Valentine’s Day Brings Out Special Dishes and Dinners

Hearty Party Meals: Valentine’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year, and just about every restaurant in Los Angeles is serving a special dinner. Here’s our distilled list, with a little restaurant news for dessert.

Bouchon offers lovers a bistro dinner Feb. 14-17. The three-course meal runs $35 plus tax and tip, and includes foie gras served on your choice of winter greens, poached filet of sole and grilled baby lamb chops. Bouchon has also begun serving lunch Tuesday through Saturday. On the menu: a charcuterie plate ($7.50), quiche Lorraine ($7.50), croque-monsieur sandwich ($7.50), beef bourguignon ($15) and steak au poivre ($12), among other things.

* Bouchon, 7661 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; (323) 852-9400.

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Los Feliz restaurant has a new chef to execute its Valentine menu. Owner Rick Clemente tells us that opening chef Collin Crannel’s one-year contract was up, so he moved on. The new guy in white is Peter Keating, Crannel’s sous-chef for the last year. Before that Keating worked at Patina’s catering operation. Compared to Crannel’s menu, Keating describes his as “a little more rustic.” He’s into simpler food with fewer flavor combinations. He offers a six-course $65 tasting menu on Monday and Wednesday through Saturday nights. On Sunday nights he does a “chef’s supper,” in which he tries out new dishes. That three-course meal is $26. And he’s also introducing a list of “local favorites” to the menu, such as roasted chicken with polenta ($15), chicken pot pie with truffle oil ($15) and dry-aged New York steak ($28). These dishes are geared to people in the neighborhood who want a simple meal. For Valentine’s Day there’s a five-course meal centered on a John Dory or tournedos of beef. If you eat in the Jazz Spot with the live music, the tab is $85; elsewhere in the restaurant (the dining room or the patio) it’s $75.

* Los Feliz, 2138 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 666-8666.

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Fred Eric has named his Valentine menu “A Romance Odyssey,” because it leads two people through four flirtatious courses of food, starting with a spoonful of Vietnamese aspic supporting an oyster (which you can feed to your honey). The main course is your choice of short ribs or lobster. It’s $84 plus tax and tip. Later that night Eric opens Vida up to swinging singles with a cocktail party of drinks (unlimited) and what he calls “aphrodisiac snacks,” beginning at 10:30 p.m. The price for the party is $25. If you miss both of those events, stop by Vida on any Wednesday night thereafter for a home-style four-course meal for $21 plus tax and tip. The food will be down-to-earth and healthy.

* Vida, 1930 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 660-4446.

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Brooke Williamson over at Zax in Brentwood (which used to be Woodside) is serving a five-course menu for $55 on Valentine’s Day. It consists of a tuna tartare, a beet salad, seared diver scallops, a petite filet and a chocolate cake for two to share. She’s also begun offering a three-course lunch for $14 Tuesday through Friday.

* Zax, 11604 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood; (310) 571-3800.

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Home and Heart: If you want to spend a romantic Valentine’s evening at home without cooking, pay heed. Here are two places to help you picnic on your living room rug.

Clementine, the newly opened bakery and quick cafe just off Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City, has three dinner menus for takeout as well as custom gift baskets of heart-shaped cookies and homemade candies.

Chef-owner Annie Miler used to work at Campanile as a sous-chef, as pastry chef Sherry Yard’s assistant at Spago and at La Brea Bakery as an assistant to Nancy Silverton. At Clementine she makes pastries, soups, salads and sandwiches every day but Sunday.

Her Valentine menus, four courses each, run from $23 to $38 per person. The entree for Menu No. 1 is grilled salmon, which can be served hot or cold; Menu No. 2 includes asparagus and smoked trout salad and braised short ribs. There’s also a vegetarian menu, which includes winter squash ragout and fennel soup. Clementine is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Valentine orders must be placed by Feb. 12 and picked up on Feb. 14.

* Clementine, 1751 Ensley Ave., Century City; (310) 552-1080.

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Pascal Epicerie, located next to Pascal restaurant in Newport Beach, has a take-home Valentine menu with your choice of appetizer (smoked salmon and rock shrimp on frisee salad or country pa^te with shallot marmalade) and main course (rack of lamb with roasted garlic sauce, chicken breast with Cognac and wild mushroom sauce or poached salmon and asparagus with vermouth sauce). All meals come with potato gratin, French roll and a mocha, praline and chocolate pastry. The price is $32 per person. Orders must be placed by Feb. 12 and can picked up after 2 p.m. on Feb. 14.

* Pascal Epicerie, 1000 N. Bristol St., Newport Beach; (949) 261-9041.

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Angela Pettera can be reached at (213) 237-3153 or at pettera@prodigy.net.