A guy's guide to last-minute Valentine's Day dining

By Andrew Marton
Published in DFW.com
February 11, 2009

Let's say you're a guy involved in a romantic relationship. And that your better half is expecting you to have meticulously planned a Valentine's Day evening filled with festive wining and dining - and plenty of chocolate.

And then let's say you forgot, that here you are on Friday the 13th thinking it won't be as unlucky for you as Saturday the 14th. Well, fear not, because we've come to the rescue with eight dining spots that feature a decadent Valentine's Day menu, and all of them are willing to seat last-minute Valentine's Day revelers - starting Friday evening, at an early or later seating Saturday or for Sunday brunch. Now you are all but guaranteed a relationship-saving place at a table brimming with good food and a long-stemmed rose.

Ruffino's Italian Restaurant

When serving: Ruffino's serves a special Valentine's Day meal Friday and Saturday night from 5 to 10.

Seats: 90-100

Let's eat: The special menu, which includes a glass of rosé, offers appetizers such as eggplant involtini, a golden baby beet salad or a house-made potato gnocchi. Main entrees include prime New York strip steak, roasted chicken breast or pan-seared arctic char. The dessert: chocolate roulade with dried fruit and a chocolate mousse or a fried cheesecake with blueberry compote.

Check please: Friday's three-course dinner: $60 per person. Saturday's: $70 per person.

Special sweetheart feature: Flowers given to all women. Pianist will play romantic music, especially Frank Sinatra tunes.

Dress: Business casual

Location: 2455 Forest Park Blvd., Fort Worth

817-923-0522;

www.ruffinosfinedining.com

Buttons

When serving: Best bet for a table Saturday is to get to the restaurant early, about 6 p.m., to avoid the crowd for a prime-seating time and the musical show later in the evening. Buttons takes reservations only for parties of eight or more.

Seats: 200

Let's eat: Grilled wild striped sea bass with sauteed Swiss chard; lobster and roasted tomato risotto; and oyster garlic bread. Beef tenderloin and grilled jumbo shrimp, in a bearnaise sauce, with couscous carbonara and garlic bread. Desserts include sweet potato creme brulee with caramelized bananas and complimentary long-stemmed strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Check please: $35 for the sea bass; $40 for the beef tenderloin with shrimp.

Special sweetheart feature: Jazz vocalist Breggett Rideau will perform at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.

Dress: Business casual

Location: 4701 West Freeway,

Fort Worth

817-735-4900;

www.buttonsrestaurant.com

Bistro Louise

When serving: Valentine's Day dinner menu offered 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday; brunch is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Seating still available Friday evening. On Valentine's Day, there should be room for up to 60 diners after 8:45 p.m.

Seats: 120 (144 with patio, weather permitting).

Let's eat: "Love in four courses" menu begins with two "amuse bouches": a sweet-onion tart and a shooter of warm zucchini and basil soup. Appetizers: lobster risotto; prosciutto-wrapped grilled plums; sashimi Hawaiian kona kampachi; jumbo green-and-white asparagus with blood-orange vinaigrette; or house salad. Entrees include lemon sole with tempura lobster; wild Columbia River sturgeon; saffron pappardelle with veal ragout; or Chateaubriand.

Check please: The Valentine's meal: $75 per person. Valentine's Sunday brunch: $32.50 (includes a glass of champagne). Friday's menu also offers the restaurant's most popular a la carte items.

Special sweetheart feature: Bistro Louise's Valentine's Day traditional dessert: strawberry craquelin (a crispy almond cookie filled with peach schnapps and coffee-flavored pastry cream, and sliced strawberries marinated in rum with cassis sauce). Live, romantic mood music provided by a harpist.

Dress: Casual-chic

Location: 2900 S. Hulen, Stonegate Commons, Suite 40, Fort Worth

817-922-9244; www.bistrolouise.com

Sardines Ristorante Italiano

When serving: Patrons should have little problem getting a Saturday reservation for 8:30 p.m. or later. The kitchen is open till midnight. There might be some tables available from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Seats: 188

Let's eat: The five-course "sweetheart special for two" offers six-shrimp cocktail appetizer; minestrone soup; house salad; a 14-ounce prime tenderloin Chateaubriand with two 4- to 5-ounce lobster tails with lemon butter; Italian-style mashed potatoes; and garlic bread. Each sweetheart meal includes a slab of New York-style cream cheese cake. The restaurant will offer an a la carte special Valentine's Day menu featuring four appetizers, four pastas, 10 entree selections and three desserts.

Check please: "Sweetheart special" runs $102 per couple.

Special sweetheart feature: Sardines' staff will circulate through the room to take, at no charge, a table-side photo of a couple and affix it, along with a scattering of hearts, to their Valentine's Day menu. Live jazz, from 7 to 11 p.m. featuring the Johnny Case Trio.

