A heart-shaped box of chocolates is nice and all, but cliché gifts just don’t cut it when surrounded by Wine Country’s world-class dining and one-of-a-kind experiences. From sweet treats to wine tastings to intimate, gourmet dinners for two, Sonoma County has numerous Valentine’s Day happenings to spread the love this year.
All dinners will be held on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, unless noted otherwise. Make reservations early, as space is limited and fills up fast.
Valentine’s Day dinners
Folia Bar & Kitchen
The restaurant at Appellation Healdsburg will offer a Valentine’s menu with seatings from 5-7:30 p.m., Feb. 13-14. The five-course menu curated by chef Charlie Palmer and his son, chef de cuisine Reed Palmer, features Hog Island oysters, Taylor Bay scallops, Dungeness crab beignets, capellini with lobster boudin blanc and filet mignon with potato fondant. Dessert is a chocolate macaron. Dinner is $185 per person and an optional add-on wine pairing is $125 per person. Reserve on OpenTable. 101 Dovetail Lane, Healdsburg, 707-723-2130, foliabarandkitchen.com
Dry Creek Kitchen
Chef Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen will celebrate Valentine’s Day with a five-course tasting menu from 5-9 p.m., Feb. 13-14. The menu includes beet salad with rosé vinaigrette, porcini bucatini with Liberty Duck sugo, and short rib en croute with black truffle jus. Dessert is a ruby chocolate mousse with raspberry-red currant compote. Dinner is $175 per person and a supplemental wine pairing is $95. Reserve on OpenTable. 317 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-431-0330, drycreekkitchen.com
Spoonbar
The restaurant at Healdsburg’s h2hotel will host a Valentine’s weekend with a selection of specials in addition to its regular menu, from Feb. 13-15, while supplies last. Featured specials include Dungeness crab salad, ricotta gnocchi with braised short ribs and Flannery Beef tomahawk steak for two. Festive $14 cocktails will also be available, such as a raspberry chocolate martini. Reserve a table on OpenTable. 219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-433-7222, spoonbar.com
Sushi by Scratch
The Healdsburg sushi restaurant will host a weekend Valentine’s omakase experience, with seatings from 4-8:30 p.m., Feb. 13-15. The 17-course dinner will include a welcome cocktail, a sparkling wine toast and a farewell tea. Additional bites and beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $285 per person. Learn more and reserve a seat on Tock. Located inside The Matheson, 106 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-579-7916, sushibyscratchrestaurants.com/healdsburg
Valette
Chef Dustin Valette’s eponymous restaurant will host a Valentine’s dinner from 5-9:45 p.m. with a five-course tasting menu. The menu includes scallop en croute, beetroot ravioli, prosciutto-wrapped filet mignon and butter-poached lobster. Dessert includes Volo Volo dark chocolate mirror cake, passion fruit bavarois and raspberry ganache bonbons. Dinner is $145 per person and a wine pairing is $95 per person. Supplemental add-ons will be available for purchase and a la carte items from the Valentine’s menu will be served at the bar on a first-come, first-served basis. Reserve on OpenTable. 344 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-473-0946, valettehealdsburg.com
The Matheson
Chef Valette’s other Healdsburg restaurant, The Matheson, will host a Valentine’s dinner from 5-9 p.m. with a five-course tasting menu. The menu includes citrus-cured Hawaiian kampachi, crimson-rouge celeriac soup, local petrale sole, and brown-butter-roasted filet mignon. Dessert is a Vine to Bar chocolate dome with preserved cherry, white chocolate snow and cocoa nibs. Dinner is $165 per person, an optional wine pairing is $125 and a supplemental caviar course is $95. Reserve on OpenTable. 106 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-723-1106, thematheson.com
Montage Healdsburg
Hazel Hill restaurant at Montage Healdsburg will host a Valentine’s dinner from 5:30-9 p.m. featuring a four-course menu. Dinner is $195 per person, and add-ons include a $95 wine pairing and bottles of Cristal, Ruinart Blanc de Blanc and Dom Pérignon Champagne ($160-$750). Reserve on OpenTable. Montage Healdsburg’s Scout Field Bar will also serve specialty Valentine’s cocktails from Feb. 13-15. 100 Montage Way, Healdsburg, 707-979-9000, montage.com/healdsburg
Bistro Lagniappe
