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Valentine’s Day alternatives

Big splurge

Under the bridge

Feeling a bit landlocked by the city? Whisk that comely urbanite to waterfront joint Five Front (5 Front St between Dock and Old Fulton Sts, Dumbo, Brooklyn; 718-625-5559), tucked below the Brooklyn Bridge. Delve into curry mussels ($10) and salmon with lemon confit ($34 for two).

To get a proper pair of sea legs, engage in a postprandial jaunt two blocks toward the East River and board aquatic concert hall Bargemusic (Fulton Ferry Landing, Dumbo, Brooklyn; bargemusic.org). Bliss out to gorgeous views of the downtown Manhattan skyline with a live soundtrack of jazz or classical music (tickets start at $70 for two) on Wednesdays through Sundays.
This date features: dining  |  music

French connection

Though we don’t understand why the French are so damn good at amour, we won’t question the passion-inducing setting of a quaint bistro, especially the spanking-new Bar Boulud (1900 Broadway between 63rd and 64th Sts, 212-595-0303). Share a charcuterie tasting of terrines, headcheese and pâté ($46 for a large platter), pair it with a bottle of wine ($24–$270), and let those Gauls work their magic.
This date features: dining

Opposing counsel

Always at odds when trying to make plans with your sweetie? Neither party will feel like they’re compromising at loungey spot Tailor (525 Broome St between Sixth Ave and Thompson St, 212-334-5182). Sip inventive cocktails including the Mi Amor ($26 for two), made with a passion-inducing blend of mescal, Lillet and lime. Then mix and match from the menu’s avant sweet-and-salty small plates like grilled octopus with coffee, marjoram and pomelo ($16) and rum-braised bananas with brown butter cake and mustard ice cream ($12). Still can’t agree on what to order? Leave it up to the chef via the seven-course meal with wine pairing ($250 for two).
This date features: drinks

Good impressionism

Quell your dearest’s requests to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway with more adult fare: The Roundabout Theater Company’s production of Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George (254 W 54th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave, 212-719-1300; $36–$121) is inspired by a Georges Seurat painting and includes such titillating themes as mistresses and pale bathers.
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Switch from painter’s palettes to gourmet palates at Japanese sushi den Omido (1695 Broadway between 53rd and 54th Sts, 212-247-8110), where you can nibble on elegant dishes like seared tuna with baby frisée ($15), lobster and scallops with sea-urchin-roe–laced lemon butter ($34) and yellowtail with shishito peppers ($16). Wash it all down with sake sangria ($28 for two) and strawberry-and-shiso martinis ($28 for two).
This date features: theater  |  stage  |  dining

Feast master

Don’t think you have enough conversation topics to last you through a nine-course dinner? Per Se’s (10 Columbus Circle at 60th St, fourth floor; 212-823-9335) freshly minted weekend lunch option dishes up a speedier alternative: a five-course tasting menu, which includes cheese and dessert ($350 for two). Spare yourselves from being the awkward silent couple over glasses of rosé champagne ($68 for two) while taking in the treetop views of Central Park.
This date features: dining

Ice capade

Bundle up, swap Eskimo kisses and clasp mittens while gliding on the ice at Skating Under the Stars ($150 for two) in Prospect Park’s Kate Wollman Rink (enter at Lincoln Rd and Ocean Ave, Flatbush, Brooklyn; prospectpark.org). Hone your Olympic medal–worthy moves to tunes spun by DJ Kool Kear and the folks behind Park Slope rock club Southpaw on Fri 8 from 9:30pm until midnight while sipping spiked no-charge hot chocolate to benefit the historic Brooklyn green space.

Grab a cab to spirit the two of you to cozy bar Black Mountain Wine House (415 Union St at Hoyt St, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn; 718-395-2614), where you can defrost over a bottle of red vino by the fireplace.
This date features: mixed bag  |  drinks

Modern lovers

Play hooky from work and spend the afternoon wandering the six extensive floors of MoMA (11 W 53rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 212-708-9400; $40 for two). If passing by Wayne Thiebaud’s painting of meringues works up an appetite, you won’t have to go far to snag a table, thanks to the Modern, chef Gabriel Kreuther’s street-level restaurant (9 W 53rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 212-333-1220), whose formal dining room overlooks the museum’s Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. Opt for the three-course prix-fixe dinner ($170 for two) and discuss how the roasted Black Angus beef tenderloin bears no relation to the animal carcasses from Francis Bacon’s canvases.
This date features: art  |  dining

Reader’s picks

“Downstairs at Peasant (194 Elizabeth St between Prince and Spring Sts; 212-965-9511) is a foolproof and fantastic spot to take any girl who is chill enough to wait for a table over a good glass of red.” —Peter, Chelsea

“One place: The Cloisters (99 Margaret Corbin Dr, Fort Tryon Park; 212-923-3700)! Any nice day, lunch, picnic, art, concert—all amazing. It’s medieval romance without leaving the city. A great date.” —Jason, Jersey City

“I like the Red Hook pier at sunset, overlooking Lady Liberty, followed by drinks at Last Exit (136 Atlantic Ave between Clinton and Henry Sts, Brooklyn Heights; 718-222-9198). Works every time.” —Greg, Park Slope, Brooklyn