Which restaurants win your heart for Valentine’s Day

We have one week left until Valentine’s Day, the day when 70 million Americans are expected to dine out. The forward-thinkers among our Cheapsters who plan to eat out on the big night have likely already put thought into where to go and possibly even made reservations. For our Cheapsters who procrastinate a bit more (or simply haven’t given the matter much thought yet), we want to point out a long list of restaurants offering special Valentine’s Day meals.

This post will be rather lengthy (we’ve found plenty of restaurants), so here’s your advance heads-up: At the end of the post, we will detail an opportunity for you to win a $25 gift card to one of the restaurants on our list. With no further ado, here’s the roundup:

Bonefish Grill: This seafood restaurant is bringing back its prix fixe menu Tuesday, February 11 and keeping it through Monday, February 17. This dinner for two is available for $29.90 per person, and includes the favorite steak and lobster duet among other high-quality choices.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill: It’s dessert time from February 10 – 16 here. They call it The Kiss Goodnight, and for $10 you share a Rosa Regale split imported from Italy, along with two heart-shaped brownies topped with chocolate dipped strawberries and whipped cream. If you’re still on the fence, the whipped cream is homemade.

Cheeseburger in Paradise: The Jimmy Buffet-inspired restaurant chain is celebrating the full Valentine’s Day weekend (from Thursday, February 13 to Sunday, February 16) with four courses for two people for just $35.99. You and your date can choose two from soups and salads, an appetizer to split, two entrees, and one dessert to put the exclamation point on the meal. These meals are valued at up to $50.

Claude and Annie’s: While we’re on the subject of Fishers, you can really enjoy Valentine’s Day on the cheap with a beef brisket dinner with two sides for only $9.99 on February 14 at Claude and Annie’s. While you’re there, you can take advantage of drink specials all night, as well as karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m.

Nickel Plate Bar & Grill: The Fishers restaurant has a specific dinner special for the big night. For only $25, you and your date can enjoy two grilled prime rib dinners with soup or salad, and potato or broccoli. Plus, you can share a chocolate cobbler.

Pipers: While you can also access the the main dinner menu at Pipers, couples can dine from the special Valentine’s Day menu from Thursday through Saturday. You could try beef tenderloin for two, pan-seared halibut, chicken romeo, and more. We recommend you finish the meal with the red velvet heart dessert for two.

Qdoba: This one is unique among the restaurant options, in that we aren’t talking about a sit-down experience. Some Cheapsters prefer a more laid-back and playful atmosphere for Valentine’s Day, and Qdoba is happy to oblige. The Queso for a Kiss promotion is exactly how it sounds. If you share a kiss with your significant other (or friend or family member), you’ll receive a FREE entree with the purchase of a Queso entree this  February 14. Just make sure you check with any stranger you plan on kissing in line to make sure they’re okay with it.

Teddy’s Burger Joint: Nothing says love like a delicious hamburger. Teddy’s is pulling out the stops on February 13-14, offering a special Valentine’s Day menu. If you bring the kids, they are in for some awesome surprises, while the adults will have their own servers for this special occasion. To set up your time slot, call (317) 893-2791.

Weber Grill: Not to be left out, Weber Grill downtown has its own three-course menu for Valentine’s Day, which is perfect for sharing with that special someone. Click our link to see all the menu choices available.

Okay, so we’ve kept the other restaurants in alphabetical order, but we promised to end with an opportunity to win a gift card. This $25 gift card is to the Rusty Bucket, which has recently introduced a new website. Check back with them on Monday, February 17 to unlock a way to collect points on their website and possible even win Rusty Bucket food for a year. As for Valentine’s Day, they are geared more toward family outings. Rusty Bucket is offering Kids eat FREE all day for kids age 10 and under, as well as candy and a Cupid’s Cup kiddie beverage.

So, how do you win the Rusty Bucket gift card? Leave a comment on this post discussing your most romantic Valentine’s Day. You’ll receive an entry in the drawing for your comment. If it happens to involve any of the restaurants we’ve listed in our Valentines Day list, we’ll give you a second entry in the drawing. (Come back often — we plan to add restaurant specials as they come in.) We will do the drawing and award the gift card at noon on Friday, February 14, so make sure to submit your comments by then.