Chef Jacob Harth’s Bistro Lagniappe will host a farm-to-table Valentine’s Day dinner with seatings available from 6:45-9 p.m. The three-course menu includes lamb tartare, potato and leek soup, Dungeness crab risotto, wagyu tri-tip steak and McFarland Springs trout. Dessert includes mille-feuille, chocolate pot de creme and citrus sorbet. Carte blanche items are available, along with a list of cocktails, wines and beers. Dinner is $70 per person. Reserve on OpenTable. 330 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-473-8181, lagniappehealdsburg.com
Little Saint
Healdsburg’s premier vegan restaurant will celebrate Valentine’s Day with a dinner from 5-9 p.m. and an upstairs party from 7 p.m. to midnight. The prix fixe menu includes winter citrus salad, black bean and mushroom tetelas, leek sikil p’ak and “surprise bites” to start and finish the meal. A spiced chocolate dessert consists of pâte sucrée, tamarind caramel and cinnamon ice cream. DJ Saint Rose Disco will host the upstairs party, which will include a full bar, popcorn cart and indie rom-coms played all night. Dinner is $75 per person and includes free access to the Valentine’s party. The party is $10 per person for non-dinner guests; tickets are available at the door and on Eventbrite. Reserve dinner on OpenTable. 25 North St., Healdsburg, 707-433-8207, littlesainthealdsburg.com
Lazeaway Club at the Flamingo
Celebrity chef and drag icon Arnold Myint will host a Valentine’s dinner, with seatings at 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., as part of his pop-up dinner series at Flamingo Resort’s Lazeaway Club restaurant. The family-style dinner will include Thai-Burmese dishes served at communal tables. Tickets are $95 per person and include a signed copy of Myint’s cookbook “Family Thai.” Additional copies of the book are $40. Reserve on OpenTable. 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-510-4533, lazeawayclub.com
John Ash Restaurant
The restaurant at Vinarosa Resort will host a four-course Valentine’s dinner from 5-9 p.m. The menu includes Hog Island oysters, Osetra caviar, grilled treviso salad, parsnip and pear soup, chestnut cavatelli, seafood curry and Akaushi beef short rib. Dessert is a blood-orange pavlova with Cara Cara orange compote, vanilla bean cream and blood-orange gel. Dinner is $145 per person and an optional wine pairing is $75. Reserve on OpenTable. 4330 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa, 707-527-7687, vinarosaresort.com/dining/john-ash
Safari West
The Sonoma Serengeti will host its 25th annual Valentine’s Safari Tour from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Feb. 14-15 (Feb. 14 date now sold out). The event starts with beverage service, appetizers and oyster bar offerings, followed by the “Love Bites” meal featuring salad, ginger carrot soup and steak with garlic shrimp on a bed of polenta. A vegetarian option includes a stuffed portobello mushroom over risotto with grilled asparagus. A “guilty pleasure wild dessert” will be included. After the meal, guests can attend a discussion on animal courtship followed by the “Safari Sex Tour” (adults only). Learn more and purchase tickets online. 3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa, 800-616-2695, safariwest.com
Glen Ellen Star
The Glen Ellen Star will host a Valentine’s dinner from 5-9:30 p.m., Feb. 13-14, with seatings available in the main dining room, the chef’s counter and the heated outdoor alley. The prix fixe menu includes scallop crudo, coconut curry bisque, butter-poached Maine lobster tail, Snake River zabuton (Denver steak) and roasted acorn squash. Dessert is a strawberry-glazed dulce de leche blondie. Dinner is $135 per person. Reserve on Resy. 13648 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707-343-1384, glenellenstar.com
Songbird Parlour
Glen Ellen’s Songbird Parlour will host a Valentine’s dinner from 4-9 p.m. with a five-course tasting menu. The menu includes celeriac soup, kanpachi crudo, duck leg confit and filet mignon. Dessert is a gâteau au chocolat with whipped coffee ganache, cocoa-nib streusel and warm caramel. Dinner is $120 per person and an optional wine pairing is $45. Reserve on Toast. 14301 Arnold Drive, Suite 3, Glen Ellen, 707-343-1308, songbirdparlour.com
Wit & Wisdom
The Lodge at Sonoma Resort restaurant will host a Valentine’s dinner from 5-9 p.m. with a three-course prix fixe menu. Dinner includes crab and endive Caesar salad, hamachi crudo, braised short rib, Mary’s brick chicken, Ora King salmon and Michael Mina’s Maine lobster pot pie. The “Cupid’s Arrow” dessert consists of dark chocolate mousse, devil’s food cake, hazelnut and Frangelico crème anglaise. A la carte items and optional add-ons, like a seafood tower and a pasta course, will also be available for purchase. Dinner is $115 per person. Reserve on OpenTable. 1325 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-931-3405, witandwisdomsonoma.com
