Valentine’s Day dinner 2013: Restaurants offering à la carte menus

Jody Williams’s diminutive, Gallic-themed “gastroteque” provides a cozy setting for your celebration (as if you needed an excuse to cuddle up). The toque makes a compelling case for reviving old-fashioned French country cooking. Her immaculate renditions of coq au vin, goose-fat rillettes or intense, lacquered wedges of tarte Tatin arrive on tiny plates, in petite jars or in miniature cocottes. The dishes are the perfect inspiration for discussing an impromptu Parisian getaway with your beloved.

Order the audacious smoked-oyster shooters at this tiny East Village wine and ceviche bar, and chef Dominique Martinez will prepare them using a gravity bong right before your eyes. We can’t promise a contact high, but at least there will be a good conversation piece. Other draws include a personable staff prone to friendly banter and bold interpretations of acid-cured fish, in specials like mackerel seasoned with smoked pimenton, fermented black garlic and lemon—a winning blend of exotic flavors.

At Danny Abrams’s popular New England seafood eatery, you can indulge in a purported aphrodisiac, the freshly shucked oyster, for just $1 apiece during happy hour (5–7pm). In addition to a curated raw bar, the bill of fare features plated dishes that salute seafood favorites, ranging from greaseless clam strips with a tangy tartar sauce to a New England clam chowder. It’s tradition at the Mermaid Inn to end your meal with a free cup of rich chocolate pudding and a Fortune Teller fish—hopefully it’ll bode good things for your relationship.

Gabriel Stulman’s 65-seat West Village trattoria is as charming as the tiny street it’s located on, with a marble-topped bar, leather banquettes and stained-wood floors that make it look like a old-school NYC spot. Share market-driven Italian plates, like lobster and caviar with robiolina and leek vinaigrette and agnolotti al sugo d’arrosto (stuffed pasta with roast-meat drippings). To drink, find French and Italian wines, as well as playful cocktails, like the Bernard Hughes Huber, made with apple brandy, Carpano Antica vermouth, spiced syrup and a mix of bitters.

Make your sweetie swoon for spaghetti (and more) at the West Village location of Frankies, the perpetually mobbed tavern from restaurateurs Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo. The menu of rustic sandwiches, pastas and meat plates mirrors their other two locations, but diners can also plump for seasonal specials. Choose from an 80-bottle wine list (made up of mostly Italian vinos), or select a specialty cocktail.

Woo your beloved from morning to night at this warm Soho café. The 40-seat spot—sporting dark-green banquettes, brass railings and marble counters—serves homey fare, like matzo ball soup made with duck fat, a skirt steak sandwich served alongside hand-cut fries, and piri-piri-hot-sauce–marinated chicken kebabs. If your love can’t wait, you’ll find Stumptown coffee, homemade croissants and full breakfast plates—including soft-boiled eggs with challah “soldiers” (strips)—between 10am and 5pm.

Transport your chéri to the City of Light at this East Village bistro, which channels a romantic vision of a bohemian Paris with candlelit tables, Art Deco ironwork and an antique bar imported from across the Atlantic. Enjoy a selection from the affordable, French-heavy wine list and lightened versions of bistro classics, like fragrant lamb stew or a crisp-skinned roast chicken. Finish up with the airy baba au rhum doused in dark Dipolomático rum.

Sushi aces Nick Kim and Jimmy Lau left their respective head-chef posts at Masa and Bar Masa to open this minimalist Japanese eatery, whose sleek decor puts the focus on food—and your dinner date. Take a seat at the small restaurant’s maple counter, inlaid with ebony and order superlative raw-fish specimens. In addition to traditional dishes, the chefs will dispatch creative rolls (such as grilled maitake) and small plates (grilled whole scallop from Boston with Santa Clara umi) from an open kitchen.

You may find yourself reenacting a Lady and the Tramp moment at this terrific downtown homage to classic Bolognese trattoria. Pastas are a success across the board: Try the gnocchi with beef cheek ragu, dried cherries and black olives, or chestnut filled pasta with ricotta, hazlenut and saba. With so much butter and cream, you might want to skip dessert.

Your date will be blown away if you land a Valentine’s Day spot at Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich’s ever-popular Italian joint, which remains one of the hardest reservations in town to score. But do check that he or she is comfortable with a rollicking dinner soundtrack: The warmly lit, cream-walled townhouse is often alive with jazz and rock & roll. Diners don’t seem to mind, as they consistently pack the spot to dine on pasta and meat dishes, and sample affordable wines by the quartino.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant in the Mark Hotel is especially inviting for a nocturnal date, when the dining room turns dark and sultry. The simple, accessible food is exciting without being too challenging and flawlessly executed: A miniature pizza topped with black-truffle paste and melted fontina is an indulgent treat, as is the restaurant’s fine burger, topped with more truffle and a mild slice of Brie.