Nothing says lovin’ like a good meal

The Feast of Saint Valentine is observed on Feb. 14 and for some feast is the operative word.

The day promoting love with the exchange of flowers, confectionery and cards can be a time to spend time with a loved one dining on sumptuous morsels.

In El Dorado County there are several venues presenting specials menus to celebrate love.

The Stumble Pub, located in the Camino Wine Plaza, 3500 Carson Road in Camino, is celebrating Valentine’s Day on Thursday. There will be free music by Elements of Soul. Beer, wine and barbecue will be available for purchase. For more information call 530-957-5245.

Crystal Basin Bistro, 3590 Carson Road in Camino, is serving a five-course Valentine’s Day dinner.  There will be choices of a salad, a soup, ginger shrimp and prime rib or salmon with chocolate and port. Diners may add a bottle of bubbly. To make a reservation call 530-303-3749

Sierra Nevada House, 835 Lotus Road in Coloma, is offering a romantic Valentine’s evening starting with an appetizer plate of cheese and olives. The starter course is a choice of mixed greens with pears, hazelnuts and champagne gorgonzola vinaigrette or French onion soup. Next choose an entrée of roasted game hen with an orange herb sauce, or bistro filet with a whiskey peppercorn demi glaze, or grilled salmon with blackberry ginger confiture, or orecchiette with brussels sprouts, roasted red pepper and blue cheese or garlic and rosemary sirloin of lamb. The dessert course is a choice of vanilla bean crème brûlée with chocolate ganache and raspberries or flowerless chocolate cake or pear tart. To dine by the South Fork of the American River call 530-626-8096.

Zack Jack Bistro, 3275 Coach Lane in Cameron Park, is presenting a four-course prix fixe dinner prepared by Chef John Evans from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The starters include seared scallops and endive — two fresh, pan-seared diver sea scallops with a cream cheese stuffed endive spear, wrapped in prosciutto and grilled and served with an orange-balsamic reduction; terrines aux fromages — a cheese soufflé made with French bleu cheese, aged American jack cheese and toasted walnuts served with warm French bread; or choose from one of the “small plates” off of the regular menu in a tasting portion. The second course is cream of celeriac soup cooked and puréed with butter, cream and white wine; French onion soup — two day, slow-cooked French onion soup served with crostini and melted Swiss and Gruyere cheeses; or choose from one of the premium salads off the regular menu in a half portion. Entrées are: crispy trout — pan sautéed, fresh steelhead trout filet served over garlic-roasted red potatoes, cheese-stuffed mushrooms, and a sauté of olives, baby artichoke, tomatoes, balsamic-roasted onions, and sweet peppers; brick roasted organic half-chicken — Mary’s free-range boneless chicken breast and thigh, brined and roasted and served with roasted cauliflower in hazelnut brown-butter and Yukon gold mashed potatoes; beef Wellington — 6 ounce grass-fed, Angus beef tenderloin filet wrapped in puff pastry with pork pate, organic baby spinach, and herb roasted wild mushrooms accompanied by sautéed green beans, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, and béarnaise sauce; vegetable Wellington — mushrooms, artichoke hearts, balsamic-roasted onions, baby spinach, tomato confit, yellow bell peppers, red bell peppers, and mozzarella cheese wrapped together in puff pastry and served with béarnaise sauce; or choose from one of the “plates” off the regular menu. To finish the meal choose from one of the house-made desserts off the regular dessert menu. Dinner includes free-flowing sparkling wine. Call 530-676-2969 for reservations.

Valentine’s Day with Nello Olivo Wines is a combination of romance and wine with a tradition dating back to Medieval Venice. On the day of the Festival of the Twelve Marys, young men paraded to a church to give wine and sweets to eligible bachelorettes. Nello Olivo Wines offers several ways to woo with, or be wooed by, wine and sweets. The tasting room at 643 Bee St. in Placerville has chocolate dipped bottles of wine. The chocolate coating zips away revealing the elegant Nello Olivo wine and yummy pieces of chocolate to share. To learn more call 530-409-5603.

Wedgewood Sequoia Mansion, 643 Bee St. in Placerville, is having a Valentine’s Day Dinner and Ball. There will be a five-course dinner and then dancing in Sequoia’s beautiful Empire Ballroom. The appetizer is fresh Dungeness crab vole au vent and California sparkling wine, the soup is roasted beet bisque and the salad is layered Peruvian potato with winter greens and cashews and dried cherry dressing. For the entrée there is a choice of lobster stuffed mahi mahi and filet mignon with port wine deem and lobster sauce or a roasted vegetable Wellington with truffle infused red pepper coulees. Dessert is chocolate cherry tuxedo. For reservations call 622-5222.

The Snooty Frog, 3300 Coach Lane in Cameron Park, is presenting its famous prime rib. To get more information call 530-677-9025.

Cielo Estate, 3040 Ponderosa Road in Shingle Springs, is having a Valentine’s Day Winemaker Dinner at 6:30 p.m. The appetizer course features cherry tomatoes, white onions, fresh zucchini, capsicum peppers with fees’ garlic and grated cheese in a pastry tart shell paired with Cielo Estate Barbera. The main course is pork loin stuffed with white oinion, garlic, fresh sage, capers, lemon zest, flat leaf parsley and seasoned bread crumbs all wrapped in prosciutto served with sides and paired with Cielo Estate Grand Reserve El Patricio. Salad is a frisee and garlic croutons paired with Cielo Estate Reserve Syrah and dessert is strawberry millefeuille paired with Cielo Estate Boccagasmo and Tisatina. To dine at Cielo call 530-672-8575.