Visit any of these fine establishments, and you’ll notice that love is in the air. 

It’s in the exotic aromas permeating the rooms, from the spices of Asian French fusion and fire-kissed New Mediterranean to the hearty indulgences of upscale Texas comfort. It’s in the stylish décor of a bright, inviting café along a popular urban trail to a luxury train-inspired dining room and a rustic West Texas atmosphere. And love is in the care and attention that each featured restaurant dedicates to your dining experience, from the server to the chef. Be inspired by love all year long at these undoubtedly different and exquisitely appetizing Dallas restaurants.   

Gorji Restaurant

Many well-intended restaurants will strive to create that perfect love-inspiring setting this Valentine’s Day. And in doing so, that intimate, amorous environment everyone looks for will have…everyone there. From waiting lines to dining rooms bustling with chatter, clanking forks, and scooting chairs, why spend that celebrated evening of love out with everyone? If you’re searching for that special setting sans everyone else, Gorji Restaurant is the solution you’ve been looking for.

What’s incredibly unique about Gorji, aside from its new Mediterranean cuisine and status as the city’s first — and possibly only — tip-free fine-dining restaurant, is that every appetizer, entrée, and dessert is made almost entirely and served by Chef Gorji himself. The restaurant seats no more than twenty guests and seats only one table per evening, allowing you and your date to enjoy dinner without feeling rushed. Chef also interacts with every guest and table, invoking a sense of an intimate home-cooked meal with an elevated experience. Chef Gorji, along with his limited staff, is a powerhouse. Each dish is beautifully plated, perfectly paired with wine, promptly delivered, and presented with a smile before Chef Gorji power walks back to the kitchen for the next plate. The Texas Steak Cookoff Champion does not disappoint either as Chef himself carefully procures each ingredient to deliver the finest culinary experience.  

Recommended appetizers include the New Zealand venison tenderloin with elephant garlic yogurt over a chilled avocado. Light, hearty, and rich, this savory starter will leave you wanting more. Move on to a choice of salads and opt for something different, like the Bartlett Pear with San Daniel Prosciutto, served with white Turkish sheep cheese and arugula with olive oil. This complex dish carefully blends various flavors, both savory and sweet, along with textures for an exhilarating pop of freshness. A short list of entrées further elevates the experience, reflecting more flavors of the Mediterranean Basin. Try the Seared Icelandic Cod and Texas Shrimp with three citrus sauces, including sweet lemon, blood orange, and grapefruit, over a beet puree.

Sweet ending indulgences include vanilla ice cream paired with dark chocolate, dried mulberries, roasted pistachios, and dried rose petals drizzled with Pio Cesare Barolo wine. Or consider the house-made kefir cheese topped with a Jordan Valley Medjool date and a pomegranate reduction with a sesame seed wafer. With a rotating seasonal menu thoughtfully designed to highlight the flavors of each holiday, every visit offers a fresh and distinctive dining experience. Check out Gorji’s Valentine’s Day menu and call to book your experience at 972-503-7080.

Le PasSage

The latest additions to the Travis Street Hospitality portfolio invite you to embark on an extravagant and exotic journey of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Chinese, and Thai cuisine blended with French techniques. Located on the popular Katy Trail in Dallas, Le PasSage and Rose Café at Le PasSage are two uniquely different concepts yet undoubtedly united. Both flourish with opulent flavors and diverse offerings throughout the day, aptly inspiring you to celebrate love, whether it’s morning, afternoon, or evening.

Le PasSage promises an extravagant dinner experience and delivers it the moment you step in. From the backlit posh sitting area in the front, a calm and cool atmosphere to indulge in a lavish libation, to the dining area reflecting a stylish ode to luxury train travel of a classical era, the brilliant minds of this endeavor have created a space of adventure romance. The menu is a perfect extension of the restaurant, reflecting its majesty throughout an assortment of upscale, yet playful, plate and drink options.

There are no wrong ways to start your dining experience but the Spring Rolls with pork and shrimp, Thai herbs, and lettuce is a refreshing modern take on an all-time favorite appetizer. Satiating entrées include the Steamed Halibut, an aromatic and flavorful dish with ginger, Beurre Blanc, and Romanesco. And the crowd-pleasing Five Spice Duck Breast with vanilla confit, kumquat, Hakurei turnips, and spiced duck jus never disappoints.