Santé at Fairmont
The restaurant at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa will host a Valentine’s dinner from 5-9:30 p.m. featuring a four-course menu and optional wine pairings. The menu includes Tsar Nicoulai caviar, Hawaiian kampachi crudo, goat cheese tortellini, Painted Hills Beef prime filet, roasted duck breast, and macadamia-crusted sea bass. Dessert includes a chocolate ube cheesecake and a matcha sponge cake with strawberry coeur à la crème. Dinner is $139 for adults and $39 for children ages 6-12. Reserve on OpenTable. 100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, 707-938-9000, fairmont-sonoma.com
Layla at MacArthur Place
The restaurant at MacArthur Place Hotel will host a Valentine’s dinner from 6-9:30 p.m. with a special prix fixe menu. The menu includes wild shrimp cocktail, black truffle arancini, Dungeness crab cake, hamachi and tuna poke, braised pork cheeks, roasted butternut squash curry and a dessert trio. Dinner is $125 per person and a wine pairing is $60. Reserve on OpenTable. 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, 707-938-2929, macarthurplace.com/food-drink/layla-restaurant
El Dorado Kitchen
The restaurant at El Dorado Hotel will host a Valentine’s dinner from 3:30-9 p.m. featuring live music by cellist Christian Dupree. The three-course prix fixe menu includes steak tartare, beet salad, sole roulade, filet mignon, lobster cannelloni, wild mushroom risotto and vegan enchiladas. Dessert options include chocolate mousse, Meyer lemon cake, and rose water crème brûlée. Dinner is $120 per person. Add-ons include caviar, oysters and truffle fries. A children’s menu is available a la carte. Reserve on OpenTable. 405 First St. W., Sonoma, 707-996-3030, eldoradosonoma.com/el-dorado-kitchen
OSO Sonoma
Sonoma restaurant OSO will host a Valentine’s dinner from 4-9 p.m. with a three-course prix fixe menu. The menu includes deviled eggs, Caesar salad, braised short rib and blackened Cajun-spiced salmon. Dessert is a choice of butterscotch pot de creme or warm chocolate brownie with caramel sauce and vanilla bean gelato. Dinner is $82 per person. Reserve on OpenTable. 9 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-931-6926, ososonoma.com
Stellina Alimentari
The Italian deli and market will host a pop-up Valentine’s dinner for two with seatings from 5-7:15 p.m. in Petaluma. The four-course prix fixe menu includes a chopped vegetable salad, saffron Dungeness crab ravioli, a grilled prime petit filet and a molten chocolate cake for dessert. A vegetarian menu is available upon request. The dinner for two is $200. Add-ons include a wine pairing for $70 per person, herbed focaccia ($30), a half-dozen Hog Island oysters ($25) and a half-dozen Wild Gulf poached prawns ($20). Reserve online. 160 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-774-6156, stellinaalimentari.com
The Lodge at Dawn Ranch
Guerneville’s The Lodge at Dawn Ranch will host a seasonal Valentine’s dinner, with current seatings available from 7:45-8:30 p.m. The six-course tasting menu features oysters with Champagne granita, kohlrabi tartlet, black cod with salsa verde and chocolate mousse with rhubarb. Dinner is $185 per person and an optional wine pairing is $295 per person. Reserve on OpenTable. 16467 Highway 116, Guerneville, 707-869-0656, dawnranch.com
Farmhouse Inn
The Restaurant at Farmhouse Inn will offer a Valentine’s dinner from 5:30-8:30 p.m. with a special six-course menu. The menu includes Marin Miyagi oysters, grilled herbed focaccia, lobster mousse raviolo and prime New York steak for two. Dessert is a passion fruit bonbon with chocolate crémeux and passion fruit sherbet. Dinner is $125 per person and a wine pairing is $75. Reserve on OpenTable. 7871 River Road, Forestville, 707-887-3300, farmhouseinn.com
The Sea Ranch Lodge
For a romantic coastal escape, The Sea Ranch Lodge will offer dining and lodging specials over Valentine’s Day weekend. Valentine’s menu specials include Dungeness crab carbonara, a heritage chicken roulade for two, and strawberry sorbet with dark chocolate crémeux for dessert. The Lodge will also offer in-room couples massages and Valentine’s craft activities for kids from 12:30-2:30 p.m., Feb. 14. Reserve a table on OpenTable and book a room online. 60 Sea Walk Drive, The Sea Ranch, 707-579-9777, thesearanchlodge.com
Coast Kitchen
The restaurant at Timber Cove Resort will host a Valentine’s dinner from 5-8:30 p.m. with a four-course prix fixe menu. The menu includes oyster and ahi crudo, wild mushroom gnocchi, beef tenderloin and lime-crusted northern halibut. Dessert is a flourless chocolate espresso cake with peppermint crème anglaise and raspberries. Dinner is $160 per person. Reserve on Resy. 21780 Highway 1, Jenner, 707-847-3231, coastkitchensonoma.com
