Valentine’s Eve

Posted February 22nd, 2009 by Meg

My boyfriend and I have both become experienced in how to properly handle celebrating Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles. It’s very simple: don’t go out on Valentine’s Day. On our first V-Day in 2007, we naively went to Fogo de Chao. Big mistake. Parking on La Cienega that night was impossible. It took us 30 minutes to valet our car. And even though it took forever to valet, we were lucky because after they took our car the valet stopped accepting cars! Inside, it was a madhouse. Even though we had reservations, she told us the wait was going to be 45-60 minutes. So we waited with the many other patiently waiting couples around the hostess stand because the bar was jam packed too. When we were seated, the brazilian churrascaria (steakhouse) was lovely. But, getting our car from valet after our dinner took just as long as it did in the beginning making the night at least 3 hours of waiting and standing around. We learned our lesson.

In 2008, my boyfriend and I went to Mr. Chow on the eve of Valentine’s Day. I enjoyed the food at Mr. Chow, especially the shark fin soup, but the service was frightful, impersonal, and rushed for us. My boyfriend hated the whole experience. As in, I will probably never be able to convince him to set foot in there again.

For 2009, we decided to celebrate on the Eve again. I really really really wanted to go to the Wilshire. I have never been there, but have heard great reviews. My boyfriend at first agreed to it, but looked over the menu and told me no, not this year. I was heartbroken, but understanding that the economy sucks right now and he doesn’t enjoy food as much as I do. So, all week prior we discussed where to go. His contribution was an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, but after he said the words “next to the liquor store,” I quickly vetoed it.

I then came to the conclusion that if I can’t eat where I want in Santa Monica, then I don’t want to eat in Santa Monica at all. Next step was finding a place that my boyfriend would enjoy to eat at, which if you’re trying to find anything classier than Koo Koo Roo, is a hard task! In the end I chose Luna Park. I had been there a few times prior in college, which is quickly becoming a long time ago. I don’t remember what I ordered in the past, but I knew I liked it and that my boyfriend would like both the prices and the ambiance.

He picked me up from work and we drove to the restaurant arriving an hour early, but finding the best parking right in front of the restaurant. We walked into the moderataly crowded bar area near the hostest stand. We lucked out though! They could seat us immediately, even in the last minute request for a booth with curtains. We sat down and quickly found out that it was still Restaurant Week in LA! Score. 3 delicious courses for 26 dollars. I was unable to take that great of pictures, but here is what I ordered:

Warm Goat Cheese Fondue with Grilled Bread and Sliced Apples - The melted cheese seemed a little too thin and glue like to me in appearance. It was still good, but not my favorite.

Grilled Salmon with Jalapeno Grits Braised Greens and Whole Grain Mustard - I loved this entree because I love mustard and I love salmon. Grits is not something I order often, but I found it to be a perfect pairing with the salmon.

Make Your Own S’mores - Molten Marshmallow, Bittersweet Chocolate, and House Made Graham Cookies - This interactive desert was a big hit. Meaning both my boyfriend and I enjoyed it. Although, I was very messy and got chocolate all over myself, my clothes, and the table. The house made graham cracker cookies were amazing and had a subtle ginger spice taste to them.

Let’s not forget my favorite part of a meal, the liquor!

You’re a Pepper - Little Bottle of Dr. Dublin’s Dr Pepper, Absolut Vanilla and Monin Organic Vanilla Syrup  - I love Dr. Pepper and to be able to mix your own drink is so much fun. Of course I dumped all the vodka in and then went from there. This drink was completed with a giraffe stirrer.

Luna Park
672 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-2110‎