The sweeter fare at Le PasSage is bold and not to be missed. Spring for Yogurt + Mushroom, a yogurt ice cream with mushroom caramel and an almond cookie that perfectly balances sweetness with a subtle savory twist. Also, consider the Le PasSage Donut, a warm brioche donut with lapsang souchong, sabayon, and burnt cinnamon sugar. This fluffy delight pairs well with a latte, dessert wine, or any of the masterfully crafted cocktails. And speaking of which, Travis Street Hospitality executive mixologist, Mario Martinez, along with fellow local star bartender George Kaiho, have curated a collection of Asian-flavored cocktails which both introduces new concepts like the Buddha Bliss — a Thai basil infused Casamigos with Roku, Aperol, grapefruit, lime, hibiscus — and reimagines timeless favorites like the Paper Crane, their take on a Paper Plane with Toki, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, yellow chartreuse, and yuzu. For Valentine’s Day, indulge in their special menu — a celebration of flavor, romance, and culinary artistry you won’t want to miss.

Rose Café

For those seeking a more casual yet refined setting and menu, whether it be an earlier start to the Valentines Day celebrations or the morning after, Rose Café continues Le PasSage’s rich and adventurous culinary decadence. Located just a few steps away from Le PasSage, Rose Café’s wholesome and hearty menu of fresh juices, artisanal baked goods, and satiating bowls are perfect for these often-brisk mornings.

On that note, a must have for this experience is the Congee, a gut-warming savory rice porridge with chicken, poached egg, and scallions. The bits of pickled daikon provide a lovely crunchy texture to this complex and filling bowl. The Brioche Toast, a generously thick and light-as-a-feather slice of brioche smothered in ricotta, mascarpone, and strawberry geranium, offers a sweet start. And if you just have to, the Avocado Toast, a crispy slice of sourdough topped with Greek yogurt, avocado, sesame seeds, is an elevated take on a breakfast and brunch staple. If joining for lunch or dinner, the Banh Mi, French bread, pate, chicken, papaya slaw, and pickled jalapenos, or the Fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls, rice paper, shrimp pork filling, lettuce and herb wraps with a house fish sauce, are local favorites.

Make Rose Café a part of your romantic weekend plans. Bright, warm, and inviting, Rose Café’s setting balances the liveliness of a social city hub with the romanticism and intimacy of a lunch date through their garden-inspired ambiance, expansive views overlooking Katy Trail, and contemporary design — truly an ideal environment to celebrate love.

Haywire

Haywire is a visual feast of rustic Texas elegance. Simple, but not simplistic, sophisticated yet approachable, Haywire celebrates their love for The Lone Star State by serving up an exquisite farm-to-fork dining experience paired with exceptional Texan hospitality.  

Leveraging locally sourced ingredients from long-standing partnerships with Texas farmers, ranchers, growers, distillers, and artisans, Haywire promises a love-inspired feast no matter what time of the year. The Mini Elk Tacos with spicy elk picadillo, caciotta cheese, grilled corn pico, cilantro crema, and microgreens are a delightful opening to a refined brunch menu. Other clever renditions of classic Southern comfort include Cinnamon-Orange Pancakes and Barbacoa Chilaquiles. But in true Texas tradition, the familiar but famed Steak & Eggs featuring wagyu sirloin, roasted potatoes, farm eggs, and smoked tomato poblano salsa presents a challenging decision when you weigh their selection of brunch options.

Haywire invites you to celebrate Valentine’s Day all weekend with a lovefest of Texas flavors. The specially curated Valentine’s Day Weekend dinner menu includes a 32-oz. Porterhouse for Two, perfectly paired with creamy crab mac & cheese, grilled broccolini, zesty chimichurri, and roasted garlic, with a sweet and decadent red velvet cake to finish the night. Available at Legacy West Plano, Uptown Dallas — and now Memorial City Houston and La Cantera San Antonio — reserve your table here for dinner between Thursday, February 13, and Sunday, February

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Cover photo Evan Sung

Martin Ramirez is a brisket-eating, Shiner-loving, road-tripping enthusiast of all things Texas. This Dallas-born writer / adventurer is ready to take his ‘78 El Camino to find the best in food, fun, and fitness throughout the Lone Star State.