The glutton’s guide to Valentine’s Day in Vegas

By Sarah Feldberg

Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 | 12:05 a.m.

Forget love, romance or wallowing in loneliness. If you ask us, Valentine's Day is really all about our stomachs, and, more specifically, filling them with as much chocolate-dipped, lovingly cooked food as possible.

Every year along with pastel candy and heart-strangling stuffed animals, Valentine's Day brings with it love-inspired menus from local restaurants up and down the Strip and across the Valley. Some claim to contain aphrodisiac properties; others might hamper your love-making efforts with course upon course of one-night-only fare; all will drown the bitterness of singledom in flavors far more delicious.

So whether you're single, hitched or somewhere in relationship limbo, have yourself a gluttonous little Valentine's Day at one of these Vegas eateries.

• Marche Bacchus: Few Vegas restaurants can boast a setting more romantic than the lakeside patio at French bistro Marche Bacchus. For Valentine's Day, Chef Jean Paul Labadie will be serving a Sunday Champagne brunch with three courses and unlimited mimosas and bubbly for $49. When the sun goes down, the neighborhood favorite will also be celebrating the holiday with four-course dinners both Saturday and Sunday nights with dishes like filet with rum mashed sweet potatoes and New Orleans style beignets for $75. 804-8008.

• Sinatra: At Encore's Sinatra, Valentine's Day sounds especially sweet. Diners at the crooner-dedicated Italian restaurant can tuck into a four-course prix fixe menu that includes decadent dishes like spiny lobster medallions, agnolotti with braised veal and winter truffles and filet mignon. And listen to this: Dinner comes with a long-stemmed rose and a copy of Sinatra's Seduction CD, $198 per couple. 770-7171.

• Restaurant Charlie: For a truly gluttonous experience look no further than this Palazzo eatery. Charlie Trotter's namesake restaurant is celebrating Valentine's Day all weekend with a pair of menus that take the holiday all over the globe and back to Las Vegas. A four-course prix fixe menu for $95 features options like Maine diver sea scallops with Greek yogurt and Bobwhite quail with caramelized turnip. However, truly dedicated diners will want to turn their attention to the "Grand Menu." This $225 nine-course tour through Trotter's culinary repertoire starts with caviar and oysters and bounces through courses of veal sweetbreads with mustard seed and chanterelles and Muscovy duck breast with Thai basil on the way to a duo of exotic desserts. Paired wines can be added for $125. 607-6336.

• Nove Italiano: High above Las Vegas, Nove is pairing its view with a five-course prix fixe menu this February 14. Available for $75, Nove's Valentine's Day lineup offers big-eye tuna crudo with Satsuma tangerines and sea salt, a 22-ounce porterhouse with Maine lobster and truffle mac 'n' cheese, and a generous dessert platter. Wash it all down with holiday's exclusive Strawberry Sweetheart Martini made with vodka, strawberries and Perrier Jouet Blason Rose and you've got a Valentine's Day dinner to remember. 942-6800.

— Originally published on Las Vegas Weekly