Love is in the Air at Restaurants in the Area

By Jordan Frias

South End eating and drinking establishments are promoting specials for this Valentine’s Day weekend with the help of the local business organization Washington Gateway Main Street (WGMS).

Jenni Effron, executive director of WGMS, created an online map that highlights prix fixe menus and other specials that will be offered by approximately 40 places this weekend.

“I thought it would be nice to talk to restaurants to figure out where’s the best place to take a date to on Valentine’s Day,” she said. “A lot offer something special for Valentine’s Day and it’s a good way to promote local business, especially in middle of the winter when things are a bit slower.”

The South End Business Alliance, another neighborhood resource for local businesses in the area, has also listed the special menu items on its website, which includes several restaurants like The Gallows at 1395 Washington Street.

The American restaurant is bending its rules the night of Valentine’s Day and the evening before, according to general manager Elena Todisco.

“Saturday and Sunday evening we will be opening up our reservation to any party size at any time. We usually only take reservations for parties larger than six, and only offer four a night,” she said in an email.

The restaurant will be serving a Lady and the Tramp Smoked Meatball Pomodoro and a Love Boat seafood special on both nights, large enough for couples to share, Todisco said.

To cater to those without a Valentine for the weekend, The Gallows is also branding its late-morning menu as “Love Stinks, Lets Brunch!” the day of, as an ode to rock band No Doubt’s 1995 album “Tragic Kingdom.”

“Brunch at Gallows is something we are known for. So, as Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday we decided to spin our brunch service into a ‘Broken Hearts’ Brunch, being able to laugh at the horribly tacky day, and say, ‘Hey do you hate love?,’” she said.

Effron also kept those who are single or may be looking for something more casual in mind by mapping out bars that may also be fun to go to in the area.

Cathedral Station, a gay sports bar at 1222 Washington St., is hosting a Valentine Tea Dance Sunday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with DJ Maryalice, who performs at The Boatslip in Provincetown regularly.

“It’s like a late afternoon party that will bring a lot of people out on Valentine’s Day,” said operations manager Joe McGowan.

The push to help promote businesses and services to customers around this time of year is part of a larger effort put forth by the City, Effron said.

Businesses citywide have been using #LoveOnMain to promote themselves on Twitter during the winter while South End businesses have been using #LoveTheSouthEnd.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.