Valentine’s Day has a way of sneaking up on us. We’re just getting used to it being a new year and, all of a sudden, February 14 is just around the corner. If you’re anything like us, you’re probably reading this and thinking, “I sure could use some elaborate ideas right about now.” Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered.
To help a fellow (scatterbrained) romantic out, we’ve listed 20 local restaurants that are serving up special meals this Valentine’s Day. Fancy gifts and romantic getaways are lovely treats but sometimes a simple dinner date is a perfect way to show someone how much you care. After all, the best way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, right?
Looking for some conversation starters? If you and your partner just started dating, you could look deeply into each other’s eyes as they twinkle in the candlelight and ask the 36 questions that lead to love. If you’ve been together for a while, you could ask the same questions to spice things up a little.
Whatever you end up talking about, we can guarantee that the food and ambiance will elevate the experience — Sonoma County restaurants are going all out this year to provide guests with a special evening over Valentine’s weekend. We’ve also included some at-home treats that can be ordered for pickup or delivery. Click through the above gallery to see the restaurants and what they have to offer.
Santa Rosa
John Ash & Co.
The chefs at John Ash & Co. have crafted an extensive prix fixe menu for Valentine’s Day. The menu includes various gourmet dishes to choose from for a three-course dinner, such as Hog Island oysters, ahi tuna tartare, angus beef carpaccio, vegetable napoleon, tomato gnocchi and roasted prawns, herbs de Provence-crusted rack of lamb, grand marnier chocolate pot de crème and strawberry pomegranate sorbet. The meal is $79 per person and reservations are highly encouraged. Reserve your dinner on OpenTable.
4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa, 800-421-2584, vintnersresort.com/dining/john-ash-co
Johnny Doughnuts
This Bay Area doughnut darling has released limited-edition sweet treats for Feb. 14. Their Valentine’s-themed Doughnut Hole Box ($27) features 12 assorted doughnut holes and is packaged with a handwritten card. The cut-off for online order of this limited-time box is Thursday, Feb. 10, at noon, and it is available for pickup from Feb. 11 to Feb.14.
Johnny Doughnuts will also be serving its classic doughnuts with a Valentine’s twist — such as the heart-shaped bismark filled with vanilla pastry cream, dipped in chocolate and coated with red sprinkles — in-store from Feb. 9 to Feb. 14. Custom doughnut gift boxes can also be ordered online for pickup or delivery during this time and will include a Valentine’s Day card and themed doughnuts.
1200 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-308-4836, johnnydoughnuts.com
Mountain Mike’s Pizza
Longtime California pizza staple Mountain Mike’s Pizza is serving up the love all month long with heart-shaped pizzas available on Valentine’s Day and the rest of February. The pizzas are served in love-themed pizza boxes and come with one topping of your choice, available at the same price as a large, one-topping pizza.
Locations in Cloverdale, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Windsor. mountainmikespizza.com
Ricky’s Eastbound
Ricky’s Eastbound will host a Valentine’s Dinner on Feb. 14, from 4:30-8 p.m. The Valentine’s entree specials will include almond-crusted salmon, red wine-braised lamb shank, grilled filet mignon and a pizza special with pancetta, pears, leeks and fontina. The entrees, excluding the pizza, come with a variety of sides, such as mashed potatoes and veggies. Valentine’s desserts include a berry shortcake and a butterscotch pot de creme. Reservations are not required.
5755 Mountain Hawk Dr., Santa Rosa, 707-843-5143, rickyseastbound.com
Walter Hansel Wine & Bistro
For Valentine’s weekend, Feb. 11 through Feb. 13, Walter Hansel Wine & Bistro will have a special menu full of indulgences. The menu includes an assiette de fromage (a tasting of assorted cheeses), Shigoku oysters, escargot a la bourguignonne, lobster bisque, beet salad, chicken cordon bleu, vegetarian risotto, grilled filet mignon, crème brûlée and more. Call 707-546-6462 or visit OpenTable to reserve a table.
