Valentine’s Day Weekend is right around the corner, and many local businesses are offering special dinner deals, meal kits, and fun activities to spoil your special someone. Whether you’re going out, staying in, or a combination of both, here are some ways to celebrate the holiday while showing some love to local businesses.
Newport’s Love on the Levee, located at Bridgeview Box Park, will feature a build-your-own bouquet bar by Marti Heard Designs, take-home goodie bags for the first 50 children to visit the event and Valentine’s Day-themed refreshments. The event will culminate with live music 3-6 p.m. from local duo NXK. 2-6 p.m., Feb. 13. Bridgeview Box Park, 1 Levee Way, Newport.
Arnold’s Valentine’s Speakeasy, presented by Knob Creek Bourbon
Take your date on a time-traveling adventure this Valentine’s Day weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 13, Arnold’s Bar & Grill is celebrating the holiday 1920s-style with a speakeasy event with Knob Creek Bourbon. The establishment will transform to reflect the flapper-era, complete with dim lights, zoot suits, flapper dresses, live jazz, and a four-course dinner. The menu includes exuberant options like creamy pesto artichoke gnocchi and chocolate-covered strawberry bread pudding, as well as classy cocktails like the Knob Creek Bourbon Manhattan, the Sipsmith French 75, and Pinnacle Prohibition Punch. For $45, each guest will be served a Knob Creek cocktail, appetizer, soup or salad, entree and dessert. Staff will feature circa-1920s attire, and it is encouraged, though not required, for patrons to follow suit. COVID-19 protocols will be strictly followed, and reservations are required. 4-10 p.m., Feb. 13. Arnold’s Bar and Grill, 210 E. 8th St., Downtown.
Jeff Ruby’s Culinary Entertainment’s Valentine’s meal kit
Jeff Ruby’s Culinary Entertainment is offering Valentine’s Day meal kits for your stay-at-home holiday weekend. The $200 kit includes two 8-oz. Jeff Ruby filet mignons, two 8-oz. cold-water lobster tails, four tiger shrimp with cocktail sauce, a Freddie salad, asparagus, mashed potatoes, Sixteen Bricks sourdough round, strawberry butter pie and a 3-oz. tin of steakhouse seasoning. The kit serves two and includes instructions to prepare. You can preorder the kit now, which will be available to pick up Feb. 12-14. The Precinct, 311 Delta Ave., Columbia-Tusculum; Carlo & Johnny, 9769 Montgomery Road, Montgomery.
Scarlet Begonia’s Flower Truck at The Roost
The Roost in Latonia, Kentucky will host Scarlet Begonia’s Flower Truck outside of the restaurant on Sunday, Feb. 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You and your sweetheart can visit the flower truck and the Roost for a bouquet and a latte on Valentine’s Day. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Feb. 14. The Roost, 3616 Decoursey Ave., Latonia.
Dine or stay at Metropole and 21c Museum Hotel
Metropole and 21c are offering ways to enjoy Valentine’s Day whether you and your special someone are spending it at home or going out on the town.
Metropole, located inside 21c Museum Gallery Hotel, is serving three-course meals from a prix-fixe menu from Friday, Feb. 12 to Sunday, Feb. 14 from 5-10 p.m. Dinner costs $65 per person and includes entree options like duck, halibut, and housemade pasta, as well a selection of delicious starters and desserts. Reservations can be made online or by phone at 513-578-6660.
Patrons can also order carry-out dinner for two for $75. The to-go meal deal includes Metropole house rolls, season greens, a 16-oz. brown butter ribeye and earl gray panna cotta with the option to add on a dozen oysters for $24 and custom bubbly pairings; chocolate-covered strawberries are also available for $8.
And why stop at dinner? 21c Cincinnati offers the Snuggles & Bubbles package starting at $249/night, which includes an overnight stay, a bottle of champagne, a bubble bath from the Spa at 21c, and breakfast in bed from Metropole. Check-out can be as late as 1 p.m. 5-10 p.m., Feb. 12-14. 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati, 609 Walnut St., Downtown.
