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February 4, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Satisfy your craving for a romantic night on the town this Valentine’s Day with a delicious dinner for two. Whether your passion is a gourmet repast at a French, Italian or American bistro or a meaty feast slow-smoked at a café on the County line, you’ll find plenty to tempt your taste buds and please your palate in East County. Scroll down for our East County Eater’s recommendations for this year’s best aphrodisiac dinners in our torrid inland region.
A LUSCIOUS FEAST AT CAFÉ LUNA: “Food is our passion.” That’s the motto at Café Luna, where the chef is cooking up a special feast for Valentine’s Day, February 14. Start with homemade lobster raviolis in saffron champagne cream, followed by Italian wedding soup or caprese salad. Entries include Venison Wellington, Alaskan halibut and stuffed duck breast in red orange gastrique, capped off by a chocolate heart cake for two with chocolate-covered strawberries. At $40/person, $80/couple, you’ll love the price as well as the feast—plus you’ll find an extensive wine list, too. Café Luna is located at 11040 Rancho Carmel Drive in San Diego. For details, call (858)673-0077 or visit http://cafelunasd.com
DELICIOUS DELICACIES AT TERRA AMERICAN BISTRO: Celebrate Valentine's Day with your significant other by enjoying Terra American Bistro's 3-course meal special. Located at 7091 El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego (1 block from La Mesa), the restaurant offers a relaxed atmosphere while specializing in locally grown, organic products prepared by award-winning cookbook author Chef Jeff Rossman. It also carries a variety of local craft beers and an extended list of wines for every taste. The Valentine’s menu starts with a choice of smoked caviar and oyster toast, lobster bisque, or beets and green. Entrée choices include filet mignon, sea bass, caramel pepper-glazed duck breast, or for vegans, toasted quinoa-stuffed acorn squash, ending with a dessert sampler to share. Seating begins at 4:30 and pricing is $49 per person. To see the menu and to make reservations visit: www.terrasd.com
SURF AND TURF! LOBSTER AND PRIME RIB AT THE COUNTY LINE: The County Line BBQ and Café, situated on the outermost edge of San Diego County at 23446 Highway 79 just past Warner Springs, is East County’s newest roadside eatery. Run by a Basque chef who customarily cooks up game meats in an outdoor smoker/grill, this casual café will be serving up Valentine’s special fare all day on the Sunday before. The ambience is down-home but the food is upscale: lobster salad, prime rib, chef’s potatoes, seasonal vegetables and desert—all for just $29.95! Call ahead for reservations at (951)767-3040. For added pleasure, consider a wine-tasting stop at Hawk Watch Winery or La Serenissima (call for appointment) , and consider a stay at the Warner Springs Resort nearby.
BON APPETIT AT BLEU BOHEME: Voted best French restaurant by San Diego Magazine and the San Diego Restaurant Association’s Gold Medallion Awards in 2011, Bleu Boheme has the ambience of a Parisian café combined with a French chateaux, complete with stone-lined walls and chandeliers dripping wax. For Valentine’s Day on February 14, savor a special menu just for lovers. It’s pricey at $68.95, but worth the splurge—from lobster crepes and foie gras to entrees that include rack of lamb, king salmon, sea scallops or filet mignons in truffled Madeira sauce, your taste-buds will be dancing the can-can. End with such aphrodisiac delights as puff pastry filled with vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate sauce, crepe au crème brulee with a crunchy sugar crust, or warm gingerbread with strawberry confiture. There is also a delightful selection of palatte-pleasing French wines. Bleu Boheme is located at 4090 Adams Avenue in San Diego’s Kensington neighborhood. For details and reservations, see http://bleuboheme.com/
Know of a great Valentine dinner destination in San Diego's East County that we missed? Please post details in the comment section below!
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