It only happens once a blue moon: A red hot Valentine Date Night. Yep, draw a lipstick heart around the big ‘ole Saturday square on the calendar this year and make some steamy plans for you and your honey right here in sweet home Chicago.
Here are a few red-hot spots to put on your love list!
Catch the sexy vibe at Chicago’s newest hot spot
Fresh, contemporary and posh, the brand new FIG& OLIVE is heating up Chicago’s Gold Coast a la the South of France. Slip onto a sleek cocktail couch and sip a chilled Grey Goose martini while checking out the scene. Diners settle into white tables or slide into comfy, cozy booths complete with pillows for a Mediterranean-inspired meal. On Valentine’s Day, ladies will receive a special gift. The rosemary lamb chop will make your heart flip flop and the Chilean sea bass is a great catch–just like your Valentine!
104 E. Oak St., Chicago
Steal away: A hidden Italian wine cellar
Nestle inside a cozy Italian wine cellar tucked away at the fantastically popular scene at Siena Tavern for your own romantic dinner party for up to 14 guests. Or skip the cellar and join the party upstairs–there is always lots happening at this everyone-loves-me River North spot. You’ll fancy both bar areas and the contemporary fun beat of this trendy tart. Take my love notes: Belly up to the Pizza Bar for fantastic appetizers and order the squid ink linguini with lobster tail. It will absolutely melt your heart!
51 W. Kinzie St., Chicago
Gritty Valentine: Rewind an old crime scene
If you are looking for a different kind of scene and you have trouble tearing away your hubby from repeats of The Godfather on USA, turn the channel on him this year. Take him to a real crime scene–the scene of the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the mass murder of seven members of Bugs Moran’s North Side Gang. Across from this infamous crime scene, the rumored lookout post for the hoodlum henchmen of the Valentine gunners, you’ll find The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company, a dark little pizza joint that’s been tossing and (up) turning pizza for decades. The upside of this upside-down pizza spot is you can get in without a reservation. If your honey misses his remote too much, cap off the night with the 1967 classic movie.
2121 N. Clark St., Chicago
Flip for dips!
If fondue is your thing, or even if it’s not, you’ll fall in love with Geja’s Cafe, a romantic Lincoln Park restaurant that creates an intimate mood for lovers. Get fresh with fondue entrees you cook right at your table. No stranger to love, this 50-year-old restaurant has welcomed about 130,000 first dates and witnessed about 16,000 engagements. The lobster is exquisite and there are lots of fantastic wines that won’t break the bank. Leave room for dessert because the chocolate fondue will surely sweeten your day. It will be rolling out the romance for a week-long Valentine’s Day extravaganza, including Celebration of Marriage on Monday, Love Note Tuesday and Special Valentine’s dinner packages.
340 W. Armitage, Chicago
Soak in a 180-degree view of Chicago
If a little tub-bubbly is more your style, you’ll find an enormous infinity bathtub awaiting you and your favorite swim partner in the gorgeous bathroom of a southeast corner suite at the JW Marriott. After your romantic soak, enjoy the spacious suite with flat screen TVs and fluffy robes for two. Guests can indulge in the Ultimate Romance Package with champagne delivery, spa treatments, in-room dining and a late checkout–allowing you just enough time for some extra splish-splash.
151 W. Adams St., Chicago
Strike a pose!
As you crisscross the city on your romantic rendezvous, bridge the night and pucker up for a quick Valentine’s Day couple’s selfie on the Chicago River. With the magnificent Wrigley Building in the background, it’s the shutter for hearts aflutter.
A fight for forbidden love
It’s edgy, electrifying and tragically romantic. Jazz up your night with one of the world’s greatest love stories, West Side Story at Drury Lane Theatre. It tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers, an Italian boy and Puerto Rican girl caught between rival gangs. A modern Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story promises an electrifying night with hum-all-week-long songs like “Somewhere,” “Tonight,” “I Feel Pretty,” and my absolute favorite, “America.”
100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace
Heat things up at home with a little help from your friends
If home is where your heart is, plan a romantic evening at Chez Vous. With Chicago-based Home Chef, you will find everything you need to create a gourmet meal delivered right to your doorstep. Don’t know how to cook? No problem. You’ll crush it with Home Chef’s easy-to-follow (and easy to hide) cheat sheets.
Baby, light my fire
Cozy up to a table-side fireplace–the 40-foot-high fire pit at Zed 451, and get sweet on the night with Zed’s amazing desserts. The banana cream pie with milk chocolate Guinness ice cream and butterscotch bread pudding with housemade marshmallow will have you whipped.
739 N. Clark St., Chicago
Love on the rocks
Who needs anything but the stars? Find some flat Lake Michigan rocks on the Chicago shoreline and create your own moonlit picnic. Sure the wind is fierce, but you’ve got each other to keep you warm!