Valentine's Day Lessons Learned the Hard Way
Have your battle plan prepared as Feb. 14 approaches
Posted: Feb 8, 2012 10:00am ET
Over the
years I've made some boneheaded moves on Valentine's Day, and after 25 years of
marriage I'm doing pretty well on the learning curve. (Champagne good. Yellow roses bad.) Here are five lessons I've
learned over the years.
1. If you
have to eat out on Valentine's Day, choose the restaurant wisely. Go to a
dining room that you know and order a favorite dish, something reliable. Feb.
14 is not a night to experiment. Not to begrudge restaurants one of their
most lucrative days of the year, but rarely is a chef at his or her best that
night. It's too busy, and often for sanity and expediency's sake, the menu is
limited, so you seldom get to experience the kitchen's full range of flavors or talent.
2. Drink
sparkling rosé. There's not a wine that captures the day better, from that
festive color to the lively flavors, it's the only way to go. For a splurge try
Schramsberg Rosé North Coast J. Schram 2004 (92 points, $130) or Billecart-Salmon
Brut Rosé Champagne NV (92, $85), and if the budget is tighter, look for Roederer
Estate Brut Rosé Anderson Valley NV (91, $27) and Korbel Brut Rosé California
NV (88, $13). The Korbel is often discounted and surprisingly good for the
price.
3. Don't
let the wine and food snobs bug you. Why do so many foodies call Valentine's
Day "amateur night?" That superior attitude is just insulting. But, sure, let
them champion causes like Slow Food, then sneer at Americans on one of the few
nights they embrace the cause. Way to win people over. Smaaaaaaart.
4. Never
assume it's too late to get a good table, especially this year, when Feb. 14
lands on a Tuesday. A quick check on Open Table early this week and there were more
than 100 restaurants in Sonoma and Napa with tables, including some top
dining rooms with something other than 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. reservations.
5. After
the pink bubbly, definitely have oysters on the half-shell and a crisp white
wine. Save the Chardonnay for another time, unless it's Chablis, and think
Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre, Vouvray or Chenin Blanc, or an Italian white such
as Arneis or Tocai Friulano. Oysters are also considered an aphrodisiac, so
that's a bonus.
My
colleague Laurie Woolever offers some excellent Sauvignon Blanc recommendations (along with a recipe for oysters),
and here are a few other vibrant whites worth trying:
Beringer
Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2009 (89 points, $16)
Joel Gott
Sauvignon Blanc California 2010 (89, $12)
Roth Sauvignon
Blanc Alexander Valley 2010 (89 $16)
Novy Four
Mile Creek White North Coast 2009 (90, $10)
Dry Creek
Fumé Blanc Sonoma County 2010 ($12)
Tablas
Creek Côtes de Tablas Blanc Paso Robles 2010 ($27)
Enotria
Arneis Mendocino 2010 ($15)
My
wife and I can joke about the yellow roses I gave her all those years ago, and
occasionally I'm tempted to slip one in the reds. Maybe this year. Hmm, on
second thought …
What hard-earned lessons from Valentine's Day have you learned?
I can't be alone on this one.
Unoaked Chardonnay can be good with oysters, too.