Happy Valentine's Day

Can you feel it? Ohhh yeah, that's love you're feeling. Yeah, that’s right, love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is upon us, ladies and gentlemen! That wonderful day of days where we get to show our loves just how much we care by spending lots of money on them! Valentine’s Day is a holiday that everyone, whether they’re in a relationship or not, seems to be pretty down on. Dismissed by many as a “Hallmark holiday,” there is a deep-seated bitterness regarding the day, yet most feel obligated to celebrate it. If you don’t bring your girl out for a nice dinner then you look like an asshole, right?

Restaurants take advantage of this precarious position that you’ve been put in by societal pressure and use it as an occasion to jack up their prices and push ridiculous specials on you.

(“Bedtime bonus” caviar, anyone? Anyone?)

Indeed, it’s a day that restaurants certainly feel the love. I’m here to tell you not to let them take advantage of you. Instead of recommending some romantic spot to spend your Sunday night, I’ll give you another piece of advice: stay home! If you want to go out for a romantic dinner, the best thing to do is make an agreement to celebrate on a different day. Go out on Monday and enjoy the same food at a significantly lower price in a significantly less crowded dining room.

If you must go out on Sunday, you could go in a different direction. For the past few years Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square has been throwing Boston’s definitive Anti-Valentine’s Day party. While I certainly have my problems with the place, you won’t find a better cocktail list and it should be a fun crowd full of industry types. Also, I found out about this one a little too late but Estragon Tapas in the South End (on Harrison Ave) had their own Anti-Valentine’s Day bash this past Thursday, with complimentary appetizers and $1 PBRs! Even though it already happened, I thought it was worth mentioning because you probably haven’t been to Estragon (and maybe never heard of it), but it’s one of my absolute favorite places in the city and I'll probably write about it in greater detail at a later time.