Miami's Best Valentine's Day Dinners

By Alex Rodriguez (Miami New Times Blog) Wed., Feb. 8 2012 at 9:00 AM

​Valentine's Day is upon us once again, and soon we'll all be scrambling to get flowers and chocolates and godawful stuffed animals to show our significant others we give a damn. (By the way, if you do, skip the stuffed animal and go for something original, like a live iguana or a Maserati, depending on your inclination.)

We've compiled a list of Miami restaurants offering prix fixes for next Tuesday night's romantic dinner (we also included some menu highlights). Now there's no excuse to forget to make a reservation.

Be fruitful and try not to multiply, you Romeos and Juliets.

Tuyo$85 per person
Oysters on the half shell with lemon graniteYuca stuffed Gulf shrimp with sour orange mojo
Beef duo: Roasted tenderloin and braised oxtails
Vanilla yogurt panna cotta with champagne sorbet and strawberry compote

Asia de Cuba
$85 per person
Trio de ceviche
Curry swordfish and passion fruit
Cuban coffee-crusted rib eye
Cuban missile cocktails

Gotham Steak at Fontainebleau
$500-$700 per couple, includes poolside private dining cabana, fresh flowers, butler service, and two tickets to Arkadia
Foie gras "bon bon"
Whole roasted European Dover sole
Chauteaubriand
Raspberry almond cake

Azul
$120 per person
Silver and gold egg with caviar
Blood orange-brushed kampachi ceviche
Black truffle risotto with Parmigiano water
Raspberry yogurt cloud with rose raspberry sorbet

Café Sambal
$80 per person
Lobster consommé with seafood dumplings and vegetable pearls
Seared foie gras with lingonberry and pistachio waffle
Herb-crusted lamb chops with beet and ricotta gnocchi
Chocolate whiskey mousse cake with white coffee ice cream

Essensia Restaurant & Lounge
$185 per couple
Truffled artichoke soup
Butter and garlic poached lobster tail
Coffee crusted rib eye filet
Banana fritters with peanut butter honey ice cream

Mercadito
$45 per person
Dorado ceviche
Tacos al pastor
Queso fundido
Flan tasting

Edge Steak & Bar
$75 per person (or $400 per couple for private dining in the pool cabanas)
East coast oysters
Signature tartares
Surf and turf: 24-ounce tomahawk steak, whole maine lobster
Raspberry soufflé

Mare Nostrum
$150 per couple
Blue Point oysters
Seared carpaccio
Seared tuna roll in Moroccan spices
Three-tier chocolate cake

Meat Market
$95 per person
Crab and lobster cake
Tuna tartare
28 ounce Kobe beef Tomahawk ribeye
Dessert sampler

Rusty Pelican
$85 per person
"My Heart Beets for You" beet and hearts of palm salad
"Menage a Foie" foie gras pate, brioche toast
"Oysters & Peals" poached Kumamotos, tapioca pearl, Osetra caviar
"Valhrona Chocolate Hearts" fresh strawberries soaked in Grand Marnier

The Dutch
$80 per person
Foie gras brûlée
Beef tartare
Tomato and watermelon salad
Guinness-braised short ribs
Chocolate and passionfruit sundae