Valentine's Day at Long Island restaurants

If you are a traditional romantic, Valentine’s Day dining probably means a prix fixe restaurant menu starring oysters, filet mignon and chocolate. There are plenty of these offers (don’t call them deals — it’s a night for big spenders) across Long Island. But there are also places that beckon with unusual cuisines, live music and dancing, and even, in the case of the Park Avenue Grill in Amityville, a kid-friendly early bird special for single parents and their littlest loved ones. Our picks, both traditional and non-, for this year:

NASSAU RESTAURANTS

Barney’s

215 Buckram Rd., Locust Valley

Barney’s, a 19th-century country inn with a roaring fireplace, is normally closed on Tuesdays, but will open on the 14th for a three-course dinner, priced at $99.95. Abundant appetizer choices include burrata salad (which is looking very popular all across Long Island for the holiday), Maryland crab cape with lemon-caper sauce, and Hudson Valley foie gras. Main courses are rich: Filet Mignon with potato gnocchi, seafood Meuniere with puff pastry, braised short ribs with mashed potatoes, seared tuna with Dijon cream. For dessert, sample a variety of sweets including raspberry cheesecake, pineapple gelato, chocolate truffles, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. More info: 516-671-6300, barneyslv.com

EGP Oceanside

2823 Long Beach Rd., Oceanside

EGP Oceanside, which is being lavishly decorated for the holiday, has a couple of offerings. On the 13th, the restaurant will host a Galentine’s Party from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with $20 bottles of wine and $5 well drinks. Dress up because there will be a photo op. On the 14th there's Valentine’s date night trivia that is also billed as fun for the family. Sign in at 7 p.m., games start at 7:30. Reservations recommended. More info: 516-766-9547, egpoceanside.com

Juniper

990 Corporate Drive, Westbury

Juniper has a three-course Valentine’s Day prix fixe menu for $90. Start with a choice of coconut shrimp with chili pineapple sauce, spinach-artichoke flatbread with ricotta and mozzarella, or whipped ricotta with truffle and confit tomato. Entrees include filet mignon alongside grilled Scottish langoustine, pan-roasted monkfish with mussels in curry broth, pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and sage, and branzino for two with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. For dessert: molasses cake with grilled pineapple and whipped cream, banana bread pudding with caramel sauce, and fig tart with honey and mascarpone. Oysters, shrimp cocktail, and jumbo lump crab cocktail are a la carte. More info: 516-820-1200, vanderbiltlongisland.com

Osteria Morini

630 Old Country Rd., Garden City

Romantic holiday dinner specials start Feb. 11 and continue through Feb. 15: Tuna tartare with lemon, olive oil, radish, and carta di musica ($24), crab spaghetti with scallions and saffron crema ($34), a surf and turf enetree consisting of wine-braised short rib and butter-poached lobster ($52), and yogurt panna cotta with milk chocolate crumble and strawberry Lambrusco sauce (($13) for dessert. More info: 516-604-0870, osteriamorini.com

Revel Restaurant

835 Franklin Ave., Garden City

A special a la carte menu of luxury foods for the holiday includes appetizers such as filet mignon sliders ($24), Bluepoint oysters Rockefeller ($23), lobster bisque ($15). There will be a black truffle burrata salad ($18), New York strip steak with black truffle butter ($64), Maine lobster stuffed with crabmeat ($56), and pistachio-crusted rack of lamb ($48). Cap off the meal with chocolate lava cake ($15) and heart-shaped red velvet cake ($15). More info: 516-246-9111, revelrestaurant.com

The Salt Grill

75 Cedar Swamp Rd., Glen Cove

This Brazilian/French newcomer in Glen Cove is presenting an $89 four-course menu that includes a welcome glass of sparkling wine. Offerings include a crab pastel with avocado puree and black caviar, picanha (wood-smoked beef with wine-poached carrots and chimichurri paste), and triple layer “flan brulee” are new dishes created especially for the holiday. More info: 516-200-9902, thesaltgrill.com

