Bad weather, busy schedules, forgetfulness…. All can put you in a position to need a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift or reservation.  Not to worry – we’ve got you covered with these incredibly interesting and available fun things to do for Valentine’s Day (or later) in New York City.

Bluebird London

Dining out is a no-brainer, unless you can’t get a reservation. Since this special lasts for three days, you might have a chance.  At the glamorous, truly gorgeous import from London, Bluebird London, Valentine’s Day will be a special evening. Offered from February 13-15, the special prix fixe menu features four courses of decadent offerings, like Oscietra caviar served on warm buckwheat blini with sour cream; duck foie gras and chicken terrine with Sauternes jelly and toasted brioche; beef Wellington for two with mushrooms, truffle and red wine jus; and dark chocolate and passionfruit mousse with Champagne. Pair the indulgent menu with a selection of shareable cocktails like the Thyme for Tea with Johnnie Walker Black Scotch, Drambuie, Rishi Tea Earl Grey, honey and thyme and you’ll have a memorable evening. The Columbus Circle restaurant’s been packed since it opened – it’s on everyone’s “hot” list. Now’s your chance to score some points! https://www.bluebirdlondon.nyc/restaurant/

Ben & Jack's Steakhouse

As they say, here’s one that you’ll see “only in New York, kids, only in New York.” Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse in the Theater District, in partnership with Judges For Love, Inc., will be performing private vow renewal ceremonies in a private dining area at the restaurant. Of course, a special prix fixe menu and Champagne options accompany these celebrations. Ribeye and romance, anyone?  http://benandjackssteakhouse.com/

Since pizza is a New York favorite, why not celebrate Valentine’s Day with a heart-shaped one at Sorbillo on the Bowery. On February 14, the Naples-inspired restaurant will be serving a four-course prix fixe menu  including the pizza, a  Prosecco toast, antipasti like fried calamari and Fiori di Zucca Ripieni (ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers), a main dish such as Fettuccine alla Bolognese or Saltimbocca alla Romana, and the pièce de résistance,  Sorbillo’s angelini (crispy pizza dough with Nutella) for dessert. www.sorbillonyc.com

Sorbillo

If you’d like a more relaxed and perhaps more private celebration, consider Sir Henri Penthouse for a boozy special. On the penthouse floor of Hotel Henri in the Flatiron district, you’ll soak up the speakeasy vibe in this dimly lit space filled with cozy nooks perfect for snuggling up with your sweetie.  Sir Henri’s Valentine’s Week cocktail specials include fun drinks like Tickle Me Pink, Glow of Love, and Lovely Lilac. If you decide to spend the night in the hotel, you’ll get two free cocktails. www.sirhenriny.com

Sir Henri Penthouse

For a seductive overnight gift, book the “Fifty Shades of Pink” package at the Moxy NYC Downtown in FiDi. You can start your evening at the retro-inspired bar Recreation where you’ll enjoy a specialty Valentine’s cocktail, bar bites and even a movie. Recreation’s half-court sized basketball court will be transformed into a cozy movie theater showing a special Valentine’s Day movie. After, your hotel room awaits along with the evening’s special toys: romance play cards, handcuffs, a blindfold and sexy chocolates. https://www.moxynycdowntown.com

Moxy NYC Downtown

The Pierre Hotel is giving you lots of choices to book your last-minute celebration.  You could surprise your sweetie with a stay at the hotel for a truly romantic evening, and, if you do, you’ll be treated with a decadent bottle of Taittinger Champagne and a pair of crystal flutes from Tiffany’s, yours to take home as a souvenir of your romantic evening. The following morning, you’ll breakfast at charming Perrine, the hotel’s swanky restaurant. And what’s better, you can book this romantic getaway any time through February 28 so you don’t have to stay in the middle of the week.

The Pierreny

If you’d rather do something on Valentine’s Day itself, however, the Pierre’s Two E! Lounge will host a special afternoon tea menu featuring heart-shaped sweets, extending the hours until 8pm. Or choose dinner, instead, at Perrine with a romantic three-course menu of seasonal favorites and the aptly named Temptations Four Ways dessert: orange dark chocolate mille-feuille, warm single origin chocolate hazelnut cake, milk chocolate crème and white chocolate lavender ice cream. It’s as pretty as it’s decadent. https://www.thepierreny.com

What would Valentine’s Day in New York City be without a party with an international twist? At Fonda in Park Slope (Brooklyn), the East Village and Chelsea, you can indulge in a traditional Mexican celebration of El Día del Amor y la Amistad (the Day of Love and Friendship). Each dish of the meal takes on a cheeky, romantic significance starting with the Sopa Marte y Venus which pays homage to Mars and Venus (a twist on the traditional soup with a Venus love overlay), Lovers’ Guacamole mixed with mango and red grapes, and Shrimp Apasionados adorned with passionfruit. The dessert is Chef Roberto Santibañez’s Valentine’s Day version of a lava cake with bright red raspberry sauce and whipped cream.

