail with oven-roasted Brussels sprouts and baked potato. Dessert options are chocolate cake with strawberry sauce or strawberries and cream cheesecake. Both come with chocolate-covered strawberries.
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Irish Lion's full menu will be available, along with Valentine's Day cocktails and a full wine list. The restaurant will be closed on Monday, Feb. 14.
Carryout or dine-in options at Cardinal Spirits
At Cardinal Spirits, 922 S. Morton St., Valentine's specials will be available Friday through Sunday, while supplies last. Specials include Cardinal's lobster roll with a Meyer lemon aioli, special Creole spices, celery, shallots, parsley on a butter-toasted bun and a couple of special cocktails.
Carryout cocktails will be available Feb. 11-14 and include Love Potion No. 9 with Tiki Rum, Flora liqueur, raspberry-rose syrup, lemon, lime and raspberry garnish; and Hot and Heavy, with Creekbend Brandy, spicy chipotle syrup and orange for garnish.
A special three-course dinner and cocktails to be enjoyed at home will be offered, carryout only, on Feb. 14. Preorders are required at cardinalspirits.com; cost is $65 for a dinner for two with choice of appetizer, two entrees and one dessert. Appetizer options are cheese and charcuterie board, quinoa salad, roasted tomato and fennel soup and seafood chowder. Entrée options are short rib beef "bourbon-gnon," lobster roll and cauliflower steak. For dessert, the choices are 10Best cake or double banana bread pudding.
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Lennie's dessert and dinner options
From Feb. 11 to 14, Lennie's will have a cherry-almond dark chocolate brownie topped with cherry sauce (made with Dillman Farm cherry preserves) and served with Chocolate Moose ice cream as a Valentine's special.
From 4 to 9 p.m. Feb. 14, Lennie's will have a special appetizer of tomato-basil soup with cheese tortellini as well as two special entrees: wood-fired balsamic rosemary glazed pork loin with blue cheese mashed potatoes and grilled lemon-butter asparagus; and risotto with butternut squash, spinach and roasted red peppers finished with heavy cream and Pecorino Romano. Meal prices vary.
Reservations at Lennie's, at 514 E. Kirkwood Ave., are encouraged but not required. Go online to https://www.lenniesbloomington.com.
Upland two-person specials can pair with beer
Upland Brewing Co.'s Bloomington brewpub will offer specials along with its regular menu from Feb. 11-14. No reservations are required. The Valentine's special feeds two people with each patron receiving soup, salad and an entrée. The two will also get a shareable-sized warm brownie for dessert. Cost is $65 per couple. Beer pairings for each course are available for $10 for a 4-ounce pour.
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The meal begins with carrot soup topped with cumin lime cream followed by a roasted fall squash and winter greens salad with sweet and sour onions, rye croutons and goat cheese, all tossed with house-made balsamic dressing. Entrée choices are bone-in chicken breast served with smashed potato, arugula, onion gastrique and romesco; winter squash with couscous and fresh greens; and smoked pork chop with house-made sausage stuffing, green bean casserole and beer-braised apples.
Upland's Bloomington restaurant and pub is at 350 W. 11th St.
Uptown Café special menu is a la carte
Uptown Cafe is offering an a la carte Valentine's menu from appetizers to entrees. Appetizers include wild-caught jumbo shrimp cocktail, house-made beef and ricotta meatball marinara and oyster artichoke soup.
Entrée choices are gorgonzola-crusted filet mignon, pan-seared black cod with browned butter, Creole barbecue shrimp, chicken piccatta and exotic mushroom risotto. Prices vary. For more, including desserts and hours, go to www.the-uptown.com. Uptown Café is at 102 E. Kirkwood Ave.
FARM offers brunch, special menu
FARMbloomington's Valentine's specials will be offered Feb. 11-14 with the restaurant's regular brunch menu offered 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 11-13. Dinner will be 5-10 p.m. Feb. 11-12 and 5-9 p.m. Feb. 13-14. Prices vary.
In addition to the regular menu items, the "soup D'Orr" will be love apple veloute (tomato bisque) with Parmesan/basil float with the option to add crab for $5. Other starters include Maine-style jumbo lump crab cakes; Good Life greens salad; baguette with house herb butter; and pork crackling chips served with Mexican chili-lime seasoning and chard tomatillo salsa.
Main courses include vegan puttanesca pasta with roasted winter squash, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, capers and vegan Parmesan; frutti di mare pasta with house marinara, mussels, calamari, clams and shrimp; grilled french-cut chicken; seared salmon with horseradish cream, turnip and kale sauté and cranberry chutney; and slow-stewed lamb shoulder with dried apricot, mint, toasted pumpkin seeds and pearl couscous.
Desserts include chocolate fondue for two with strawberries, pecan bar, pretzels, marshmallow, sugar cookies and orange segments; "Cream and Crimson" with a red velvet crush, vanilla/lemon zest cheesecake and red berry coulis all drizzled with chocolate; vegan Valentine fruit coupe with vegan white chocolate mousse and cranberry granita; and caramel and coconut praline snowball cake with candied pecans and butterscotch sauce.
FARMbloomington, at 108 E. Kirkwood Ave., will be closed on Tuesday, Feb 15, instead of Monday, Feb. 14.
Truffles offers special menu
Truffles restaurant at 1131 S. College Mall Road will have a four-course special dinner on Valentine's Day. Cost is $85 per person. Reservations are limited; call 812-330-1111.
The dinner will begin with a choice of spicy curried carrot and ginger soup, Toscana soup, Caesar salad or greens salad followed by second-course options of shrimp cocktail; Kumamoto oysters on the half shell; hoisin-glazed Sichuan ribs; tempura calamari; warm, pine nut-crusted goat cheese served with crostini bread; vegetable samosas; or charcuterie and cheese.
Diners can then choose from a grilled, 6-ounce beef filet served with potatoes fondant and asparagus in a bordelaise sauce; seared duck breast with roasted red potatoes, green vegetables and smoked apple butter; roasted chicken breast supreme with mashed potatoes, sauteed green vegetables served with a black truffle gravy; a surf-and-turf of 12-ounce New York strip streak and barbecue shrimp with sweet corn and pancetta succotash; herb and butter broiled grouper with parsnip root puree, collard greens served with a garlic sauce; and vegetarian cauliflower steak with sauteed greens, butternut squash, red pepper sauce, parsley and walnut pesto.
Dessert options are sea salt and caramel cake with vanilla ice cream; key lime pie; flourless chocolate torte; New York cheesecake; red velvet custard with biscotti; and two chocolate truffles and one bottle of Red Velvet Baileys, which can be purchased by patrons for them to take home.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com, 812-331-4359 or @ckugler on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington restaurants celebrate Valentine's Day from Feb. 11-14
