Lo, here strides Valentine’s Day. Yet, alas, the “V” most likely to turn our heads these days stands for vaccine. Nonetheless, love must not be neglected, nor denied, and so in lieu of a cupid’s night out to mark the occasion and mutual desire, there’s…take out. But chefs are getting good at this. They know you have likely had your fill of mac ‘n’ cheese for a while—or at least for this love feast. So, seek out fine dining in a box. Whatever your heart’s desire, you can probably find it to go. Herewith, a sampler.
Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club
Surfside, Florida
On New Year’s Eve, 1930, The Surf Club was born as a private hideaway for guests the likes of Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor. Now reborn and rejuvenated as a hotel and Thomas Keller’s Surf Club—the chef-god’s first toe in Florida’s waters—the restaurant is offering repasts to go on Instagram that feature mains like classic Bolognese lasagna.
Paris Las Vegas
Nevada
Its Eiffel Tower viewing deck may be the most romantic spot on The Strip. Its 140,000 sq. ft. of meeting space can raise a flutter in a planner’s heart. Its culinary passion is ready to go at Gordon Ramsey Steak, which offers American Wagyu Rib Cap ($89.95), and Martorano’s, with South African lobster tail and lump crab ($74).
The Westgate Hotel
San Diego
On the cusp of the Gaslamp Quarter, this homage to France’s Palace of Versailles boasts a dozen meeting spaces along with French antiques and tapestries, and Baccarat crystal chandeliers. The gilt glamour continues in Westgate Room and Veranda, where your take-out can include Togorashi Crusted Salmon or Butternut Squash Ravioli in an arrowhead spinach-sage butter sauce.
The Langham, Chicago
Illinois
This very tony hotel in a Mies van der Rohe skyscraper offers seasonal regional cuisine to go from Travelle that’s so affordable, why not add a craft cocktail? Say, Butter Chicken (with naan, cumin crema, pea tendrils, $22), plus a Piazza Bianca (vodka, a rose-petal liqueur called Italicus, Luxardo Bitter Bianco and citrus syrup).