3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, 707-546-6462, walterhanselbistro.com
Sonoma Valley
Tips Roadside
Tips Roadside will serve a special Valentine’s Dinner on Feb. 14, which features a prix fixe menu with some of the restaurant’s best Wine Country comfort food. The meal begins with a Cobb salad and a glass of champagne, the entree is a choice of smoked chicken or smoked prime rib, and the sides include creamed spinach, smoked mushrooms, baked potatoes and sourdough rolls. There will be a red velvet cake for dessert, and a full bar will serve local wines, craft cocktails and house-brewed beer. The meal is $95 per person and reservations are required. Reserve your table on Tock.
8445 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, 707-509-0078, tipsroadside.com
Glen Ellen Star
The cozy Glen Ellen Star will host a Valentine’s Day event on Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. with a prix fixe menu by Chef Ari Weiswasser. The Valentine’s menu features tasty seasonal fare including gougères (French puff pastries with cheese), wood oven-roasted golden beets, a winter salad with citrus dressing and whipped labneh, wood baked-scallops, grilled Snake River Farms zabuton steak, pommes puree with grated black winter truffle, and a chocolate mousse for dessert. The meal is $100 per person and reservations can be made on Resy.
13648 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707-343-1384, glenellenstar.com
The Girl & The Fig
Sonoma’s the girl & the fig serves French-inspired cuisine in a romantic atmosphere, making it a prime spot for a Valentine’s date night. The weekly rotating Bistro Plats Du Jour three-course prix fixe menu takes the guesswork out of what to order and features elegant dishes such as steak tartare, duck confit, wild flounder meunière and the chocolatey salted fig caramel trifle. Pair any of these signature dishes with an award-winning Rhône varietal wine. Wrap up the Valentine’s Day celebration with the girl & the fig’s sea salt chocolate chunk cookies.
110 West Spain St., Sonoma, 707-938-3634, thegirlandthefig.com
Wit & Wisdom
Sonoma’s Wit & Wisdom will celebrate Valentine’s Day with a four-course menu, which has a vegetarian option. The meat and seafood menu ($115 per person) includes romantic delicacies such as kumiai oysters, reserve caviar, king crab and endive caesar salad, hamachi crudo, ricotta gnudi, seared ahi tuna and wood-fired filet mignon. The vegetarian menu ($95 per person) features mushroom toast, black perigord truffle, heart of palm and endive caesar salad, beet carpaccio, ricotta gnudi and winter vegetable pot pie. Both menus have a raspberry macaron with almond, white chocolate and fresh raspberries for dessert. Reserve your table on SevenRooms or OpenTable.
1325 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-931-3405, witandwisdomsonoma.com
Petaluma
Acre Pizza
Another spot to pick up some heart-shaped pizza for your sweetheart. The thin-crust original comes with cheese; there’s an option to add pepperoni, potato or pesto. Also in Sebastopol.
1080 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma; 6760 McKinley St., Suite 150, Sebastopol, acrepizza.com
Cafe Bellini
Cafe Bellini has a special three-course Valentine’s Day dinner for $49 per person on Feb. 14. The first course is a choice between a burrata salad with tomatoes, fresh basil, balsamic glaze and olive oil, or risotto with shallots, cremini mushrooms, asparagus and parmesan cheese. The second course is a choice between a 12-ounce New York steak with fresh asparagus and chimichurri sauce; chicken scallopini in a demi-glace with marinated artichokes, fingerling potatoes and baby spinach; or petrale sole in a lemon butter wine sauce with garlic mashed potato and asparagus. The third course is a choice between tiramisu or creme brûlée cheesecake.
100 S. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, 707-774-6160, thecafebellini.com
Cattlemens
Cattlemens will serve a special Valentine’s dinner from Feb. 11 to Feb. 14 for $45 per person. The dinner includes a 14-ounce New York grilled steak and steamed lobster tail, served with a garden salad, sourdough bread, ranch-style beans and baked potato.
