Champagne, oysters and a train ride: Our recommendations for Valentine's Day on Cape Cod

As Cupid dusts off his bow and arrows, it’s time to start planning your Valentine’s Day on Cape Cod.

If you already have a valentine, now’s the time to pick a time and a date — since not everyone can celebrate the “holiday” in the middle of the work week — and look for a nice place to eat or an activity to do.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should show the love for whoever your valentine may be. If you don't have a valentine, celebrate Galentine’s Day or Self Love Day instead.

For the sake of this piece, I’m going to assume you’re all looking for a place to eat. Here are a few places to show some love through food on Cape Cod this Valentine’s Day.

Where to have Valentine's Day dinner on Cape Cod

Champagne, fried chicken and shucking an aphrodisiac at Dunn & Sons in Dennis or The Pheasant in Yarmouth Port

Love birds and co-owners of The Pheasant and Dunn & Sons in Dennis and Yarmouth Port, Erica and Adam Dunn, are hosting three Valentine’s Day events suitable for a valentine or galentine.

Festivities begin with Dunn and Son’s weekly free wine tasting from noon to 4 p.m. on Feb. 10. While specific details are still being sorted, Dunn said she expects the tasting to be Valentine’s Day-themed.

“I'm sure we'll have some wines at the tasting that are perfect Valentine's Day gifts or things to pair with a meal that you're preparing at home for Valentine's Day,” she said.

Then on Feb. 11, join Adam for a Valentine’s oyster shucking and tasting class paired with bubbles, beer, snacks and a souvenir Pheasant shucking knife.

“It's a really good thing to do with a partner or just friends,” said Erica Dunn, co-owner of The Pheasant and Dunn & Sons. “If you're not coupled, it's a great thing to just do by yourself. You don't have to do this with someone else."

But if shucking an aphrodisiac isn't romantic enough, join Dunn & Sons and The Pheasant for a fireside "Fried Chicken and Grower Champagne" Valentine's Day Dinner prepared by chef and sommelier Derek Salkin and poured by sommelier Kim Prokoshyn.

“It's just fun and celebratory,” Dunn said. “It's fun not taking ourselves too seriously and just doing it really well. Valentine's Day is the same thing. It doesn't have to be so stuffy ... traditional or a special date night. It's just a great opportunity to get together with people you love whether it be your partner, friends or family.”

Sample menu items include a bucket of fried chicken — is there a more delicious key to the heart? — local oysters, and chocolate halva with sesame ice cream paired with grower champagne.

"It's not just your average fried chicken," Dunn said. "This is a beautifully elevated dinner and it's all grower champagne, which means it's small production, low intervention. So, there's a real educational component to that as well."

Valentine's Day Dinner is $195 per person and begins at 7 p.m. on Feb. 14. Reservations can be made at www.pheasantcapecod.com/event/valentines-day-fried-chicken-grower-champagne/.

Tickets for oyster shucking are $95 per person and can be purchased online at www.pheasantcapecod.com/event/oysterclass/. For more information, email info@pheasantcapecod.com.

Enjoy the Yarmouth House classics in front of the yellow wheel

Stare into the eyes of your beloved or into the eyes of Annabel the stuffed Orangutan — who am I to judge? — over Valentine’s Day dinner at the Yarmouth House.

Featuring a trimmed-down menu full of classic dishes, the Yarmouth House’s Valentine’s Day dinner aims to provide guests with a nice meal in a restaurant beloved by the community.

“Valentine's Day is always kind of big and special here,” said Eric White, vice president of operations and events and marketing director for Restaurants on Main. “It's one of our biggest days. Yarmouth House in general, is a special place.”

This year’s menu features a mix of surf and turf, offering pan-seared scallops, oysters on the half shell, lamb osso buco, and filet mignon and a half lobster, plus a selection of special desserts.

“We do usually run some dessert specials unique to Valentine's Day,” White said. “The menu’s kind of geared towards couples.”

In a place where couples choose to go on dates, get engaged and sometimes even get married, White said the romance of the Yarmouth House lies in its history, decor and layout.

“Everybody kind of looks at Yarmouth House on special occasions,” he said. “We have a bunch of different Valentine's decorations. (It) makes for a special feeling when you come in here. The way the restaurant is set up, it's all kinda like cozy seating wherever you are.”

Valentine’s Day dinner will be served at Yarmouth House from 3 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 14. Reservations can be made online at www.yarmouthhouse.com/reservations/ or by calling 508-771-5154. Yarmouth House is located at 335 Route 28, West Yarmouth.

Find a quiet corner in the Roscommon Room at Ocean Edge in Brewster

Cozy up in the dark wood-panelled Roscommon Room at the Mansion at Ocean Edge for a romantic prix fixe Valentine’s Day dinner for two from Feb. 10 to Feb. 14.

Dinner is $120 per person featuring four courses — appetizer, salad, entree and dessert — a champagne toast and menu items such as lobster pot pie and duck confit vol-au-vent (a small hollow puff pastry). Reservations can be made online at www.oceanedge.com/dining/valentines-day/. Ocean Edge is located at 2907 Main St. in Brewster.

Celebrate with a partner or friends at the Sagamore Inn

The Sagamore Inn is making Valentine’s Day fit for valentines and galentines with a special menu dinner on Feb. 14.

The menu, which is still being finalized at the time of this article, features dishes like the “Sagamore Inn Signature Surf and Turf,” grilled marinated steak tips with butter-poached lobster tail, confit pearl onions, roasted broccolini and mashed potatoes, and a special chef's choice dessert.

“It’s quaint, it’s comforting,” Diana Morgan, marketing manager for the Sagamore Inn said. “The food is delicious.”

Beyond the food, Morgan said the restaurant's charm also comes from the atmosphere created by owners, Michael and Suzanne Bilodeau, son and chef Peter Bilodeau and long-time staff members and rich history.

"One of the main draws is that it's historic," she said. "It's family-owned."

The Sagamore Inn is located at 1131 Sandwich Road, Sagamore. For reservations, call 508-888-9707.

Take dinner on the go on Cape Cod Rail’s Valentine’s Day train ride

If you’re looking for an out-of-the-box Valentine’s dinner date idea or an excuse to celebrate the holiday with friends, why not glide through the night over a five-course meal on Cape Cod Central Railroad’s Valentine’s Day Dinner train?

The train departs from Buzzards Bay at 6 p.m. on Valentine’s Day for a three-hour ride through the Cape Cod night. Dinner includes a seasonal crudité, soup, salad, entrée — beef tenderloin, pan-seared salmon, chicken saltimbocca, spinach and roasted garlic ravioli — and dessert. A full cash bar is available as well.

Seating is still available in two classes, First and Premium. First-class tickets are $94.99 per person. Premium class tickets are $129.99 and include seating on the upper level of a dome car with panoramic views. To make a reservation or for more information, visit www.capetrain.com/valentines-day-dinner-train/.

Frankie Rowley covers entertainment and things to do. Contact her at frowley@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Valentine's Day on Cape Cod: 6 romantic restaurants to book for dinner