Pines Tavern - Valentine's Day Dinner

Shaun and I typically don't celebrate Valentine's Day. However, we do love food so we decided to try a new place for dinner. Since we don't make anything big of the day, I told Shaun to find somewhere and keep it a secret for some suspense. He picked me up from work and it felt like we were dating again... I loved it! We started driving north toward Gibsonia. We drove and drove, through back snow covered roads. When he said we were coming up on it, I looked to my left and saw a sign and screamed with excitement "Pines Tavern!". We had done an event with Pines Tavern at work, so I KNEW this was going to be amazing. Shaun was so surprised I knew of the establishment.

From the moment we walked in until the moment we left, we were extremely impressed. Thankfully we had an early reservation, so we were seated right away. The restaurant filled up quite fast soon after we got there.

The hostesses were extremely friendly and cheerful, which is always nice to be greeted with people who seem to love their job! Our server was quite possibly the sweetest I have ever had at any restaurant. She was extremely attentive to us and knowledgeable of the menu. You could hear her excitement with every table she was at.

After we were seated, we started with drinks. They have an extensive beer list, so my husband chose one of their selections and I got the winter sangria. The sangria was delicious and hit the spot.

 

We decided to start with the Baked Pull Apart Blooming Bread, which was very good. The bread was warm and soft inside, yet had a crisp edge. It was garnished with bacon and chives and the cheese was melted in the cuts of the bread, so there was cheese on every bite. Highly recommended!

 

 

I got the Lobster Bisque and my husband got the Snapping Turtle Soup. I loved the lobster bisque. I am not sure if there was a choice between a bowl and cup, but I got a bowl.. it was a huge portion. There were large pieces of lobster and the base was rich and creamy. My husband liked his soup, but was indifferent to the spice that took over the taste.

For our meals, I got the crab and shrimp ravioli and my husband got the filet migon. He ordered it medium, but when it came out it was more like medium well. Not to worry, because it was seasoned very well and was flavorful. By the time my meal came, I could hardly eat anything else. I did have one ravioli and it was so good and even amazing heated up the next day! There were nice sized pieces of shrimp and the crab was plentiful. The sauce it was in was creamy and complimented the dish well.

 I couldn't even look at the dessert menu because I was so stuffed, but we left extremely happy. I highly recommend this restaurant for a nice romantic dinner or even a small family gathering. There were so many other items on the menu that sounded so delicious, so I can't wait to go back!