Chorney-Booth: Celebrate amore at these classic Italian restaurants​on February 6, 2025 at 1:00 pm

In the restaurant world, Valentine’s Day is a biggie. It’s a day when couples who may typically spend their Friday evenings at home dare to venture out to appropriately romantic restaurants and splurge on wining, dining and celebrations of love. The day is an important income generator for restaurants of all kinds: while some couples use it as an excuse to hit newly opened hot spots or luxurious fine dining rooms, others gravitate to less obvious eateries that may carry some emotional significance, be it the Thai restaurant that hosted their first date or the nostalgic burger joint that kept them fed during their college days.

Confession: I tend to avoid restaurants on Valentine’s Day – it’s the one day of the year I almost never eat out. It can be tough to snag a reservation and many places exclusively offer special (and usually pricey) prix fixe menus to help ensure smooth and speedy service while not overtaxing the kitchen. If going out on the actual day is too much, I suggest offering your sweetheart an IOU and planning a date night out later in February. While any kind of food can be romantic, classic Italian seems like a natural V-Day (or post-V-Day) fit: the food is usually familiar enough that there won’t be any mood-killing surprises and there’s always that opportunity to reenact the spaghetti scene from Lady and The Tramp. These local restaurants all deal in old-school Italian fare and have the right atmosphere for a Valentine’s Day date, be it on Feb. 14 or any other day of the year.

The mighty Mercato (the one located in Misson – Mercato West in West Springs is related, but a little different) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, though the restaurant’s legacy goes back over 50 years to owner Dominic Caracciolo’s parents’ original Italian grocery store in Bridgeland. Caracciolo moved the shop (or “mercato,” if you will) to 4th Street S.W. in 2005, also opening an adjacent restaurant offering premium Italian food. Here’s a fun fact: celebrity chef and Cluck ’n’ Cleaver co-owner Nicole Gomes was the restaurant’s opening chef. These days, chef Yeng Sreng runs the kitchen.

Caracciolo says that despite Mercato’s extensive and well-balanced menu, most tables cannot resist the signature buffalo mozzarella-laden caprese salad, tagliatelle with pomodoro sauce, and the Florentine-style bistecca. I’d also make sure to add in an order of focaccia and a side of Montasio cheese and Parmesan fonduta-covered fingerling potatoes for a perfectly romantic Italian dinner.
2224 4th St. S.W., 403-263-5535, mercatogourmet.com

Another higher-end Calgary Italian spot that has thrived for more than two decades, Bonterra is probably best known for its picturesque patio, but it’s still worth going in the winter months to cozy up in its inviting dining room. The food is fresh and impeccably prepared with enough of a contemporary spin to keep the classics interesting. The arancini are a must-try dish here, along with stand-out pasta and meaty mains including roast chicken and Alberta lamb chops.
1016 8th St. S.W., 403-262-8480, bonterra.ca