Learn the love languages of New Jersey with this guide to food, events, retail opportunities, and romantic giveaways throughout the state. From decadent chocolate-covered strawberries to a perfect wintery scenery, there are options for anyone looking to celebrate Valentine’s Day, whether doing so with partners, friends, or family.
Food
Serving up French fine dining at the Grounds For Sculpture, Rat’s Restaurant’s romantic experience for this Valentine’s Day is an à la carte menu with featured wine and dinner specials. Guests at Rat’s Restaurant can dine on options for the holiday such as duck confit en croûte, oysters rockefeller refaire, squid ink crab pasta, a 16-ounce veal porterhouse, and for dessert, a sacher torte. Because Valentine’s Day is on a Monday this year when Rat’s is usually closed, the restaurant will be open solely for dinner on Feb. 14.
Sasha Peatman is not only an assistant general manager at Rat’s Restaurant, but a master sommelier. Subject to the day, she will be curating featured wine pairings to accompany the specials.
“I wanted to open some really nice bottles that you normally wouldn’t be able to have by the glass, just for this special weekend,” she said.
“We have eight outside tables that are covered by a glass awning and have heat lamps installed in the ceiling, so we actually still are offering outdoor dining to guests that are not comfortable with sitting inside,” Peatman said. “It is obviously still a little bit chilly out there, but you’re very well-protected, and all of those outside tables are around our pond and have a view of the Monet’s Bridge, so the ambience out there is still very lovely.”
Rat’s Restaurant, 16 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton. Saturday through Monday, February 12 through 14, 4 to 9 p.m. www.ratsrestaurant.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: Employees wear masks, customers are not required to wear face masks if fully vaccinated, and outdoor seating is available.
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Hopewell Valley Vineyards is hosting a private, ticket-only event with midday meal favorites like imported and local cheeses, wine, brick oven breakfast pizzas, roasted potatoes, meats, and other enticing fare.
“Our brunch menu is very extensive,” said Violetta Neri, who owns the vineyard alongside husband Sergio Neri, the winemaker and chef. “It’s really amazingly customized to us. Our chef and winemaker being Italian, he makes ricotta pancakes and a berry sauce for [them] from scratch.”
The brunch also comes with mimosas and bellinis using a prosecco-style wine. Violetta Neri says that in the past, this menu for private events has been very well-received.
Personally, she recommends their thin-crust nutella pizza that “comes [out] piping hot out of the oven” with the chocolate-hazelnut spread and powdered white sugar.
Violetta Neri is also hoping to have their chocolate port wine ready by the day of the event. In a similarly sweet fashion, Hopewell Valley Vineyards will be selling chocolate-covered wine bottles as gifts in white, red and rosé flavors.
Hopewell Valley Vineyards, 46 Yard Road, Pennington. Sunday, Feburary 13, 11 a.m. $32.00 each plus gratuity ($38.40) and tax. Reserve by February 9 at 609-737-4465 or www.hopewellvalleyvineyards.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: Hopewell Valley Vineyards follows state mandates that are subject to change. Anyone is permitted to wear masks according to their comfort level.
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With elevated American cuisine and a seasonal flair, The Meeting House will have an à la carte menu, as well as featured specials, available for Valentine’s Day. The Meeting House would typically be closed on Mondays, but due to the holiday, the restaurant will be open exclusively for dinner. Owner Amar Gautam said that guests can now make their reservations online.
The Meeting House, 277 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Monday, February 14, 4:30 to 9 p.m. www.meetinghouseprinceton.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: The Meeting House follows local Princeton mandates that are subject to change.
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K’s Events and Decorations specializes in packages that combine food and flair for customers at home. Customizable for a private date night between two, multiple couples coming together, or a celebration with friends, Antonia James, the owner, brings along a picnic setting and a three-course dinner provided by Under the Moon Cafe Catering.
“It’s not limited to one couple,” James said. “You get a discount if you add more couples to the ticket…[or you could] grab a couple of girlfriends and do it as a Galentine’s night.”
Supplying pillows, benches, candles, centerpieces, and “the whole nine yards,” James ensures that pairs or groups can have enjoyable, elevated meals even from the comfort of their own homes. If there is not enough space available for the picnic setup, James and her team can adapt to place the spread on a dining room table.
