Help! What’s the Most Romantic Valentine’s Day Menu That You Could Possibly Think Of?

Hi Kitchn Team!

I want to surprise my girlfriend this year and make a special Valentine’s dinner at home instead of going out. What’s the most romantic menu you could possibly think of? Help!

– Maggie

Lisa: It’s honestly so cheesy (pun intended) but I love a heart-shaped pizza for V-day! Beyond that, I think it’s more about the table. Turn off the lights (all of them!), light lots of candles, and use the good stuff (cloth napkins, pretty plates, fancy wine glasses).

Arie: Got it, so you’re all about lots of cheese and mood. Sounds on-brand for you.

Lisa: On a related note: A pre-dinner cheese board is always good.

Arie: MOAR cheese!

Kelli: Oh, I love this! And I always think Valentine’s dinner at home is so much nicer (and more special!) than going out. The first thing that comes to mind is an herby slow-roasted salmon, like this one. It works with any herbs you have handy, and because it cooks at such a low temp it’s basically foolproof.

Patty: I’m a sucker for serving really beautiful seafood at home, too. Mussels are so easy to make — I always wonder why I don’t do it more often! Just serve them from one big bowl in the middle of the table and buy the best bread you can find. Oh and wine. Don’t forget the wine.

Arie: My favorite Valentine’s Day menu is something we ran a handful of years ago from Ashley Rodriguez. There’s pasta AND peanut butter brownies (and also kale).

Lisa: I was going to say brownies!!

Arie: Brownies are the most romantic. Give me a pan full of brownies and a fork!

Lisa: They really are! WARM brownies. With some melty ice cream? But do NOT try to feed me. I got it.

Arie: NEVER.

Kelli: Oh! Those brownies are THE BEST! Definitely Valentine’s materials!

Chris: Stepping in with one piece of advice: Keep the meal simple! Making something from scratch for your s/o? Great. But spending several hours ignoring them while freaking out in the kitchen because the thing you’ve never made before isn’t coming together? Not great. I speak from experience.

Sheela: I am going to jump in and say I think it’s really fun to lean into the whole steak dinner thing for V-Day, since it’s not something one does everyday. It feels like a treat! Plus it pairs lovely with red wine and chocolate for dessert.

Grace: Hmm…I’m not a big V-day person, but I think I’d get into it more if my boyfriend and I were cooking together, which we don’t often do! So I’d choose a sort of fun cooking project — we like making pizza together, or veggie dumplings, or pierogies!

BUT since Maggie wants to surprise her girlfriend I’d say she should make something she knows her girlfriend loves as the main course, and have fun with the dessert and the drink and do something a little more unexpected.

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