5012 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-763-4114, cattlemens.com/restaurants/petaluma
2400 Midway Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-546-1446, cattlemens.com/restaurants/santa-rosa
North County
Grata Italian Eatery
Teaming up with local farmers and businesses, Grata Italian Eatery put together a “Show Your Love (for Sonoma County)” five-course dinner for two. The locally-sourced Valentine’s Day menu includes oysters on the half shell with two glasses of champagne for the first course; ricotta gnudi with duck confit for the second course; wild mushroom and chicories salad for the third course; and osso buco with polenta and ratatouille vegetables for the fourth course. For dessert, enjoy bon bons and chocolate covered strawberries. The dinner for two is $160. Call 707-620-0508 or visit OpenTable to book a reservation.
186 Windsor River Road, Windsor, 707-620-0508, gratawindsor.com
Dry Creek Kitchen
The culinary team behind Dry Creek Kitchen is offering a seasonal five-course tasting menu throughout Valentine’s weekend, Feb. 11-14. The Valentine’s menu, which can be complemented with an optional wine pairing, includes a petite brie en croûte with mustard greens and dijon vinaigrette; crisp amberjack in a bonito broth; seared squab breast with a French onion tart; charbroiled filet and seared scallop with potato fondant and asparagus; and a blood orange semifreddo with dark chocolate and a fennel biscotti for dessert. The Valentine’s meal is $120 per person and the optional wine pairing is $75.
317 Healdsburg Ave. Healdsburg, 707-431-0330, drycreekkitchen.com
Hazel Hill
Hazel Hill at Montage Healdsburg will have a four-course Valentine’s Day menu by Chef Jason Pringle on Feb. 14 from 5-9 p.m. The first course consists of white asparagus with hazelnut and cured egg; the second course is a choice between scallop quenelle with sunchoke, smoked onion and razor clam, or big eye tuna with blood orange and pistachio; the third course is a teleeka ravioli with baby artichoke and black truffle; and the fourth course is a choice between wagyu beef with polenta and wild mushroom, or lobster thermidor with fingerling potatoes, spinach and gruyere. There will be a chocolate semifreddo with hazelnut and passionfruit for dessert.
The restaurant will also have festive menus over the Valentine’s weekend, including the Romance Dinner on Feb. 12 from 5-9 p.m. and the Romance Brunch on Feb. 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Call 707-354-6900 or visit OpenTable to make a reservation.
100 Montage Way, Healdsburg, 707-354-6900, montagehotels.com/healdsburg
The Matheson
The Matheson in Healdsburg will serve a five-course tasting menu for Valentine’s Day, with seating available in the main dining room, chef’s counter, bar table and the mezzanine level. The dinner is $150 per person and includes tai snapper crudo, Dungeness crab bisque, lobster gnocchi, Alaskan halibut, Flannery Beef New York and volo chocolate mousse. Reserve your table on Tock.
106 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-723-1106, thematheson.com
Geyserville Grille
Geyserville Grille will host a Wine and Dine Your Valentine event featuring a four-course meal prepared by Chef Danny Nooris with a complimentary glass of champagne. The Valentine’s menu has a variety of seasonal dishes to choose from for each course, such as poke tuna furikake fries, roasted vegetable minestrone, house-made butternut squash and ricotta ravioli, herb crusted wild salmon, roasted pork tenderloin, chocolate lava cake and more. The meal is $80 per person and required reservations are available for Feb. 14 from 5-8 p.m. Call 707-857-3264 to make a reservation.
21712 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, 707-857-3264, geyservilleinn.com/geyserville-grille
West County
Gravenstein Grill
Sebastopol’s Gravenstein Grill will have a prix fixe menu over the Valentine’s weekend, Feb. 11 through Feb. 13. The Valentine’s menu includes a seasonal amuse bouche, a choice of ahi tuna tartare, pork and duck pate, or a selection of local cheeses for the second course, and a choice of Pacific halibut, local NY strip steak or wild mushroom risotto for the third course. Dessert will be a choice of chocolate pot de creme or Chef Bob’s famous rum cake. The dinner is $80 per person and reservations can be made on Tock.