Fonda

Also embracing the Mexican spirit, at the Dream Downtown, Bodega Negra’s Executive Chef Brad Warner has created a romance-inducing menu of guacamole made with white chocolate, hibiscus, pomegranate and almond tostadas; lobster ceviche; and sarape, a seductive combination of delicata squash, hen of the woods mushrooms, mole and queso Chihuahua. For a sweet finish, Chef has some fun with a selection of limited-edition conversation desserts, reminiscent of the candy hearts traditional for Valentine’s Day. Diners will pre-select a personalized saying such as “Mi Amor” (my love), “Te Amo” (I love you), or “Besame” (kiss me) to be embossed on their celebratory Tres Leches dessert. Book your dinner and pre-select your dessert message by February 13.

Bodega Negra

Since Valentine’s Day and chocolates go hand-in-hand, you could buy your SO a gift from the luxurious bean-to-bar chocolate company, MarieBelle in SoHo – they’ll even deliver to you if you live in Manhattan — but you might actually want to go to the shop together; MarieBelle is a feast for the eyes as well as the appetite with its gorgeous room and tantalizing choices. Pick out some artisanal ganache, lavish truffles or chocolate bars, or indulge at the Cacao Bar in the back where you can also select from a menu of desserts, pastries and hot chocolate drinks. This is one of Manhattan’s hidden gems. https://mariebelle.com/

Mariebelle

Another way to satisfy a chocolate lover is to reserve a table at the luxe Alsatian-inspired Gabriel Kreuther restaurant near across from Bryant Park where you can try Chef Kreuther’s new Chocolate & Liquor Pairing.  www.gknyc.com Guaranteed to wow any foodie, dinner and dessert here will be evening to remember. And you can take the experience home, too, from the next-door Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate emporium where pastry chef Marc Aumont has created some of the most beautiful chocolates and pastries you’ll find anywhere. For Valentine’s Day, there will be many special chocolates including Chocolate Heart Locks inspired by the love locks lining Paris’s iconic Ponts des Arts bridge; Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Pops, a molded dark chocolate heart lollipop decorated as a chocolate-covered strawberry; Pink & Red Confetti Heart yogurt chocolate bars; Cherry Cola Dollhouse Donuts coated in pink and red; and a Chocolate “Hug” Sculpture inspired by the copper statues in NYC subway stations. www.kreutherchocolate.com

Gabriel Kreuther

If all this isn’t enough to win a New Yorker’s heart, the Seaport District’s iPic movie theater and Tuck Room restaurant are offering two over-the-top packages for Valentine’s Day. If you’re sure that you’ve picked your mate for life, you can pop the question here. You can choose the Big Screen Proposal Package, where you create your own proposal to be shown on the big screen with a surprise “movie trailer,” an extravaganza that will make any romantic filmie swoon. This celebration can be as large as you’d like, too, by including friends and family (unknown to your sweetie, of course) and arranging a catered meal with cocktails.

The Tuck Room

Or go completely crazy with the “I Do” package in the secret Green Room at the Tuck Room at iPic, where a four-course aphrodisiac  dinner includes a diamond ring tucked inside a golden apple cloche with the words “Will You Marry Me” written in chocolate and gold dust on the outside. That’s truly “A Night to Remember.” https://www.ipictheaters.com/#/home/ http://www.thetuckroom.com/

If you missed your chance to score half-price tickets to some of the Broadway shows in the NYC Broadway Week special that just ended, you can expand your horizons now with 2-for-1 tickets to more than 30 of New York City’s best off-Broadway productions. In fact, it’s a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day too. It’s NYC Off-Broadway Week.

Avenue Q Photo Courtesy of Carol Rosegg

NYC Off-Broadway Week, now in its 10th year, starts on Monday February 11 and runs through February 24. Of the 33 shows offering specials, twelve are new participants this year. (It really should be called Off-Broadway Two Weeks, but that doesn’t really have a good ring to it.)