Funky Sunshine Valentine’s Day tie-dye party
Funky Sunshine in Cincinnati will host a tie-dye party on Valentine’s Day this year. They are booking in 20-minute intervals for up to four guests. Masks must be worn for the duration of the party. The event is at no cost, but an RSVP is required for this interactive Valentine’s Day experience. 2-5 p.m., Feb. 14. Funky Sunshine, 6448 Sherman Ave., Anderson Township.
Valentine’s Sunset Hikes at Cincinnati Nature Center
This hike is just another way to get your heartbeat racing. For some early evening exercise, you and your partner can partake in the Valentine’s Sunset Hikes by Cincinnati Nature Center from 5-6 p.m. on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. Attendees will venture through a peaceful Ohio forest and catch a sunset along the way. Organizers encourage wearing winter clothing, and masks are required while inside facilities and outdoor activity where six feet distancing is not possible. The event costs $10 for non-members and $5 for members. 5-6 p.m., Feb. 13-14. Cincinnati Nature Center, 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford.
Branch’s carry-out dinner for two
Though Branch is currently closed for dine-in services, they are offering a Valentine’s Day four-course dinner for two for pickup. The meal includes bruschetta, a pickled shrimp cocktail and herb-roasted pork loin. The meal culminates in a love bird trio dessert—chocolate covered strawberries, grapes and coconut macaroons and a baklava bird’s nest. The $120 dinner also includes a bottle of wine. Pickup is available on Sunday, Feb. 14 only. 6:30 p.m. or 8:30 p.m., Feb. 14. Branch Restaurant & Night Drop Cocktail Bar, 1535 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills.
Summit Hotel’s Valentine’s Day dinner
The Summit Hotel is hosting a romantic, three-course dinner on Saturday, Feb. 13. The dinner is presented by Chef Matt Corina, and some of the dinner options include pan-seared scallops, caramelized carrot risotto or Maple Leaf Farms duck. Tickets cost $50 per person with an optional wine pairing for an additional $20 per person. 6-10 p.m., Feb. 13. Summit Hotel, 5345 Medpace Way, Madisonville.
Grandview Tavern’s Valentine’s Day special
From Feb. 12-14, Grandview Tavern in Fort Mitchell will be offering a special Valentine’s Day menu. For $150, you and your partner can enjoy a choice of appetizer, a salad, choice of entree, dessert to share and two glasses of champagne. Feb. 12-14. Grandview Tavern, 2220 Grandview Drive, Fort Mitchell.
Puzzle Crawl’s Valentine’s Day competition
Local small business Puzzle Crawl wants to encourage Cincinnatians to stay in this year for Valentine’s Day with their “Happy Quarantine’s Day Puzzle Adventure.” For $19.99, teams of any size can sign up for this virtual puzzle contest, and there is over $2000 up for grabs. At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, contestants will receive the first group of puzzles by email, along with the first chapter of a story. Solving those puzzles will unlock additional puzzles and chapters, and the game will last all weekend long.
Krohn Conservatory’s Valentine’s Day flower bundles
Krohn Conservatory had to close its doors to the public in November when coronavirus cases surged in the fall, but that hasn’t gotten in the way of their love of flowers. The Conservatory is now offering weekly plant sales, with the newest being the Valentine’s “Date Night” Flower Bundle. The $25 bundle includes a Cream Tulip “Verona” plant and the choice of tulips, hydrangeas, daffodils or Orienpet lilies (which are $3 more). Even better, the bundle includes two tickets to Krohn Conservatory upon reopening and a Valentine’s card kit. Pickup is taking place Feb. 10 to Feb. 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
My Furry Valentine Online Adoption Event
For the 10th-annual My Furry Valentine adoption event, things will be looking a bit different. There will still be adorable pups and kittens up for adoption, but this year everything is moving online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is using Adopets, a platform that allows adopters to view animals, schedule times to meet potential pets, process payments and all other paperwork. The event runs from Feb. 6-14, so you have plenty of time to find your new perfect pal.
