Love is on the menu at these Montreal restaurants for Valentine’s weekend

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Ah, Valentine’s Day. That time of year when lovers scramble to land reservations in the most chic romantic dining rooms of Montreal — even more so now, with restaurants operating at limited capacity.

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Don’t despair, however: it might not be too late to book a candlelit table for Valentine’s weekend or Valentine’s Day proper, to reserve a swanky and special box of takeout or to embark on a short gourmet getaway. Act fast, tip generously and be patient with a hospitality industry still licking its wounds from the latest shutdown.

staying in

Extra Menu: The gastronomic expertise of this Mile End kitchen leads to luxurious menus unlike any other for pickup or delivery on and around Valentine’s Day. Plates like cailles en sarcophage (quails stuffed with smoked duck in puff pastry) and add-ons like oysters Rockefeller will satisfy while the candles and flowers included will set the mood. Vegetarian option available. menuextra.ca, 514-378-7338, 5206 St-Laurent Blvd.; $150 for two.

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Boucherie Provisions: Spend more time enjoying one another’s company and less on cooking with this Outremont restaurant’s feast-for-two boxes. They include beef tartare and burrata to start, followed by a luscious lobster salad, osso bucco, and a layered marquise au chocolat with blood orange and pistachio for dessert. Call by Sunday to reserve for any time between Friday and Monday. boucherieprovisions.ca; 514-277-7788, 1142 Van Horne Ave.; $140 for two.

going out

Keela: Cozy up by the roaring oven of this understated gem of a bistro while you knock back a few rounds of $12 bubbly on Friday, Saturday or Monday. The menu is all about seafood sharing platters loaded up with crab, lobster, oysters and shrimp to feed one another as you watch the scene outside. restokeela.ca, 514-528-7617, 1237 Atateken St.; market price.

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Beau Temps: Now that dining rooms have reopened, chef William Cody’s Mile End kitchen can really strut its stuff. On Valentine’s Day only, a sharing plate menu will be served with intriguing dishes like endives filled with smoked yogurt, grilled oysters with bone marrow, a slow-grilled Cornish hen, winter salads and chocolate tarts. Be sure to dive into the cellar’s options while you’re there. beautemps.ca, 438-380-9355, 5439 St-Laurent Blvd.; $70 per person (plus $55 with wine pairing).

The Desktop: From Saturday to Monday, this Spanish-forward restaurant from the minds behind H4C par Dany Bolduc is serving picturesque four-course menus. After tapas and bubbly, dig into plates of tuna and beef short rib before rounding out the evening with a fluffy slice of Basque cheesecake. lasobremesarestaurant.com, 514-369-0385, 4922 Sherbrooke St. W.; $110 per person

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The Franquette: The high-level technique and attentive hospitality of this Westmount bistro — named after the unfussy à la franquette dining style — is perfect for treating a loved one to a table loaded with exquisite plates and bottles. On Friday and Saturday, share dishes of chicken liver mousse with crabapple gel, house agnolotti, grilled guinea fowl with truffles, and beef short rib on polenta, before splitting a poire en cage. franquettemtl.com, 438-380-4545, 374 Victoria Ave.; prices vary.

Pearls and Paddock: This Griffintown restaurant’s five-course Valentine’s menu is delicate but robust, and it’s available from Friday through Monday. Try inspired dishes like oysters with rose petal mignonette, lion’s mane mushroom confit, duck magret with foie gras sauce, pre-desserts of white chocolate and cauliflower cream puffs or foie gras macarons, and amaretto cake. perlesetpaddock.com, 514-931-0004, 403 des Seigneurs St.; $85 per person (plus $75 with wine pairing).

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Ratafia: The best option for an evening brimming with desserts and wine on Valentine’s weekend can be found in Little Italy. Montrealers drink up love-themed cocktails and eat mignardises, cake and molten chocolates over three courses, exclusively on Saturday. At the end of your visit, you can walk away with the bouquet on the table; it’s included in the price. ratafia.ca, 514-543-8033, 6778 St-Laurent Blvd.; $155 for two.

Ravine: Perfect for cocktail lovers, the Plateau’s newest Peruvian joint is open throughout the weekend and on Valentine’s Day, offering an inexpensive table d’hôte. Specialties like grilled anticucho skewers and aji de gallina (a curried stew) are available before cheesecakes, brownies or pain perdu for dessert. barrancorestaurant.com, 514-282-9000, 4552 St-Denis St.; $59 per person

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Ayla: Mediterranean cuisine is best when shared, so what better occasion than Valentine’s Day to eat at this sleek Griffintown restaurant? A full-bodied menu of mezze and mains for two including bubbly is on offer, starting with salad and a whole charred eggplant before surf and turf hits the table. It all ends with some specialty desserts. restaurantayla.com, 514-447-2954, 386 Richmond Ave.; $225 for two.

Going out and staying in

Le Pois Penche: Welcome to an intimate, foie gras-coated night of surf and turf — plus a passion fruit pavlova for two — at this downtown destination. Either eat in the dining room on Valentine’s Day as you listen to Syrian-Montreal crooner Matt Mardini sing you love songs, or get a room at the Hôtel Chez Swann upstairs and be served a private dinner. lepoispenche.com, 514-667-5050, 1230 Maisonneuve Blvd. W.; $85 per person (hotel extra).

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Maggie Oaks: Once you and your date have sipped on a pair of hot chocolates after an icy glide on the Old Port’s skating rink, tuck into the three-course table d’hôte menu from this grill house from Friday through Monday. The best part? Hôtel William Gray and the massages and thermal circuits of its in-house spa are only a short walk away, down scenic St-Amable St. maggieoakes.com, 514-656-6000, 426 Place Jacques-Cartier; $90 per person (hotel extra).

Ryu: All three of this sushi chain’s locations are open Valentine’s weekend, and offer both dining in and takeout. If you choose to dine in, it’s an omakase tasting menu of crafted chef specials; the takeout option is a layered series of sashimi, nigiri and maki platters. Whichever route you choose, don’t skimp on the wine, sake and Champagne. ryusushi.ca; 514-446-1468, 1474 Peel St.; 514-320-0191, 4185 Ste-Catherine St. W.; 514-446-1954, 388 Richmond Ave.; $130 per person for omakase, $250 for two for takeout.

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sweet nothings

Sachere Desserts: If there was ever a time to enjoy the work of pastry chef Sonya Sammut, it would be Valentine’s Day. She has put together limited-edition boxes of vibrantly red macarons and sets of two heart-shaped choux pastries — one filled with a whipped Ivorian Alunga milk chocolate and Sichuan pepper ganache, and the other with sour cherries, a whipped vanilla ganache and tonka bean . Available for pickup and delivery from Friday to Sunday. sachere.com, 514-357-8390, 1274 Maisonneuve Blvd. E.; prices vary.

Ernestine: Never one to miss a beat with holiday-themed treats, this Plateau chocolatier is making sweets that are great ways to ask someone if they’ll be your valentine. Heart-shaped chocolates filled with caramel, a large chocolate heart filled with (surprise) more chocolate hearts, classic boxes of assorted chocolates — it’s a small but mightily flavorful selection of goodies, available for pickup and delivery. ernestine.ca, 514-659-6647, 1827 Mont-Royal Ave. E.; prices vary.