Winery events
Korbel
Guerneville’s Korbel winery will host its annual Bubbles & Bonbons tasting experience throughout February. The 21-and-over tasting will feature four Korbel Champagne samples paired with bonbons from Fleur Sauvage Chocolates. Reservations are at 1:30 p.m. and limited walk-ins are available daily. The tasting is $40 for the general public and $20 for wine club members. Reserve online. 13250 River Road, Guerneville, 707-824-7319, korbel.com
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Jordan Winery will host a three-day Valentine’s weekend celebration from 2:30-4:30 p.m., Feb. 13-15, at the Jordan Chateau. Guests will be seated at private tables on the estate’s Vista Point pavilion for a caviar tasting, featuring Jordan Chef’s Reserve Caviar by Tsar Nicoulai paired with estate wines and executive chef Jesse Mallgren’s blini. The tasting is $150 per person. Find more details and purchase tickets online. 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, 707-431-5250, jordanwinery.com
Francis Ford Coppola Winery
Throughout Valentine’s weekend, from Feb. 13-15, Coppola Winery will treat guests to a complimentary pour of the estate’s Reserve Rosé. There will also be exclusive deals on cases and six-packs of the rosé. The winery tasting room will hold two-for-one tastings at the main bar, which includes a complimentary pour of Port paired with chocolate. Rustic, the winery’s Italian restaurant, will offer a Valentine’s surf and turf for two, featuring Stemple Creek New York steak, crab cakes and grilled cauliflower. The dinner is $90 and the regular menu will also be available. Reserve a table at Rustic on OpenTable. 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville, 707-857-1400, francisfordcoppolawinery.com
Bartholomew Estate Winery
Bartholomew Estate will host a chocolate-making class from 3-5 p.m. on Valentine’s Day. Guests will be greeted with a glass of wine, a chocolate fountain and chef-crafted bites. Sheana Davis of Epicurean Connection will teach the class how to make chocolate truffles with various ingredients to choose from. Each guest will go home with a box of six custom truffles. The class is $90 for the general public and $80 for wine club members. Reserve on Tock. 1000 Vineyard Lane, Sonoma, 707-509-0540, bartholomewestate.com
Sweet treats
Fleur Sauvage Chocolates
Valentine’s confections are available for preorder and pickup at the Windsor chocolate shop. Specials include a dark chocolate heart filled with 12 bonbons ($65) and a 14-day Valentine’s advent calendar filled with assorted bonbons ($39). Regular chocolate offerings will also be available. Purchase in-store or preorder via email (to FleurSauvageChocolates@gmail.com) for pickup on chosen date. 370 Windsor River Road, Windsor, 707-892-2162, fleursauvagechocolates.com
Cookie…take a bite!
The Santa Rosa cookie shop is offering Valentine’s cookie tins for delivery and pickup. Assorted cookie flavors include triple chocolate, lemon, jam thumbprints, chocolate raspberry and more. Tin sizes are available in deluxe (20 cookies for $29.50), premium (over 30 cookies for $39.50), and platinum (over 50 cookies for $58). The shop is also offering custom Valentine’s conversation heart cookies ($7 each) for pickup only. Order in-shop or online. 430 Larkfield Center, Santa Rosa, 707-291-1785, cookietakeabite.com
Stellina Pronto
Preorder Valentine’s desserts by 7 p.m., Feb. 13, for delivery or pickup in Petaluma on Feb. 14. Sweets include linzer hearts, chocolate-dipped strawberries, molten chocolate cake, red velvet mousse cake, raspberry heart cream puffs and passion fruit coconut meringue tarts. Order online. 23 Kentucky St., Petaluma, 707-789-9556, stellinapronto.com
Bijou
Preorder Valentine’s desserts by 5 p.m., Feb. 11, for pickup on Feb. 14 in Petaluma. Desserts include Cupidon ($36), made with pistachio financier, pistachio white chocolate crunch, raspberry confit, pistachio cream, and fresh raspberries; and a chocolate-hazelnut cake ($28) topped with a chocolate glaze and roasted hazelnuts. Each dessert serves two to three people. Order online. 190 Kentucky St., Petaluma, 707-753-9155, restaurantbijou.com
Nom Nom Cakes
The coastal bakery is offering Valentine’s specials for delivery and pickup in Bodega Bay. Specials include floral cupcakes, a vintage heart cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, a raspberry mousse tart and a Valentine’s cookie-decorating kit. Order online. 390 Calle del Sol, Bodega Bay, 805-350-0680, nomnombaking.com