Romantic cuisine featured at Rocky Gap’s Valentine’s Day dinner event

by Shawn Pillai

Vanilla Bean Coeur a la Creme with Rasberry Compote. Photograph by Joshua Herrell.

Valentine’s Day suggests an exciting and engaging evening for the staff at Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort’s Lakeside restaurant. Lakeside Sous Chef Tylor Dinteman has spent the past two workdays laboring to prepare for the event. “Valentine’s Day is an important holiday in fine dining,” he states. “You want to give the guests something special, something to remember. When people have a pleasant experience, they’ll likely decide to come back next year.”

This year's menu, a collaboration of classic and novel, features three appetizers and five elegant entrées to choose from. The menu is designed to offer a variety of choices to accommodate every guest's palate. Before the restaurant opens, the serving staff has an opportunity to sample the dishes featured for the evening. Tasting helps a server recommend which wines should accompany each plate. Lindsey Tyler is on staff as a server for the evening. “The prawns are my favorite,” she claims, referring to a dish of pan-seared jumbo prawns in a shrimp and sherry velouté served over linguine. “Seafood demands a light, crisp wine. Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio would be perfect for this meal.”

Server Chelsea Merritt says that though she is married, she doesn’t mind working on Valentine’s Day. “My husband and I can plan a special evening any day of the year. I’d much rather be here on Valentine’s Day. Big holidays present an opportunity to make a lot of money in this business.” Couples seeking to impress each other often leave larger-than-normal tips on checks that are already expensive. Food and wine expense can total over $150 for one table. “I’ll make about twenty-five bucks from each table. If I have twenty tables tonight, I’ll make enough money to take care of my bills for the entire month.”

Red Velvet Cheesecake. Photograph by Joshua Herrell.

For romantic occasions, dessert is arguably the most crucial part of the dining experience. This year’s desserts were designed by pastry chef Joshua Herrell. “Most of the time dessert is the last experience of a meal,” asserts Joshua. “For today’s selections, I attempted to combine alluring flavors with sensual textures to fully bring out the day’s focus on love and lust.” Desserts featured for the evening include Vanilla Bean Coeur a la Creme, Chocolate Black Forest Tower, and Red Velvet Cheesecake.



To learn more about upcoming dining events, visit the Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort website.