8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 707-634-6142, gravensteingrill.com
Canneti Roadhouse Italiana
Canneti will serve a five-course Valentine’s dinner on Feb. 14, which you can enjoy while watching the 1958 movie Houseboat playing on the heated patio at 4:45, 6:30 and 8 p.m. The menu is $75 per person and includes a Belgian endive salad, shrimp croquettes, a seafood lasagnette pasta, stuffed polletto and a cherry meringue pie. Call 707-887-2232 by Feb. 12 to place your takeout order or reserve a table.
6675 Front St., Forestville, 707-887-2232, cannetiroadhouse.com
Dinucci’s Restaurant
Dinucci’s Restaurant will offer a six-course Valentine’s Dinner featuring classic Italian cuisine and live music accompaniment. The menu will include an antipasti plate for starters, its famous minestrone soup with warm sourdough bread, a garden green salad with a house dressing of your choice, a side of pasta (chef’s choice) with bolognese sauce, your choice of Sonoma Mountain filet mignon or grilled local salmon for the main course (each served with assorted sides), and John and Jill’s Valentine chocolate raspberry cheesecake for dessert. The meal comes with a complimentary glass of brut champagne. Call 707-876-3260 to make a reservation.
14485 Highway 1, Valley Ford, 707-876-3260, dinuccisrestaurant.com
At-Home Treats
Cookie…take a bite!
For Valentine’s Day, this local cookie shop is selling festively-wrapped tins of assorted cookies. The tins range in price from $24.50 to $50 and include anywhere from 16 to 42 of its signature cookies, such as Lemon Moon, Ginger Honey Snap, Chocolate Cherry Bomb and Brown Sugar Hearts. Order online for delivery or pickup at the shop in the Larkfield Center.
430 Larkfield Center, Santa Rosa, 707-291-1785, cookietakeabite.com
Fleur Sauvage
Fleur Sauvage, run by husband-and-wife team Robert and Tara Nieto, specializes in artistic artisan chocolates. The couple recently opened a new storefront in Windsor. Robert, who previously was the pastry chef at Madrona Manor, Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro and Jackson Family Wines, crafts the chocolates while Tara runs the front of the store, where you can order espressos, lattes and hot chocolate. For a luxe Valentine’s treat, order their Chocolate Heart Box with 12 assorted bonbons inside ($60). Place order via email and pick up at the store.
370 Windsor River Rd., Windsor, fleursauvagechocolates.com. For more treats from local chocolatiers, click here.
Harvey’s Gourmet Donuts
Known for its artfully-prepared mini doughnuts, Harvey’s Gourmet Donuts is offering festive Valentine Donut-Grams for sweet-toothed lovers this season. The Donut-Gram is $5 and comes with your choice of sugar or chocolate glaze and topped with heart-shaped sprinkles. Pre-order by emailing harveysdonuts@yahoo.com. Pickup at Harvey’s Donut Bar, tucked away near the Sonoma Plaza, or get free delivery in the town of Sonoma on Feb. 13.
414 First Street East, Sonoma, 707-246-5928, harveysdonuts.com
Nom Nom Cakes
The Bodega Bay-based Nom Nom Cakes is offering beautifully decorated Valentine’s Day specials made with organic, locally-sourced ingredients. The specials include fun, decadent treats such as a Valentine’s Day decorating cookie kit, heart cocoa bombs filled with hot cocoa and mini marshmallows, and a chocolate-covered strawberry cake filled with chocolate mousse and topped with chocolate covered strawberries. Order these and/or other Valentine’s specialties online for pickup or delivery.
390 Calle Del Sol, Bodega Bay, 805-350-0680, nomnombaking.com