Local Love

Celebrate Valentine’s Day Sacramento-style with these uniquely delicious ideas:

Chocolate Decadence: The most direct path to your sweetie’s heart is through the stomach. Sacramento has no shortage of phenomenal bakers to treat your honey right. Place your order today to ensure your treats are ready in time!

• Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates offers sinfully elegant options including their V-day specialty Palet D’Or Entrement Cake for $32 featuring “Maracaibo Venezuelan Chocolate Mousse, layered with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Dacquois, and Crunchy Chocolate Shortbread.” They also offer melt-your-heart chocolates starting at 6 pieces for $12. If you’re going to buy chocolates, you won’t find any better than these!
• Freeport Bakery exceeds all expectations for perfectionist pastries. Their Valentine’s options will make you weak in the knees. They’ve got The Jewel Box, which is a cake and present in one. According to their website, “Our rich chocolate cake gets a layer of luscious mascarpone–custard. We add a touch of espresso, a bit of rum and finish with a chocolate lid. Looks like a delicious little treasure box filled with hearts and roses for your special Valentine.” How precious is that for $26.95? They offer a variety of heart, strawberry, or chocolate cakes and pastries fit for royalty. You can keep it simple, yet elegant, with a gorgeous V-day themed cupcake for a mere $2.95.

Savory Harmony: If your honey is missing a sweet tooth, Sacramento is brimming with options to tempt the palette. With everyone out on the hunt for chocolate, you’ll probably beat the long lines to boot!

• Laszlo’s Gourmet Smoked Fish has the most indulgent offerings! If ever a smoked fish were romantic, Laszlo’s is it. Dripping in a honey-smoked marinade, moist and luscious in every bite, you’ll savor this finger-licking treat as much as you treasure each other. You’ll pay $7.95 per pound.
• The Sacramento Food Coop sells a variety of decadent local cheeses, including Cowgirl Creamery cheeses from Petaluma. Nothing says “love” like a rich, creamy chunk of heavenly cheese!

Tipsy Treats: Wet your whistle before the smooching begins with these local sips.

• Rail Bridge Cellars makes a brilliant 2004 Lattice, which is a perfect blend of five valley Bordeaux varietals. This is a smooth balanced wine with absolutely no bitterness—just like your ideal Valentine. You can find it at Corti Brothers for just under $25. This is a wine that will please even the pickiest aficionado.
• Hoppy Brewing Company’s Hoppy Face Amber Ale is a Valentine-must for your beer-drinking sweetie. They call it “a clean, crisp, well-balanced beer.” It’s just darn delicious! You can find it at Corti Brothers in a 1 pint 6 oz. bottle perfect for sharing for around $5.

Up the romantic-ante by packing a combination of these items in a picnic basket. Then head to the nearest park. The weather forecast is calling for sunny skies all weekend!