The options for the dinner consist of salmon, short ribs, or a vegetarian choice, as well as dessert. Now inside of a new location at Dragonfly Farms, K’s Events and Decorations also has balloon and floral arrangements available for additional purchase.
K’s Events and Decorations, 966 Kuser Road, Hamilton (inside Dragonfly Farms). Open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $300 for two people; $100 for each additional person. www.kseventdecorations.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: Mask, gloves, and sanitizer required for staff. Customers are not required to wear masks.
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For the romantic who is truly cheesy at heart, Brother’s Pizza will be selling heart-shaped pizzas all the way through Valentine’s Day for an estimated price of $18.95, plus toppings. Pre-ordering is recommended and can be done either online or over the phone.
Brother’s Pizza, 871 Route 33, Hamilton. Valentine’s Day hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Regular hours: Open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. 609-586-2707 or www.brotherspizza33.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: Employees are encouraged to wear masks according to their comfort level or if not vaccinated, customers not required to wear masks.
Events
Last Christmas might be a figment of the past, but sleigh rides and the like are still in season at the Mercer County Park Commission’s Howell Living History Farm, giving couples and families multiple ways to cruise around “the farm’s wintery landscape.” Couples can choose a two-seater sleigh or a horse-drawn carriage, while families can ride a bobsled or a hay wagon.
“Imagine it’s February of 1890, and you look out the window to see your Valentine pull up the driveway in a sleigh pulled by two horses,” administrator Kevin Watson said of either the “one-of-a-kind date” or the “family fun” options. Watson, who recommends arriving early, said that the rides run from 10:30 to to 3 and are first come, first served.
Children are encouraged to make Valentine’s Day cards as part of a crafting program from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. “for a small materials fee.” Soup will be available at the farmhouse, warmed by the stovetop on a chilly February day.
Howell Living History Farm, 70 Woodens Lane, Lambertville. Old-Fashioned Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Febraury 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.howellfarm.org.
COVID-19 Protocols: Masks required to be carried by customers and worn when unable to social distance from others.
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Using pressed flowers from Morven Museum & Garden’s gardens, attendees can make Victorian-style Valentines with Morven’s curator of education and public programs, Debi Lampert-Rudman. Before the workshop, there will be a visit to the museum included. Materials and instructions will be provided. No previous experience is required, and spaces are limited. Ticket price also includes “take home” refreshments and admission.
“Morven is the home of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton, and his wife, Annis Boudinot Stockton, one of the first female published poets in America,” Lampert-Rudman said. Years later, it became New Jersey’s first Governor’s Mansion.
During the Victorian Era, Lampert-Rudman continues, a lush greenhouse was a sign of affluence. The flowers are not blooming at this time of year, but the Victorian Valentine’s program is “an homage” to the gardens of that era.
“It’s been a very successful [event] for several years and our last in-person pressed flower workshop was just this past November,” Lampert-Rudman said.
Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. Victorian Pressed Flower Valentine Workshop, Saturday, February 5, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. $45 per general admission ticket ($35 for members). www.morven.org.
COVID-19 Protocols: Masks required, vaccinations preferable. Attendees will be seated in the same groups or ‘pods’ as those they registered with or individually, all socially distanced at least six feet from other tables in a large room.
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Harkening back to an era of The Great Gatsby and jazz music, Bordentown Walking Tours and the Downtown Bordentown Association are co-sponsoring a historic journey across town with an insightful look at Bordentown’s speakeasies.
“Building on the success of our Revolutionary Pub Crawl over Independence Day weekend last summer, we are again looking forward to a fun, informative and entertaining pub crawl featuring four great establishments in beautiful, historic, and walkable downtown Bordentown City,” said Mark Neurohr-Pierpaoli, the founder of Bordentown Walking Tours. The tour also includes “a bite to eat” at every stop over the course of four hours.
While the tour guides telling stories of Prohibition and the Roaring 20s in Bordentown will be in costume, guests are also “encouraged” to wear their best gangster or flapper attire. Patrons must be 21 or older with proof of ID.
Roaring 20s Pub Crawl, Old Town Pub, 135 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown. Saturday, February 12, noon to 4 p.m. $75 per ticket (includes four drink tickets and food). Guests (21+ only) can reserve their tickets online. www.bordentownwalkingtours.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: The event will follow all current guidelines. Indoor requirements vary by establishment. Neurohr-Pierpaoli said that when together outdoors as a group, masks and social distancing are encouraged, but not required.
