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Home > Blogs > Taste: Dayton food and restaurants > Archives > 2010 > February > 10 > Entry

Restaurant owners get romantic with Valentine’s Day specials

By Mark Fisher | Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 05:17 PM

Here’s a copy of a story scheduled to run in the Dayton Daily News on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010. If your restaurant has a special menu or promotion this weekend and isn’t mentioned here, let us know by posting a comment.

Valentine’s Day holds a special place in restaurant owners’ hearts — especially this year.

It’s is the second-most-popular day of the year to dine out — only Mother’s Day is busier, according to the Ohio Restaurant Association. And this year, the fact that Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday has restaurant owners crossing their fingers, hoping couples will spread the love — and their Valentine’s dollars — throughout the weekend.

With many restaurants still struggling to recover from a recession-induced slump, Valentine’s Day is more important this year than ever, and eateries ranging from White Castle to l’Auberge are pulling out the stops with special menus and expanded hours.

“It’s a very important day for all of us,” said Amy Haverstick, president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association and co-owner of Jay’s Restaurant in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District.

“The fact that Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday means that a lot of people will use the entire weekend to do their celebrating,” Haverstick said.

Still, several restaurants that are not customarily open on Sunday aren’t taking any chances: They’re opening for Valentine’s Day to ensure they serve as many romantic dinners (and appetizers and desserts and bottles of wine) as possible.

Early this week, Jay’s Restaurant — which is open for dinner seven days a week — was nearly full with Saturday night reservations, with Sunday dinner slots catching up fast, Haverstick said. So if you haven’t made reservations by now at your favorite Valentine’s Day destination, you may not get your first choice.

Here’s a sampling of Miami Valley restaurants that have something special going on for Valentine’s Day weekend:

— Dayton-area and other southwest Ohio White Castle restaurants — yes, White Castle — are offering candlelight dinners and tableside service by reservation only on Sunday, with seatings from 4 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. To reserve a table, call the Cincinnati district office at (513)559-0575, ext. 10, by noon Friday. After noon Friday, try the individual White Castle outlets to see if tables are still available.

— Culp’s Cafe at Carillon Historical Park in Dayton will host Valentine Dinners both Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13-14, with seatings at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The menu includes a five-course meal and a glass of wine. The cost is $45, not including tax and tip. To make reservations, call (937) 479-8879 or (937) 299-2277 or email jeff@bellyfirecatering.com.

— Huffie’s Bar-B-Que, 925 McArthur Ave. in Dayton, will have a special two-for-$20 menu on Valentine’s Day. Hours are 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and there will be live music from a gospel jazz trio from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations are suggested. Call (937) 263-2289.

— Dorothy Lane Market’s Springboro store will host a four-course Valentine’s Day Dinner with wine and live entertainment on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. The cost is $65. For more information, go to www.dorothylane.com or call (937) 748-6800.

— Ruby Tuesday restaurants are offering a special menu that includes a shared appetizer, two entrees and a shareable dessert for $19.99 per person, for three nights: Feb. 12-14. For more information, go to www.rubytuesday.com/holiday.asp.

— Brandeberry Winery, 5118 W. Jackson Road in Enon, will host a Valentine’s Day dinner Saturday, Feb. 13, with seatings at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. A buffet including soup, salad, bread, desserts and a bottle of wine per couple. The cost is $45. Call (937) 767-9103 to make reservations.

Other restaurants that have special Valentine’s-related menus, events or promotions include P.F. Chang’s in Miami Twp., l’Auberge in Kettering, The Wine Loft and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar at The Greene in Beavercreek, Artisans Cafe in Clayton, Rue Dumaine in Washington Twp. and Brixx in Dayton. Call your favorite restaurant to see whether it has something special planned — and consider doing so quickly to avoid Valentine’s Day disappointment.

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