Where to go for a Valentine’s weekend date
Couples won’t have to travel far to find a romantic fine dining experience this Valentine’s Day.
Local restaurants have prepared for this day, one of the busiest dining days of the year, and are eager to share the love through food and wine in gourmet fashion. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday, restaurants will be packed all weekend with couples celebrating love.
No matter what relationship you’re celebrating, from the all important first date to rekindling old flames, Bossier has its share of the ‘most romantic’ restaurants in town.
Tucked away inside the Bossier Inn and Suites is Lucky Palace, known for serving a selection of gourmet Chinese dishes and fine wines that compliment the authentic flavors. Couples will dine at tables draped with white linens and a single candle, setting a romantic ambience from the moment you’re seated.
The Lucky Palace will have regular menu items available as well as their full list of wine, which can be purchased by the glass of the bottle.
They also have two options for T-bone steaks, both prepared Asian style and served with Chinese broccoli. The crispy T-bone is delicately marinated in Teriyaki before it’s pan-seared in a wok while the ginger jalapeno T-bone is stir-fried with ginger, onion, jalapeno and mushrooms.
The selection of fine wines is another attraction at Lucky Palace, drawing in guests from out of state and receiving awards from nationally accredited magazines. Owner Kuan Lim takes pride in wine they serve and is always eager to make suggestions that would compliment any dish on his menu.
“It’s my passion,” he said. “I enjoy drinking wine and talking to people about it. It’s a great way to make new friends.”
Lim, who has been in business locally since 1997, knows Valentine’s Day will be busy, just like Mother’s Day and New Year’s Eve. Reservations have steadily streamed in, particularly during the 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. hour, but they will be open until 11 p.m. Friday as well as normal operation hours Saturday and Sunday.
The Lucky Palace will also have live music Friday and Sunday evening. Lim said the music selection will be subtle and compliment the fine dining experience they have established. Lunch is served daily from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Dinner is served from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a dinner service from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Lucky Palace is located at 750 Diamond Jacks Boulevard in Bossier City. For information on hours or reservations, call 752-1888.
Just down the road is an eatery that will be dishing out traditional flavors from the heart of Italy.
L’Italiano is a family owned and operated business that has served for three decades. Despite a growth in popularity, the business has committed to being a small, intimate space in the heart of Bossier City.
“If you’ve ever been to Little Italy in New York and eaten at one of those hole in the wall restaurants, you’ll know what to expect,” Paul Estes, general manager, said. “You don’t really expect much looking at it from the outside, but the dining experience is very intimate.”
Estes said today is like the Super Bowl for restaurants, noting that they began taking reservations for Valentine’s Day last October and have booked the 20 table restaurant for Friday night dinner service.
L’Italiano is well-known for it’s authentic Sicilian cuisine, with dishes that include handmade pastas, fresh seafood and a homemade tomato sauce that tops a plate of traditional pasta and meatballs. They also offer a selection of Italian wines to compliment the menu.
L’Italiano is located at 701 Barksdale Boulevard in Bossier City. For information on hours or reservations, call 747-7777.