Retail
Boasting “the widest selection of chocolates in Mercer County,” Carella’s Chocolates and Gifts, a woman-run, family-owned chocolatier offers trays of assorted chocolates in flavors that customers can pick and choose from to fill out their boxes. Carella’s also has chocolate-covered strawberries, fruit bouquets with Valentine’s Day designs, and chocolate-covered wine bottles.
Owner Connie Dalton said that customers can bring in any wine, spirits, or soda for the process. Carella’s then puts a food safe bag around the plastic or glass to ensure that the chocolate never touches the bottle.
“We dip it in our kettle, and it’s real high quality chocolate,” she continued. “We usually do dark chocolate, because that’s the best paired with wine.”
The dipped bottles sell for $28, the same price as the chocolate-covered strawberries. The bouquets range in price depending on the order, which can include both their signature chocolates, chocolate-covered fruits and an assortment of fresh fruits.
Carella’s Chocolates & Gifts, 2503 Nottingham Way, Hamilton. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Friday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. www.carellaschocolates.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: Masks appreciated, staff vaccinated and boosted.
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For those with an insatiable sweet tooth, David Bradley Chocolatier is selling heart cocoa bombs, as well as heart smash boxes, for Valentine’s Day. The boxes come in two dimensions, a large size and a ‘cupcake’ size for younger choc-a-holics. Along with the purchase, customers are given a wooden mallet to break the surface.
“Inside, there’s a couple pretzels, nonpareils, and little beads that come tumbling out when you smash it with that hammer,” Chris Hicks, David Bradley Chocolatier’s owner, said.
“Of course, no matter what I do, you can’t get away from the chocolate-covered fruit,” she continued. “Strawberries are still the number one seller.”
David Bradley Chocolatier, 92 North Main Street, Windsor. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. www.dbchocolate.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: Employees wear masks, customers are not required to wear face masks. Sanitizer available and plastic shields up in the store. Samples are currently being handed out by employees instead of having customers reach in themselves. To ensure safety, David Bradley also has a paging system in place if the store becomes too crowded so that customers can wait in their cars until buzzed to come inside.
Romantic Getaways
For a breath of fresh air, guests at Hotel LBI can “escape” to a suite — one that has both discounted rates for staying longer and a full kitchen.
“Hotel LBI is open year-round and is a perfect place to escape for that much-needed staycation,” said Liz Santoro, area director of sales for Hotel LBI. “[It’s] a short drive and centrally located between NYC, Philly and AC. It is the perfect place to unwind.”
To kick off their relaxation, Santoro added that guests can choose from relaxing at the indoor pool and hot tub, sipping a cocktail by the fire, and experiencing fine dining, all in close proximity to Long Beach Island. Winter Escape is applicable to new reservations only and cannot be combined with any other offers.
Hotel LBI, 350 West 8th Street, Ship Bottom. 20 percent off winter rates when you stay two nights or more (Offer Code: WINTER) through March 31. www.hotellbi.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: Masks recommended, areas of high contact and public spaces sanitized frequently.
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Historic Smithville is known as a shopping village priding itself on old-fashioned charms, and The Colonial Inn is no different. As part of two current promotions, guests can stay two nights and get another for half price from Sunday to Thursday.
If guests want to stay longer, the Four Seasons Weekday Getaway lets them pay for three nights and receive the third at 50 percent off the weekday price. Likewise, they can pay for four nights and receive the fourth night completely free from Sunday to Thursday. Weekday deals must be requested upon making a reservation, with advance reservations encouraged.
“All the 60+ shops are open, all the restaurants are open in the village, so it’s still a great time to come,” said Taylor Walsh, The Colonial Inn’s marketing manager.
Walsh said that The Colonial Inn’s Valentine’s Day packages can include indulgences such as roses and champagne, strawberries and wine, and cheese from Magnifico’s Say Cheese.
The Colonial Inn Bed & Breakfast in Historic Smithville, 615 East Moss Mill Road, Smithville. www.colonialinnsmithville.com.
COVID-19 Protocols: Masks not required when checking in, no-contact check-in available, rooms cleaned frequently.
Howell Farm’s Kevin Watson enjoys a sleigh ride with his fiancee.,
Accommodations at the Colonial Inn in Historic Smithville.,
The Pavilion at Rat’s set for a past Valentine’s Day.,
