I'm a bit long in the tooth to give advice on romance, but Valentine’s Day is one occasion where I’m comfortable giving recommendations — for a place to eat. Nothing says “I love you” quite like clinking glasses in the right restaurant setting while professionals fawn over you.
As with love, the ideal romantic meal can come in many different packages. What might be perfect for young couples eager to make a good impression might not fit for established ones seeking to rekindle a flame, or oldsters looking for a special night out away from their usual routine. Whoever you are, you likely will want some place with dark, quiet alcoves made for canoodling and cooking memorable enough to create a lasting impression.
Food may not be the primary point of the evening, but you need enough palate-pleasing distractions to smooth over any awkward silences or fumbled proposals. The cutting-edge Basilico Ristorante Italiano fits this bill, with soft lighting, cozy tables, and a menu of updated Italian classics which give you plenty to talk about in between all your smooching.
Couples of a more mature vintage might need something more spectacular to stir their blood, and no restaurant in Las Vegas combines inventive, dynamic northern Italian food with a view better than Vetri Cucina, fifty-six floors up at the Palms.
More down to earth is the Chinatown-adjacent Edo Gastro Tapas & Wine — a snug, trendsetting Spaniard that nestles forty seats into a sliver of a space in a strip mall, and dishes up award-winning tapas, jamón, and carpaccio that will keep both of you swooning.
Just down the street, foodie-favorite Raku has been inspiring love affairs (both of the heart and with Japanese food) since its opening 16 years ago. For a bustling izakaya, it retains a soothing, muted atmosphere for those enamored of sharing top-shelf sushi, sake, and yakitori skewers.
Finally, nothing gets the heart beating faster than beef, and when it comes to aged steaks served with amour, nothing tops Mae Daly’s, downtown’s newest steakhouse, which checks all the surf and turf boxes you’ll need to meat with that special someone.