Elm Street Social Club Valentine’s meal
Elm St. Social Club is offering a Valentine’s meal-kit this weekend. The kit includes lobster risotto, crispy mushrooms with hazelnut pesto and burrata salad with bitter greens, beets and winter citrus. End with a raspberry rose and vanilla bean profiteroles topped with chocolate ganache and pistachios. The $125 kit is meant for two and includes a bouquet by Eve Floral Co., instructional video and romantic Spotify playlist. We can’t think of a better way to spend Valentine’s Day. Pre-order and pick up on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Nicola’s Restaurant carry-out Valentine’s menu
If you want to stay in without the cooking responsibilities, Nicola’s Restaurant offers a special carry-out menu. The meal, which costs $68 per person, includes bucheron goat cheese, crispy potato gnocchi, and braised short ribs. Roasted potatoes and mixed root vegetables are also included as side dishes. Orders must be placed before Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. Pick-up times can be scheduled between 1-5 p.m. on Feb. 14.
Longfellow Cincinnati’s singles dinner
Longfellow plans to offer dinner, drinks and a mix-tape of “break-up and heartache songs” as a singles package for Valentine’s Day. The meal includes fresh beet pasta with tomato cream sauce, garlic herb bread, and a chocolate pot de creme with angostura whipped cream. Longfellow will also include instructions on how to cook and prepare each item. Within the package, you’ll enjoy a Cosmopolitan and your choice of a sparkling rosé or a nigori sake. Dig into your closet or search on Ebay for a tape deck to listen to a curated playlist of anti-Valentine’s Day songs via a mix-tape. Customers are encouraged to order via email at Info@longfellowbar.com by Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.
Lost and Found OTR’s singles and couples booze boxes
Lost and Found provides special packages of alcohol to toast the Valentine’s Day season. In the $75 couples package, you and your drinking buddy will have one bottle of Steorra Brut (Russian River Valley), one Negroni cocktail (which serves 2), and one Aviation cocktail to share. Besides the drinks, roses from Gia and the Blooms, chocolates from Maker’s Mark, two coupe glasses, a custom zine and playlist are also included. For $55, the single package includes one 12 oz. mason jar of Maker’s 46, one Ficus Island cocktail (described as a “fig Manhattan”), chocolate and roses; you will also receive a $25 gift card back to L&F.
Findlay Market’s Valentine’s Day gift bag
This $50 gift bag includes a collection of items from market merchants such as SKT Ceramics, Bee Haven, Churchill’s Fine Tea, Earthganics and Gia and the Blooms. The bag will have a heart-shaped beeswax candle, decorative teapot tea-ball, body scrub, lip balm, lotion, succulent and a small planter—all carried in a screen-printed tote bag. The gift bag is available for pick-up only on Feb. 12 between 2-6 p.m., Feb. 13 between 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and Feb. 14 between 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Lonely Pine Steakhouse’s meal-kits
Lonely Pine offers a $80 six-course dinner for two meal-kit for you and your loved one. To begin the meal, the couple will have a choice between a garden or caesar salad for two with salted rye or arcade sourdough bread to share. Some sidekicks include lobster macaroni and cheese and butternut squash hash. Soup servings include veggie caldo and a slow-roasted red pepper bisque. Main entrees are verlasso salmon and Sakura petite tender filets. For dessert to share, there is a duo or raspberry brûlées or flourless chocolate torte with balsamic strawberries. Drinks such as a martini, manhattan and specialty wines are also available for an additional fee. Orders are due by Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. Pick-up will be available on Feb. 13 between 3-10 p.m.
This article appears in Feb 1-28, 2021.