| March 18, 2021 | Food & Drink, Feature,
Snag the one you love and light those candles—these Chicago eateries are delivering romance and delicious flavors and none of the work, with pickup options to fill your plate and thrill your date.
Uvae Kitchen and Wine Bar offers date night to go.
With grand wine tastings and a globally inspired menu, Uvae Kitchen and Wine Bar amps up the romance this season with a prix fixe menu and takeout options for a dinner for two. The menu features progressive small plates like maltagliati with mushroom, whipped ricotta and bacon, as well as lighter fare such as apple and fennel salad, ginger chili shrimp and roasted rainbow carrots. Uvae’s curated wine selection rounds out the evening. Uvae is currently closed for regular dining but open for virtual events as well as Saturday and Sunday pick-up or delivery prix fixe menu packages. 5553 N. Clark St., uvaechicago.com
With dishes that combine French recipes and techniques with new American favorites, The Bristol’s pastas, garden-fresh produce and dishes like Faroe Island salmon and black garlic braised short ribs bring the love to your table. The agnolotti pasta with chevre and butternut squash can be accompanied by the restaurant’s tempting take on a Waldorf salad topped with apple, walnut sherry vinaigrette and Red Rock cheese. Wines can be expertly paired with any menu item. Limited indoor dining plus igloo dining and heated tents, curbside, pickup and delivery, 2152 N. Damen Ave., thebristolchicago.com
Seasonal Midwestern-style pasta dishes are on the docket at Daisies, partnered with fresh and everchanging ingredients including winter squash, pumpkin, fresh mushrooms and various herbs. A candlelit dinner is complete with Daisies’ pasta kits with handmade pasta ready to be prepared in your kitchen. Offering gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options, the restaurant also provides fresh produce for purchase through its website, alongside an extensive selection of pinot noir, merlot and malbec wines. Curbside, pickup and delivery, 2523 N. Milwaukee Ave., daisieschicago.com
Go on a cuisine cruise with the masterful menu from chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s team at Nobu Chicago. Expect works of culinary art like miso-marinated black cod, fried rock shrimp with spicy mayo and transportive sushi rolls. The restaurant’s specialty to-go dinner for two includes edamame, yellowtail jalapeno rolls, tuna sashimi salad, creamy and spicy tempura rock shrimp, a California roll and a kabocha squash layer cake. Valentine’s dinner is served. Limited indoor dining; takeout Sunday-Thursday 4-9pm and Friday-Saturday 4-10pm, 854 W. Randolph St., noburestaurants.com/chicago
Smash burgers, seared salmon and honey-glazed duck—with a plethora of sides to accompany each—are on offer at Sepia, the West Loop’s Michelin-starred darling for seasonal American favorites. For hors d’oeuvres, caviar, marinated olives and OG Kristal cheese with lavash crackers set the stage. Burrata and sweet potato salad come next, alongside crispy Brussels sprouts with cranberry-chili glaze and candied peanuts. For dessert, chef Lauren Terrill’s famous pies include double chocolate hazelnut, tart cherry and Midwestern sugar. Takeout and private dining, 123 N. Jefferson St., sepiachicago.com
The Smyth dining odyssey can now be experienced from the luxury of home, perfect for an amorous evening with a five-course tasting menu reimagined on a frequent basis. Included menu favorites feature the restaurant’s cherrywood and black malt lobster tail, warm caviar in buckwheat butter and almond milk, and smoked short ribs with plums and cheese. Dessert comes in the form of roasted kombu ice cream, fall raspberries with jasmine or lavender, and salted egg tarts. Smyth At Home program Monday-Sunday 5-8:30pm, 177 N. Ada St., Ste. 101, smythandtheloyalist.com
Photography by: By Jamie Kelter Davis Photography