Valentine’s Day dinner reservations going quickly

If a romantic dinner out is part of your Valentine’s Day plans, don’t wait to reserve a table. Several Mat-Su restaurants are featuring special menus to mark the day, and prospective diners are gobbling up reservations.

Feather and Flour, in Palmer, is already booked full for dinner. And restaurants in Wasilla offering special menus are nearing capacity.

At Nonna’s Osteria in Wasilla, where special Valentine dinners have been part of the repertoire since the restaurant opened in 2022, the event has been stretched to two nights. Chef-owner Marian Romano said that after previous years’ weeknight Valentine dinners sold out, she decided to take advantage of this year’s Friday holiday to offer the special menu on Saturday the 15th, too.

“Special dinners are a big deal here. Our staff would like to do these every week,” Romano said. “There is a lot of focus on getting everything just right.”

The extra night is fortuitous for lovers of Nonna’s authentic Italian cuisine. Friday service is nearly sold out, but seats remain for Saturday. Both nights will feature a violinist and a five-course menu that’s sure to please.

The culinary lineup begins with an appetizer of shrimp over prosciutto-wrapped polenta. That will be followed by a risotto course featuring porcini mushrooms and carnoroli rice, a variety grown in northern Italy that is perfect for risotto because of its higher starch content and firmer texture.

Nonna’s is offering diners an entrée choice between a Milanese-style veal chop and filet mignon with gorgonzola dolce cream.

As is typical of Nonna’s fare, ingredients are never taken lightly. Locating a quality cut of veal presented enough challenges that as of Jan. 31, the Valentine dish had not been given a test-run – and tasting – by Romano and her staff.

“I’m very excited about the veal chop,” she said. “I can’t wait to try it.”

In European fashion, a salad will follow the main course. It will feature arugula with pear, toasted walnuts, and white truffle pecorino.

Fresh raspberries topped with warm zabaglione – an Italian light whipped custard of egg yolk, sugar, and sweet wine – will be served alongside lemon curd cake for dessert.

Price per person is $75. Wine pairings are available for each course for an additional $35. Reservations can be made by calling (907) 376-2914.

Romano said Nonna’s regular menu, including pizza, “will be available for takeout, for our regular customers for whom Valentine’s Day is just another day.”

Chop House at Lake Lucille

One of the Valley’s newer eateries, Chop House in Wasilla has a well-earned reputation for its lavish and delicious holiday buffet spreads prepared by Executive Chef and Managing Partner Joshua Broda and his staff. This year’s Valentine’s Day menu is no exception.

Entrée choices offer something for every palate, including duck a l’orange, butter-poached lobster, chicken marsala, and house-smoked pork belly al pastor. The buffet will also feature an assortment of sides, salads, and desserts.

Additionally, diners can enjoy an “action station,” where they can sample

pan-seared Alaska scallops with chipotle cream sauce and also carved Beef Wellington with either Madeira or Bearnaise sauce.

Price per person is $95, which includes champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries to start the evening.

Broda urged people to make their reservations soon before the dinner is sold out.

“Look no further, we’ve got your Valentine’s Day all planned out,” he said. “Join us for an unforgettable evening.”

The Grape Tap

Like Nonna’s, the Wasilla restaurant is offering a two-night special dinner event, too. The Grape Tap will feature a limited, Disney princess-themed a la carte menu from which diners can choose appetizers, salads, entrees, desserts, and specialty cocktails without having to commit to all the courses.

Executive Chef Gretchen Hopping, fresh off another successful Grape Tap wine dinner in late January, has prepared a diverse menu sure to appeal to all tastes and appetites. Entrees will include pork tenderloin with mustard sauce, prime rib with Bearnaise sauce, asparagus and roasted leeks, and cremini mushroom stew with German potato dumplings.

Reservations can be made by calling (907) 376-8466.

Everett’s at Mat-Su Resort

Also in Wasilla, the popular lakeside restaurant will feature Valentine’s Day specials, with a la carte pricing, alongside a limited regular menu. Service starts at 4 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m.

The featured entrée special at Everett’s will be a surf and turf of beef tenderloin and bacon-wrapped scallops. The tenderloin will be topped with garlic shallot butter and blue cheese crumbles. Save room for dessert, too, when a spiced berry bread pudding, topped with vanilla ice cream and bayou rum cherry compote will be featured. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Everett’s will also be offering 20 percent off all bottled wine.

Reservations can be made through Everett’s website or by calling (907) 357-5000.

Turkey Red

In Palmer, Turkey Red has a tempting four-course dinner planned with two choices at each course.

For the soup course, diners can choose between Alaska seafood stew and sweet pea and ginger soup. The second course offers either duck confit and watercress or leek terrine with cured egg yolk and goat cheese vinaigrette.

That will be followed by the entrée featuring oxtail braised in red wine and tomatoes, served over white beans, or brown butter-poached rockfish with Alaska golden crab and asparagus.

Dessert is white chocolate cheesecake with strawberries and dark chocolate.

Cost per person is $75, or $100 with wine pairings. Call (907) 746-5544 for reservations.