Blue Man Group photo Courtesy of Blue Man Group

It’s also a last chance to see one of Off-Broadway’s regulars Avenue Q which closes April 28.  Along with Off-Broadway standbys like Blue Man Group and STOMP, you can get these well-priced tickets to newish shows like the recently extended hit “Colin Quinn: Red State Blue State” and the “Harry Potter” parody “Puffs, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School, of Magic and Magic.” Also participating are two of my favorites, “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “Jersey Boys” which both moved from Broadway to Off-Broadway, making them even more of a bargain at these prices.

Puffs photo Courtesy of Hunter Canning

Here’s a full list of shows participating in NYC Off-Broadway Week:

• Alice By Heart
• Avenue Q
• Beauty and The Beast
• Blue Man Group
• Boesman and Lena
• By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
• The Cake
• Colin Quinn: Red State Blue State
• The Dance of Death
• Drunk Shakespeare
• Gazillion Bubble Show
• Gloria: A Life
• God Said This
• Hurricane Diane
• If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhf***a
• The Imbible: A Spirited Jersey Boys
• La Celestina
• Mies Julie
• Monday Night Magic
• Musicals in Mufti: Alan Jay Lerner Celebration
• Naked Boys Singing
• NEWSical The Musical
• The Other Josh Cohen
• Perfect Crime
• The Play That Goes Wrong
• Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
• The Shadow of a Gunman
• Sistas The Musical
• STOMP
• Superhero
• History of Drinking
• This One’s for the Girls
• We are the Tigers

Sistas photo Courtesy of Sistas

For ticket information, https://www.nycgo.com/off-broadway-week.

There’s a fun-filled day in store for the entire family on February 9, when The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts its annual Lunar New Year Festival. This year’s celebration, the Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Pig is true to the Met’s history of showcasing global traditions with performances and activities from across Asia. The pig, one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, has been a wildly popular character throughout history and also serves as a symbol of wealth.

The Chinese New Year festival opens with a colorful Lunar New Year parade in the Great Hall, led by the Chinese Center on Long Island Lion Troupe. Dance and musical, artist-led workshops and interactive gallery activities will be staged throughout the building, encouraging exploration as well as providing entertainment. Your admission includes all Lunar New Year Festival activities.

Some of the fun and educational experiences to be held on Saturday are a concert by drummers from the New York Korean Performing Arts Center and Chinese yo-yo tricks by the Valley Stream South High School Cultural Society. Kids will especially love the Sesame Street Puppeteers Featuring Alan Muraoka, a joyous experience with participatory singalongs and movement activities. Photos are encouraged so don’t leave your cameras or phones at home. Music will ring throughout the halls with Master musicians Wu Na and Chang Jing playing sounds of nature using Chinese zithers. Separately, Erhu-Cello Duo will perform contemporary works inspired by traditional Chinese classical and folk music.

An extensive schedule of artist- and expert-led activities is planned throughout the day. Families can discover their zodiac signs, design piggy banks, and learn to fold and cut movable paper fish under the tutelage of the Museum of Chinese in America, an activity designed to ensure a year of good fortune. The Korea Society will teach paper doll-making, this year creating paper doll pigs and dressing them in traditional clothing. Looking for something a little more sophisticated? You can learn to make your own jewelry designs with inspiration from Chinese fortune coins.

If food is your passion, celebrated noodle maker Chef Zhang will inspire you with a hand-pulled noodle demonstration and Ten Ren Tea and Ginseng Co. will invite families to participate in a Wu-Wo tea ceremony.

Getting a bit restless from all of this instruction and culture?  During a Hide and Seek by game designers GJ Lee and Brian S. Chung, participants will create their own digital camouflage to hide from predators.

There’s also a series of educational programs as part of the museum’s gallery talk series. For the Lunar New Year, The Met presents Collection Chats with “new” New Yorkers, in partnership with the Queens Library and the New New Yorkers Program at the Queens Museum. In this series of gallery talks (given in both English and Mandarin), recent immigrants reference works of Asian art as they discuss their interests as new New Yorkers and recall memories of their Lunar New Year experiences.

For the next six months, The Met is presenting the Celebrating the Year of the Pig exhibition, a show of depictions of pigs created by Chinese artists within the last 2,000 years. Particularly notable are a sixth-century pottery figure of a stout pig in recumbent position and two sets of Chinese zodiac animals, which illustrate both the universal appeal of pigs as a symbol of wealth and the integral role they played in human life.

