One // Day Trip
Valentine’s day is on a weekday this year, so a weekend trip would be a great option. Some of our favorite local trips from San Francisco are here, here, and here. Last year, Clayton surprised me by planning a decadent picnic lunch and driving up to one of the only places you can really have a picnic in Napa Valley.
Two // Fondue
Make it a fondue party for two or throw a weekend bash with your friends. See how to plan an authentic fondue party here.
Three // Out on the Town
If you are thinking about going out, make a reservation at a restaurant that you’ve been eager to go to, but do it soon! Check out some of our most recent restaurant visits here and here.
Four // Dinner at Home
Our favorite way to celebrate, though, is to make dinner at home. We choose something special (it could be an ingredient or a recipe) that we wouldn’t normally make ourselves and pick up an amazing bottle of wine to go with dinner. We also usually add a sparkling wine for the occasion (check out our thoughts on bubbles here). For Valentine’s Day, you can’t go wrong with rosé bubbles!
One of our go-to dinners for special occasions is lobster pasta. Making a steak house style dinner at home is also a great way to celebrate. Other ideas we’d recommend are squid ink pasta with rock shrimp and corn, halibut in parchment with fennel pollen and potatoes, or for a rustic Italian night pasta all’amatriciana. You can find even more ideas here. If you want to be really adventurous, some of our favorite books to find recipes for special occasions include this, this, and this.
Five // Dessert and a Movie
If you don’t want to go all out and make a full dinner, how about watching a movie with popcorn and making a fun dessert? Some of our suggestions include chocolate souffles paired with vanilla bean ice cream, olive oil pound cake with coffee cream, fruit tarts, and Brazilian chocolate brigadeiros.
When it comes to a movie date night, we range all the way from James Bond to romantic comedies. Here are some ideas:
Florence Foster Jenkins (on our list to watch)