Date night specials for a special evening out.
Virginia’s restaurant scene is bursting with delectable dishes worth devouring. What better way to sample them all than as a meal designed for two? So-called “date night” specials are spreading like wildfire, giving you the perfect excuse to liven up your weeknights with some wining and dining. Here, we share some of our favorite date night specials around the state. Grab your loved one, a colleague, a good friend, whomever –and dig in.
Alexandria: Bastille Brasserie & Bar
Available any night of the week, the prix fixe menu at Bastille offers three courses. Couples may indulge in options such as tomato and fennel risotto or the onglet à l’échalotte, an entrée which restaurant manager Angela Johnson says is the most popular: “It’s a grilled hanger steak, a butcher’s cut, with a cabarnet shallot sauce, fat roasted potatoes and tomato provençale.” Johnson also notes that the menu changes each season; Bastille’s fall menu that will be available at the end of September. The restaurant offers wine specials on Thursdays and Sundays. $39 per person. BastilleRestaurant.com
Farmville: Charley’s Waterfront Café and Bar
With different entrée choices each week, Charley’s Waterfront and Cafe “date night” menu is a perfect way to sample the cafe’s seafood and homestyle fare. The special includes salad followed by entrée and dessert, as well as an appetizer, such as crab dip served with hot baguettes, or a bottle of wine to share. The special menu, available Tuesdays from 5 to 10 p.m., has previously featured entrees such as bacon-wrapped salmon and coffee-rubbed flat iron steak. Entrée options are the creations of the head chef and are exclusive to the date night menu. $35 per couple. CharleysWaterfront.com
Harrisonburg: the Joshua Wilton House
“Date Night Tuesdays” at the Joshua Wilton House on their “Date Night Tuesdays.” features a three-course menu of chef selections, which changes seasonally and weekly to incorporate local ingredients fresh from the Shenandoah Valley. Past selections have included moules marinière with shallots, garlic, white wine, butter and herbs, as well as a Duxelles stuffed quail served with bacon beluga lentils, English peas and a foie gras compound butter. Manager Bill Daulton shares that date night “is a kind of branching out to get first timers to come out and try our restaurant. This is kind of our invitation to say, come in and see what we’re about, and try our food.” $35 per person. JoshuaWilton.com
Richmond: Nota Bene
Richmond restaurant Nota Bene’s date night special is an ideal stop for couples who seek a taste of Italy. Complementary courses are the highlight of the date night menu, which includes two entrees, plus a bottle of wine, appetizer and dessert to share. Favorites include the “fig and pig pizza” with gorgonzola cheese, fig preserves and proscuitto, and the torchio pasta with white pork ragout and ricotta. $50 per couple. NoteBeneRVA.com