The Festival is scheduled from 11am-5pm. Admission is at the main Met entrance, at 1000 Fifth Avenue.  https://www.metmuseum.org/

It’s that chilly, wintery time of the year when every part of your body is calling out for comforting, delicious food as well as some wonderful drinks and camaraderie. Fortunately, for us, it’s also the time of New York City’s Winter Restaurant Week celebration. Now, continuing through February 8, you can sample some of the city’s most exciting restaurants at very affordable prices. Specifically, a two-course prix fixe lunch costs only $26 and a three-course prix fixe dinner is priced at $42, kind of the bargain of the year.

Reservations for the hottest restaurants go quickly, so have a few choices in mind when you go to book online or by phone. With 368 restaurants to choose from, in locations throughout the five boroughs, you shouldn’t have a problem. The only problem will be deciding where to go among the 33 individual cuisines represented – and you definitely should go to more than one.

Need a little help? The booking site is smartly organized with headings like NYC Classics, Fireside Feasts, Raise the Steaks, Best-Kept Secrets, Squad Goals, Dinner Is the Show, Expense It, and Sunday Brunch.  Book online at nycgo.com/restaurantweek.

Here are ten of my favorites:

Augustine – The pretty Parisian bistro from Keith McNally sits in the Beekman Hotel, serving right-from-the Right Bank steak tartare and chicken paillard, along with steaks, burgers and a selection of rotisserie-cooked meats.  Seafood includes lobster ravioli and daily specials. You might remember the old Pastis or the current Balthazar; this is an almost identical sibling. https://augustineny.com/

Augustine

CUT by Wolfgang Puck – A steakhouse that offers much more than steakhouse, CUT is tucked behind a curtain in a corner of the Four Season Hotel downtown. Tastings of wagyu, veal chop, tuna tartare and steak tartare are all highlights, along with an extensive wine list. https://wolfgangpuck.com/dining/cut-new-york/

Le Coq Rico – If you’re mad about chicken, this Flatiron restaurant is for you. A mix of Alsatian artistry and top poultry, Le Coq Rico is all about warmth and satisfaction. You’ll enjoy the menu of chicken, squab, duck and guinea fowl sourced from the finest farms in the country. Add a glass of wine and the decadent île flottante for dessert to create the perfect meal. https://www.lecoqriconyc.com/

– It seems that just about all of my favorite restaurants are located in hotels. And here’s another. Legasea from the TAO group makes its home in the Moxy Hotel. A seafood shack done upscale, the restaurant is somewhat of a scene, a prelude to a night at the upstairs rooftop bar. Anything from Chef Jason Hall’s seafood menu is outstanding but you might have more fun with the box of fried chicken, spiced up with Mike’s hot honey, or the World’s Fair create-your-own sundae. http://moxy-hotels.marriott.com/nyc/timessquare/dining/legasea-seafood-brasserie/

Legasea

Obao Hell’s Kitchen – This is the perfect after-work, happy hour, pre-theater go-to.  Located among the many Thai and other ethnic restaurants on foodie Ninth Avenue, Obao is fun, with a varied cocktail menu and an extensive selection of Thai and Vietnamese street food. Try to book early for the best seats in the multi-level restaurant. https://www.obaony.com/

Ortzi – Another interesting restaurant set in a hotel (LUMA Hotel), Ortzi serves up Basque dishes as only Chef Jose Garces can.  Ortzi offers a menu of warm Spanish tapas including cazuelas cooked in terra cotta pots, and cold preparations like crudos and conservas, dishes using canned and preserved ingredients. http://ortzirestaurant.com/

Suzuki – Near the Theater District, Suzuki is a kaiseki temple helmed by Sushi Zen alum Takashi Yamamoto. The quiet, lavishly appointed room is perfect for enjoying this masterful meal, a mix of hot and cold dishes with interesting cocktail possibilities. https://www.suzukinyc.com/

Temple Court – Tom Colicchio pays homage to the Victorian era and classic American dishes in this beautiful restaurant in the Bleecker Hotel. Dishes have classic names but have been updated. You’ll see the likes of steak Diane, pork Wellington, and Baked Alaska here. https://www.templecourtnyc.com/

The Writing Room — Fans of the beloved Elaine’s will feel right at home in the Writing Room in the former Elaine’s space. The menu is American comfort all the way, now including many selections of the shuttered Parlor Steakhouse. You can also sit at the adjacent bar, an equally popular Upper East Side gathering place. http://www.thewritingroomnyc.com/

Vinateria – Wine lovers should book a table at Harlem’s intimate Vinateria. Set in an area area of emerging restaurants and shops, Vinateria invites you to put together a tasting menu with small plates of American specialties, paired with individual pours designed for experimentation. https://www.vinaterianyc.com/

There’s no such thing as the January or February Blues in New York City. This year New York City has three exciting programs, all happening at once and offering substantial discounts for dining, theater, and iconic NYC activities. Called “New York City Winter Outing,” all three programs last through February 10, giving you at least a week to figure out everything you want to do and connect with your friends.

