Heads up, Love Bugs! I do not exaggerate when I tell you that several of the restaurants you might consider for a romantic Valentine’s Day on Aquidneck Island are already nearly fully booked. If you’ve got a specific destination in mind, don’t sleep on that rezzie. But if you’re still thinking about how to make the day special for someone, or for yourself, I’ve got you.
Before we get to dinner, let’s talk about gifts. Tucked off of Bellevue Avenue behind the Bellevue Gardens Shopping Center is locally owned Newport Sweet Shoppe, wafting with the scents of butter and chocolate. The intricately house made chocolates, cookies and other sweets are not only beautiful, but heartbreakingly crumbly and creamy and charmingly packaged. The individual cookies would make for sweet little favors for a kids Heart Day party, while the boxed collections of confections are the perfect gift for a sweet-toothed Valentine. Call ahead for special orders or quantities.
For men’s high-end clothing and furnishings, across the street up on Bellevue Avenue is Man Overboard. Further up is Radiant Esthetics, a gorgeous beauty haven where you can grab a gift certificate for a luxurious facial or massage for your sweetie.
For women looking to spoil themselves or for seekers of sexy, comfy or cozy gifts for the women in their lives, the elegant but unassuming Deborah Winthrop Lingerie shop at Clock Tower Square in Portsmouth is the place. This women-owned small business is dedicated to making women feel comfortable and beautiful with a selection of high-end bras, lingerie, sleepwear and more. The staff is friendly and helpful but never pushy, perfect if you’re a partner looking for a gift or you’re there for a proper bra fitting, and to all my women readers: The free bra fitting service they offer will change your life. It’s meticulous, the kind our grandmothers and generations before them did to ensure the perfect, most comfortable, most flattering fit. Treat yourself, or buy your beloved some jammies, a teddy, or a gift certificate. Heads up: They gift wrap!
Got a flowers-and-candles kinda lover? On Upper Thames Street, just a few blocks from Washington Square is the casually chic Young Designs, owned by two vibrant and creative sisters who launched their business in Boston before moving it to Newport. The store offers premium floral design, home décor items, jewelry and other unique gifts. After a quick winter break, the shop is officially open!
If you’re set on going out to celebrate Feb. 14, it’s going to be tight unless you get right on it or are more flexible about the pace of your evening. Bar 12, for example, doesn’t take reservations, so you’d be winging it. But this sleek little spot is made for a date night. The menu includes a variety of interesting cocktails stirred up using house made syrups, infusions, and fresh botanicals and the short but sweet menu of small plates makes for a casual but still elevated experience.
It’s hard to match the White Horse Tavern for ambience and history. The old colonial house has multiple small dining rooms and roaring fireplaces on both floors. George Washington was here (literally) and a visit should be on your Newport bucket list, as the restaurant currently shows no openings for Valentine’s Day dinner, but it’s worth a shot to see if you can get there early enough to grab a couple of bar seats in the tap room before continuing on with your night, or a reservation for another night. They’re currently closed for a break, through Feb. 11.
While reservations at the Clarke Cooke House can always be a challenge to secure, Holidays are especially tough. But unlike the White Horse, there’s always plenty of room at the bars if you’re both patient and persistent. For cocktailing couples, you can’t beat that moment when you slide into vacated seats in the bistro bar, a fire blazing just behind it, or the Candy Store bar with its harbor view, and settle in to order from the same menu as the reservation holders, but with a view of all the action.
Keeping with the fireplace theme, Mexican spot Perro Salado cranks theirs up in the back barroom on cold nights. The place is closed until Feb. 12 and as reservations are accepted strictly by phone, you may have a shot of getting in if you call promptly upon the reopening.
Wanting to get fancier? The answer is Flora at The Gardiner House, but with similar news: table reservations are nearly gone with just a few very early or late slots available as of this writing. However, the bar here has plenty of comfortable seats available for walk-ins, and for cocktails and nibbles, pre-prandial or after-dinner, The Studio Bar on the main floor, a gorgeous jewel box of a lounge crowned by a roaring fireplace, with table service and a limited food menu, is the call.
If you read last week’s profile of Pasta Vino in Middletown, you’re already dreaming about that left hand side of the menu I raved about. While the place isn’t technically “romantic,” that depends on your POV. Fans of the Rat Pack and pasta classics done right might find it as romantic as it gets, and as of today, reservations for Valentine’s Day are still available, but don’t sleep on them.
A final thought for the cooks among you: What’s sexier than a home cooked meal with hors d’oeuvres, candles, cocktails, some bubbles?? Hit Bottega Bocconi for imported Italian meats and cheeses, stop by Gold’s Wine and Spirits for an exceptional selection of high-end wines and bubbly, and finally, grab lobsters on Long Wharf where The Newport Lobster Shack’s live market is open Friday to Sunday in the off-season. Call to reserve for large quantities or special orders.
Cheers to love.
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