The Nine Best Valentine’s Day Dates That Don’t Eat Out
Going to a great restaurant for a delicious meal is certainly a traditional option for a memorable Valentine’s Day, but I’ve heard more complaints about plans going wrong than stories of romance. There are many stressful aspects: making reservations weeks in advance, unpredictable restaurant atmosphere, inflated prices during the holidays, not to mention the fact that you may be kicked out the door because the establishment is trying to sell tables on a tight deadline.
Luckily, eating out isn’t the only option to treat yourself (or your significant other) on February 14th. Here are nine of my favorite alternatives to dining out at a restaurant for Valentine’s Day.
Make a homemade meal kit together
Cooking can be a meditative activity alone or a fun activity with a companion. (Plus, you get to eat the project at the end). The beauty of a meal kit is that every step is mapped out so even novice cooks have a chance to create restaurant-quality meals, and the ingredients are spread out by recipe so that if you’re meal prepping once a week, being a chef of sorts won’t get you a refrigerator. full of leftover ingredients destined for the trash. Many companies offer different types of kits to suit different tastes and different levels of interest. For those who want to try scallop cooking for the first time, try Blue Apron. For a refreshing and satisfying dinner, try Williams Sonoma’s sushi kit .
Dinner at the cinema
According to the internet, dinner at the movies is terrible and terrible for Valentine’s Day, and I agree. Why waste time on two different things when you can do them at the same time?
The first time I walked into the Alamo Drafthouse theater , I enjoyed a cocktail, a bowl of buffalo cauliflower, and pizza while I watched the movie. Since then I have erased other “normal” cinemas from my memory. Even if you don’t have an Alamo Drafthouse movie theater nearby, some AMC, Regal and other theaters offer the opportunity to watch a movie while dining. My advice: go see the latest weird horror movie, order some carbs and enjoy a fruit smoothie.
Make a charcuterie board
Grazing livestock for food is the right choice, and a selection of charcuterie and aged cheeses may be all you need for a romantic Valentine’s Day. Harry and David offer a variety of meat and sauce kits that you can slice and serve with your special salami.
For those who don’t like moments of indecision at the liquor store, try a kit that already includes it . Most of these kits include parts, but rarely are they ready for presentation. Try your hand at artistic presentation of sliced meats, tapenade and crackers and get ready to snack for the evening. ( You can read more about ways to gift meat here .)
Hire a chef
There’s no restaurant date planned, and you’ll be damned if you have to turn on the stove. Take a little bougie and hire a chef to cook for you. You can get the most out of your meal without doing any work yourself and can spend quality time with your lover. There is a wide range of prices when it comes to hiring a professional, so do some research.
You can cut costs by offering to gather the ingredients before they arrive, find individual chefs to organize their own catering, or try companies like Cozymeal . If you’re on a very tight budget, try your local cooking school. Schools such as the Institute of Culinary Education will provide job postings for their students to respond to to gain additional work and real life experience. You can post the opportunity and rate it and see if you get any bites.
Have lunch with friends
Valentine’s Day may be a “special day” for couples or whatever, but if you want to celebrate love, why not gather your chosen family for dinner instead? Have people bring a small side dish, heat up the air fryer with some of these recipes, make a pink cocktail , and play a totally cheesy rom-com in the background . Whether it’s one friend or 12, it will be a truly memorable Valentine’s Day. Dress code: sweatshirts and stretch pants.
Sign up for a cooking class
For a more general experience, take a cooking class. You’ll receive guidance from a chef instructor, premium ingredients, and maybe even learn something new. One-off activities, especially themed ones , are usually fun, light-hearted and relaxed events. This is an opportunity to work as a team with your significant other or be passive-aggressive in public if that’s what you like. Introverts, don’t worry: you can even make yourself cozy at home and take an online cooking course instead. This is not a cooking competition (unless you want it to be) but you will receive a cooking prize at the end.
Have a wine tasting and pairing
It used to be that wine was grapes and grapes were food, so you can have a wine tasting as dinner without any objection from me. Okay, you can do wine pairings; after all, wine tastes even better with appetizers. It can also taste terrible if you don’t combine it correctly, which is where the professionals come in. Visityour local wineries or liquor stores to see if they are offering any tastings for Valentine’s Day. (And again, just like with cooking classes, you can do a virtual paired class at home.)
Make a board from canned fish
Canned fish is having a moment (or, well, a couple of centuries ). Why leave all the fun to the sausages? Visit your local fishmonger for advice, scour the supermarket’s canned fish aisles, or order specialty sardines, clams, mackerel and salmon to put together your own board. I respect that there is more protein in the diet, but add some crackers, bread and vinegar-marinated foods so the oils don’t overwhelm your palate.
Order delivery (Should have said.)
At the risk of sounding obvious, ordering delivery should be on this list. This is the best option because it is great. You pay a fair price to have many people create and deliver exactly what you want, right to your door. There’s no need to make reservations, dig out charcuterie boards, see other people, or even put on pants. For some people, there is nothing more romantic than this.
Some date-worthy restaurants even offer delivery, so even if you weren’t able to make a reservation, you can still get a beautiful, perfectly cooked three-course Valentine’s Day dinner. Be a real hero and use a service like Goldbelly to secretly deliver your New York partner’s favorite ramen (even if you both currently live in Los Angeles).