Dress: Casual

Location: Sardines, 509 University Dr., Fort Worth

817-332-9937;

www.sardinesftworth.com

Vidalias

When serving: Numerous tables should be available Saturday at the 8:30 p.m. seating. Some Valentine's Day specials available during Vidalia's Sunday brunch, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Seats: 98

Let's eat: A four-course meal starting with two appetizer choices: shrimp and grits or fried green tomatoes. Two salad choices: A house salad of baby greens, tomatoes and walnuts or a spinach salad with pan-fried feta cheese. Four entrees: beef tenderloin; Vidalias' pecan-crusted chicken breast; a flounder in cheese-cream sauce; and seafood, including shrimp and scallops, in a spicy New Orleans sauce.

Check please: $100 per couple without alcohol; $125 per couple with a choice of red wine or champagne. Sunday brunch is $29.95 per person.

Special sweetheart feature: Women will receive a complimentary red rose. And men can ask the restaurant to prepare, at no extra charge, an arrangement of flowers at the party's table. The restaurant is also planning a "chocolate delight" surprise dessert.

Dress: Comfortable (but no shorts, please).

Location: Renaissance Worthington Hotel, 200 Main St., Fort Worth

817-210-2222;

www.vidaliasrestaurant.com

Olenjack's Grille

When serving: Valentine's menu from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Seats: 275

Let's eat: Valentine's specials include a salt-and-pepper salmon with caramelized shallot mashed potatoes; beef tenderloin for two, in a horseradish-tomato cream sauce, served with a chicken-fried lobster; or pork tenderloin with pancetta and tomato jus, with creamy brie polenta. Entrees come with choice of crawfish and corn bisque soup or a salad of greens, bacon, tomatoes and fried mozzarella in a mustard vinaigrette. Desserts include a milk-and-white-chocolate mousse with blackberry-strawberry coulis or chocolate-dipped cheesecake strawberries.

Check please: $40 for the salmon meal, $45 for the pork tenderloin, $100 for the beef tenderloin plus lobster for two.

Special sweetheart features: Heated patio. You can pre-order pink or red roses for the table or for regular purchase. A dozen roses for $50 or $4.25 per stem, with all flower sale proceeds benefiting SafeHaven of Tarrant County.

Dress: Business casual

Location: 770 Road to Six Flags E., Suite 100, Lincoln Square, Arlington

817-226-2600; www.olenjacksgrille.com

Cantina Laredo

When serving: Special Valentine's menu offered from 3 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday While the restaurant is counting on being almost fully booked Saturday night, it anticipates numerous available tables for Friday and Sunday.

Seats: 300

Let's eat: A three-course dinner begins with salmon tapas or Spanish meatball soup. Entrees include sea bass topped with crab meat; grilled quail with green beans; or beef tenderloin in a light pepper sauce. The desserts: strawberries "bunuelos (fried tortilla strips dusted with cinnamon sugar, served with vanilla ice cream and strawberries in a strawberry cream sauce) or dia y noche flan. Also on tap are a few drink specials, including a Mexican bellini, made from select tequila, peach liqueur and champagne.

Check please: $35 per person (the special drinks are $8).

Special sweetheart feature: The restaurant will pre-order flowers from Flowers To Go and have the arrangement waiting at the table. The flower cost will be added to the bill.

Dress: Casual-dressy (coats, no ties)

Location: Cantina Laredo, 530 Throckmorton St., Fort Worth

817-810-0773; www.cantinalaredo.com

La Gondola

When serving: On Valentine's Day, La Gondola serves its special dinner menu from noon till 10:30 p.m. Most of La Gondola's tables are booked Saturday from 6 to 7:45 p.m.; other times are open. La Gondola will work to accommodate walk-ins.

Seats: 120 -130 if patio is available.

Let's eat: Valentine's special entrees: filet mignon Mona Lisa, topped with a jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab meat and served with a choice of bearnaise or a mushroom brandy sauce, with a choice of soup (cream of potato or minestrone), salad and unlimited garlic bread. Also surf-and-turf of a 6-ounce filet mignon accompanied by a 10- to 12-ounce lobster tail; baked oregano-crusted sea bass; or grilled salmon in a brandy sauce with jumbo shrimp. The desserts include tiramisu; cappuccino pie; Italian frozen ice cream pie (cherry, vanilla and pistachio); and strawberry or chocolate cheesecake.

Check please: $28 for the filet mignon Mona Lisa, $58 for the surf-and-turf, $29 for the sea bass and $16 for the grilled salmon.

Special sweetheart feature: Roses and little chocolate hearts will adorn the table. Restaurant will give out gift cards, in amounts of $5 to $100, good for the next visit to La Gondola.

Dress: Casual

Location: 1211 E. Debbie Lane, Suite 129, Mansfield

682-518-1235; www.lagondola1.com