Food News: Valentine's Day roundup

Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is inescapable.

Thankfully, here in Prague, we're subjected to fewer commercial bombardments from the Feb. 14 holiday than those in the West, so while there's still no shortage of chocolate hearts and roses for those who want them, it's easier to either ignore the dreaded day completely, to splash out and show that special someone that you really care - or just to get in on some special menus at some of the city's most romantic addresses.  

If the way to one's heart is through the stomach, there are plenty of ways to ensure that you and your loved ones are plenty loved up. Here are just a few.

The Hilton hotels live up to their name with several classy options for V-Day. Hilton Prague hosts a five-course dinner at its star restaurant, CzecHouse Grill & Rotisserie, starting at 6 p.m. The package offer includes dinner for two, live harp music and entry to an exclusive after-party at the hotel's Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge, whose Valentine's Day party features a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, special strawberry-chocolate treats, two glasses of Moet & Chandon Rosé Champagne and tickets to a raffle. The cost is 2,950 Kč per couple. Entry to the Cloud 9 after-party is free of charge, with a set price of 590 Kč for raffle tickets, champagne and dessert. For reservations, call 224 842 700.

The downtown branch of the international chain, Hilton Prague Old Town, hosts a romantic dinner at its Zinc restaurant, featuring live jazz. A four-course menu with wine pairings will include gratinated fine de Claire oysters, U.S. beef sirloin and pan-fried fois gras. The price of 1,290 Kč per person includes a welcome drink, four courses, water and coffee or tea.

For some pan-Asian flair, Buddha-Bar is preparing a four-course fusion menu for Valentine's Day. With an amuse bouche of poached oyster in truffle baked with wasabi, the menu showcases foie gras creme brulee, lobster cream with lime leaves and smoked-salmon pudding, roasted sirloin in batter drawn with morel juice or halibut poached in coconut steam with pokchoi, pepper puree and edamame ravioli, and praline cake with orange mousse. The menu costs 1,990 Kč per person; call 221 776 400 for more info.

If the sky's the limit for your love, then the restaurant atop Prague's tallest building, Aureole, may be just the ticket. For 3,600 Kč per couple, a menu of four-courses will be served, in Asian fusion style. The menu includes an amuse bouche of baby carrot and Enoki mushrooms in fresh organic soil with tarragon creme fraiche; sushi variation "New Era" Kappa Maki (cucumber), Sake Sashimi (salmon) and Maguro Sashimi (tuna) with marinated ginger, yellow radish and Kikkoman soy sauce; Tom Kha Kai soup; black Angus bull striploin roasted in beech smoke, sweet-potato purée and fresh spinach with black truffles and veal glace; and chocolate shell with banana Espuma, warm chocolate and crispy gold nuggets. To book, call 222 755 380.

From the Aureole folks, the newly opened Soave Italian restaurant in Prague 3 has an equally impressive Valentine's menu, featuring a welcome drink of Prosecco; sliced smoked French duck breast with apple-orange salad, sparkling wine jelly and badian reduction; chestnut cream with Madagascar vanilla and port wine; rabbit leg confit in sweet-potato cream, baby-gem salad and pancetta ragout in morel sauce; sea bass fillet and ravioli with tiger prawn filling, lobster cream and fava beans; and a warm chocolate fondant with sour-cherry sauce and curd mousse biscuit, with home-made sorbet. The price is 590 Kč per person for three courses and 990 Kč for five courses. Call 222 232 776 to book.

The Movenpick's Il Giardino restaurant has a special package with a five-course dinner for two and a night's stay in one of the hotel's double rooms for 2,850 Kč per couple. The deal includes dinner, a bottle of local wine, live music, breakfast, free parking and a surprise. Call 257 151 111 for more info.

Cakes and wine

For those looking for a sweet fix for their sweetheart to enjoy at home, The Candy Store has special heart-shaped cakes in several varieties (cheesecakes, carrot cakes and more) for 590 Kč a pop. Stock up on American goodies and candy, as well. Call 602 318 010 for more info.

The wine club Club del Vino has several gift options for Valentine's Day. With either its Discovery package of six bottles of New World and/or Spanish wines (1,750 Kč) or the Premium package of the same with tasting notes and food-pairing suggestions (2,500 Kč), gift delivery can be ordered for 50 Kč, including luxury wrapping in satiny paper and ribbons and delivery to any address nationwide.

For the meat lover's lover, the club also has gift boxes of choice Argentinean beef with a bottle of Malbec for approximately 1,800 Kc, depending on the cut, as well as gift packaging of any three bottles of wine from Antonio Banderas' Spanish vineyards for 297-700 Kč. Visit Clubdelvino.cz and Nestar.cz for more info.

A ruby surprise

In the Lucerna Passage, Patisserie Saint-Tropez specializes in handmade bonbons and chocolates, which you can watch the patisserie chefs hard at work making right on the premises. For Valentine's Day, there is an array of aphrodisiac chocolates on offer, with a special price of 160 Kč per red box. And consume carefully: Not only are the flavors like jasmine, chili and others worth savoring, there's also a real ruby hiding in one chocolate out of Saint-Tropez's Valentine's batch. See Cafe-st-tropez.eu for more info.

Fiona Gaze can be reached at
fgaze@praguepost.com