NYC&Co. has created the overall umbrella to help you overcome your FOGO (Fear of Going out when it’s cold) But this is something that will actually give you a case of FOMO (Fear of Missing out), so don’t wait. Do it all. Get your calendar ready.  Pretend you’re a tourist here. Or, if you are a tourist here, revel in the fact that these wonderful programs exist.

To add to them, a CityPASS for NYC, might just be the admission ticket to help you wrap everything together. Several pricing options exist and it’s a lovely bargain as well.

Their program offers admission to:

CityPASS Admission Includes

• The Empire State Building
• American Museum of Natural History
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck  OR Guggenheim Museum
• Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island  OR Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum  OR Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Empire State Building

In separate posts, I’ll take you through the intricacies of each with my recommendations for how to navigate this wealth of activity and deals and decide what to do.  Restaurant Week (through February 9) with its 2-course $26 lunches and 3-course $42 dinners, New York City Broadway Week offering 2 tickets for the price of 1 (through February 10) and Must See New York Week with 2 for 1 tickets (through January 10) to quite a lot of New York’s most iconic sightseeing and experiential choices.

Did you overdo it on New Year’s Eve in NYC?  Did you know that January 1 is officially National Bloody Mary Day?

I have a few suggestions on how to ease your aching head.

Walk over the Williamsburg Bridge to get some fresh air and properly celebrate National Bloody Mary Day at Taqueria Diana. The laid-back, Californian style restaurant and mezcal bar serves a delicious Bloody Diana (Vida mezcal, tomato, Worcestershire sauce, escabeche, lime, horseradish), a slight twist on the classic Bloody. You’ll quickly be on your way to feeling revived again as Bloody Mary’s are the ultimate hangover cure  (and my go-to for any bad weather, or bad mood day), providing much-needed electrolytes, Vitamin C and Vitamin B. And, best of all, no one will judge if you spring for an order of sheet pan nachos or super-fries topped with cheese, guac, and sour cream. They go perfectly with a Bloody Mary. You’ll see. Taqueria Diana also has locations in Manhattan in the East Village, Lower East Side and Hell’s Kitchen if you can’t get it together to walk to Brooklyn.

Drag your aching self to Toby’s Estate for a fresh, roasted coffee for a caffeine fix, courtesy of Toby’s new seasonal offerings. Now that it’s really winter – and not just 50-degree sorta winter – try the Spicy Drinking Chocolate, a classic hot chocolate with a kick from chocolate sauce infused with their homemade honey-chili syrup. Aside from that one being my new favorite, winter is still all about gingerbread for me, so I will happily pour caffeine into my body by way of Toby’s gingerbread latte, a mix of espresso milk and gingerbread syrup with a hint of allspice cinnamon, clove and fresh ginger. And you have a choice of where to find them: Long Island City, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. Sorry, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island – you’ll have to settle for ordinary Dunkin.

Who doesn’t love a bacon and egg sandwich? It’s the perfect cure for a hangover with its fat, grease, protein and carbs combination.  With locations in both Nolita and Williamsburg, Egg Shop will still be offering its menu of 10 egg-based sandwiches, cruisers, French toast, and more on New Year’s Day, but the deal you want to scarf up is their all-day, half-off Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas fix (you know, a bit of the hair of the dog as they say) along with a $12 Pepper Boy Sandwich and Bloody Mary combo all day long. It’s another great way to celebrate Bloody Mary Day and restore your sanity.

Ed’s Lobster Bar jumps on the Bloody Mary Day bandwagon, offering you a free Bloody Mary when you order either their lobster mac and cheese, or Ed’s near-to-perfection lobster roll.  You can sleep in, too. The deal is valid all day long.

If you were drinking beer all night instead of Champagne, maybe a couple of brews will bring you back to life. Clinton Hall beer hall is celebrating the New Year by offering their award-winning Double Smashed Burger paired with a Gigawatt beer for only $20.19 at all locations (Bronx, Financial District and Williamsburg) all day long. Cheers!