The Big Foody’s Top Romantic places to take your Valentine
IN AUCKLAND:
Elle Armon- Jones top pick for the most romantic restaurant in Auckland is Casita Miro on Waiheke Island. With spectacular views of the vineyards, village and ocean, it specialises in Spanish and Mediterranean fare with the freshest and finest produce and as much locally sourced as possible. Bookings are essential.
And while you’re there, why not make a weekend of it (or even just a night away) on Waiheke Island, with visits to beautiful vineyards and breathtaking beaches.
Casita Miro’s Vineyards
Your favourite local beach – take a picnic rug and a delicious selection of your Valentine’s favourite treats and enjoy an evening out watching the sun go down.
Our staff’s top pick is Muriwai Beach where the sunsets are absolutely stunning. Pick a spot in the black sanded dunes and feast on a picnic of The Big Foody Food Tours favourite’s including cheeses like – Mt Eliza Blue Monkey, Mahoe Very Old Edam and Tenara Goats Cheese. Add some antipasto and selection of cold meats and make sure you grab yourself a loaf of fresh sourdough on your way down to Muriwai from the Gourmet Gannet in Huapai. Don’t forget your Valentines favourite bottle of wine and finish the evening off with some decadent chocolates. Need help creating a perfect picnic basket with some delicious New Zealand products? Make sure you join us on one of our Big Foody Food Tours and we can let you in on all the secrets.
Muriwai’s sand dunes
Looking to do something completely different? And have an adventurous palate? Auckland Zoo is hosting LoveBugs in conjunction with their blockbuster Te Papa and Weta Workshop exhibition Bug Lab on Valentines Day. LoveBugs will be a fun and memorable evening with entertainment by Te Papa’s irresistible ‘bugman’ Dr Phil Sirvid, live acoustic music and a 5 course degustation menu featuring the world’s greatest and most sustainable superfood – bugs and bug derived ingredients. You will be tempted by Bug crumb parmesan wafers, Cricket bread croute, Locust lavosh, Ant meringue puffs and more. It will be a night not to be missed, especially with Dr Phil Sirvids stories of the love lives of some of the world’s most extraordinary bugs. Bookings Essential.
If you want something really adventurous and bugs aren’t really your thing, consider the limited ‘Dinner in the Sky’ experience. Suspended 50 meters above ground, with fantastic views of the Auckland Harbour and city, you have the opportunity to enjoy Brunch, Lunch, Wine Tastings, Cocktail hour or Dinner. Bookings are essential and are sure to be booked out for Valentines Day, so get in quick.
Ok, so bugs aren’t quite your things, nor heights? How about dinner in the pitch black, where all your senses will be infused? How about the Dinner in the Dark, at the Rydges Hotel in the Auckland CBD. Sound interesting? Dinner in the Dark is a unique sensory, social dining experience. 2- 5 course menu option are available with Trust the Chef, Seafood and Vegan options available. Bookings are essential.
Take your loved one to Brick Bay in Matakana, a most romantic setting and most beautiful sculpture park trail. The trail will take you a casual one hour walk through beautiful scenery, past a pond, some typical New Zealand bush and even a Kauri patch. Either walk the trail before or after your lunch, but be sure to enjoy a glass of one of their Rose’s.
Part of the Sculpture park trail at Brick Bay
For something a bit more ‘mushy’, check out the Auckland Stardome Observatory Valentines Evening, complete with a drink on arrival, canapes and a gorgeous gift box filled with goodies for Valentines couples including a bottle of Villa Maria Rose and even an ‘Adopt a Star’ pack.
IN PORTLAND, OREGON
If it were summer time over here, I would say go to Steve Jones’ other spot, Cheese Bar, in the Mt Tabor neighborhood. While there, you and your special someone would share a cheese board and a bottle of wine, and then take a walk up the wooded hill to the top of Mt. Tabor where you could catch the sunset and beautiful views of the city looking west.
However, it is winter, so we instead suggest Chizu which is sandwiched in between Shalom Y’all and Multnomah Whiskey Library downtown. At Chizu order a bottle of cold, unfiltered sake and sit down for an omakase-style cheese experience. You’ll talk to the person at the counter about your preferences and interests and they will create a (name-your-price) cheese board, leading you through a tasting of Chizu’s artisan, small batch cheese selection.
Chizu’s personalised cheeseboard experience
Coquine (Mt Tabor neighborhood in SE) is perfect for a quiet, cozy, romantic evening. Chef Katy Millard just won James Beard’s 2017 Best Chef Northwest for her work at her excellent little neighborhood restaurant. I would recommend going to Coquine any time of day (they’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner), but it’s an especially nice place to spend a date night or special occasion with your significant other, working your way through the four or seven course Chef’s tasting menus.
Noble Rot (E. Burnside – inner eastside) is great for getting a taste of all Portland has to offer. For out-of-towners, Noble Rot has it all: good food, good wine, a great view, and even rooftop vegetable gardens. The food is intensely seasonal and much of it nipped right out of the rooftop gardens directly above you. The only way to enhance the beauty of your loved one is with the twinkling lights of your evening view looking out over the fair City of Roses