SUFFOLK RESTAURANTS

1770 House

143 Main Street, East Hampton

Chef Michael Rozzi presents a $95 three-course Valentine’s Day menu with appetizers such as roasted shrimp salad with winter greens and hearts of palm; salad of Montauk lobster with Milk Pail apple; Balsam Farms beets with Cashel blue cheese; and South Carolina quail with bacon jam and South Fork polenta. Among the entrees: Montauk seared sea scallops with Hudson Valley foie gras, roasted parsnip and mustard greens; hand-cut pasta with smoked rainbow trout caviar, scallion and creme fraiche; and for meat lovers, a duo of grass-fed New York strip steak and braised short rib. Desserts will include a 1770 House favorite — sticky date cake with toffee sauce and salted caramel gelato. More info: 631-324-1770, 1770house.com

Almond

1 Ocean Rd., Bridgehampton

Almond will be fully committing to the night by offering a “Shades of Red” prix fixe for $90. Each course features the holiday color, with dishes like clams Casino with chili butter, duck charcuterie with cranberry agrodolce, pork tortellini with kimchi consommé, bay scallops with sunchoke red flannel hash, and beignets with pink peppercorn anglaise and amarena cherries. More info: 631-537-5665, almondrestaurant.com

Melting Pot

2377 Broadhollow Rd., Farmingdale

Fondue in all of its forms gets holiday-ready Feb. 14 with a $90 four-course extravaganza that begins with a mac-and-cheese fondue, continues with strawberry caprese salad and then your choice of meat, poultry, seafood or vegetable fondue; it finishes sweetly with crème brulee and chocolate fondue. The special includes a champagne toast and a long-stemmed rose. Reservations recommended. More info: 631-752-4242, meltingpot.com

Mirabelle at Three Village Inn

150 Main St., Stony Brook

Romantic standby Mirabelle at Three Village Inn offers a special sweetheart menu Feb. 10-14 priced at $80 for three courses. Starter choices include grilled octopus with eggplant caponata, duck taco with hoisin sauce and pickled daikon, and oysters on the half shell. Roast prime rib, truffle risotto, and pan-seared branzino are featured mains. For dessert: ginger almond tart, classic tiramisu, and raspberry mousse cake with passion fruit coulis. More info: 631-751-0555, lessings.com

Nick & Toni’s

136 N. Main St., East Hampton

Nick & Toni’s, which is normally closed on Tuesdays, offers a special prix fixe menu Feb. 14 with four courses for $125. Begin with a glass of Barbaresco brut rose, served with roasted beets and fresh goat cheese. Antipasti selections include truffled burrata, wood-roasted local oysters, and tortellini en brood. Secondi choices range from risotto with wild mushrooms, to roasted chicken with polenta, to lamb chops with fregola, feta, and Moroccan olives. Coconut tart, chocolate truffle torte, tartufo, and salted butter caramels end the meal. A special “Valentine’s Day at Home” a la carte menu will also be available. More info: 631-324-3550, nickandtonis.com

Park Avenue Grill

178 Park Ave., Amityville

Here’s one for single moms and dads: Because “there is no greater love than they feel for their children,” The Park Avenue Grill hosts an early prix fixe special seating (3-5 p.m.) for parents and kids. Dinner includes an appetizer, entree, dessert, and drinks (1 alcoholic beverage for the parent). Cost is $25 per child, $40 adults. Reservations encouraged. More info: 631-598-4618

Villa Lombardi

877 Main St., Holbrook

If you’d like some dancing along with your Valentine’s Day dinner, Villa Lombardi’s dinner dance runs 7-11 p.m. on Valentine's Day for $89.95. In addition to a three-course dinner (salad, pasta, main course) and an open bar, there will be a DJ and dessert. Call for reservations. More info: 631-471-6609, villalombardis.com