PARK SLOPE — Valentine's Day is almost here, and you don't have to leave the neighborhood to celebrate with your special someone. Here's a look at what you can do in Park Slope and Gowanus:
► Send The Kids to Yoga While You Take a Private Steam and Eat at The Pines
Where: CityWell (496 President St.), The Pines (284 Third Ave.) and Monkey Do Yoga (279 Third Ave.), Gowanus
When: Friday, Feb. 12, for the kids' yoga party; the steam and dinner package is available throughout February
Drop the kids off at Monkey Do! Yoga from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. while you and your honey relax in the steam room and rain showers at CityWell. Then head over to The Pines for a four-course dinner. The steam plus dinner is $200 per couple; the kids' yoga party is $40 per child and $30 for siblings. (Or you can skip the kids' yoga and steam and just have the prix fixe dinner at The Pines for $85 a head.)
► Aphrodisiacs and Cupid's Cocktails at Grand Central Oyster Bar
Where: 256 Fifth Ave., Park Slope
When: Feb. 14, 5 to 9 p.m.
The V-Day menu at Grand Central Oyster Bar has 50 ingredients known to enhance your love vibes, including, of course, oysters, but also pomegranates, avocado and even basil, which is "said to stimulate the sex drive and boost fertility," according to the restaurant owners. Kids are welcome too: the menu includes house-made fish sticks. Entree prices range from $25.95 to $34.95.
► Singles Awareness Celebration at Insa
Where: 328 Douglass St., Gowanus
When: Feb. 14, dinner from 5:30 to 12 a.m., bar and karaoke go until 2 a.m.
Though this isn't an official event hosted by Insa, you and your platonic friends are invited to create your own "singles awareness celebration" where you'll chow down on “spicy, garlicky soul-satisfying yukgaejan (spicy beef soup), tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and yache mandu (vegetable and kimchi dumplings)," then retire to Insa’s largest karaoke room to sing your heart out about love and loss, an Insa spokeswoman said.
Insa will also welcome couples to "cozy up to a grill" for blood sausage and beef tartare followed by one-on-one serenading in one of the restaurant's private karaoke rooms, according to the spokeswoman.
► Three-Course Tasting Menu at Runner & Stone
Where: 285 Third Ave., Gowanus
When: Both Saturday, Feb. 13 and Sunday, Feb. 14 dinner
The three-course tasting menu is $65 a head and includes a Champagne toast and take-home pastries, but it's also available a la carte without the bubbly and the doggie bag.
► Prix Fixe Dinner at Prawn Shop
Where: 669 Union St., Park Slope
When: Feb. 14, 5 to 11 p.m.
Check out the new sustainable seafood restaurant Prawn Shop, which is serving a $45 a head prix fixe menu (including a glass of sparkling wine) featuring local oysters, grilled prawns and lobster tail.
Where: 787 Union St., Park Slope
When: Feb. 14, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Chef Matt Bernero is planning a four-course menu with three choices for each course, as well as optional wine pairings, according to the Rose Water website. Dinner is $75 a head not including drinks and a 20 percent service fee. There's also a three-course menu for $55 from 10 p.m. until closing. The provisional menu includes lamb tartare, grilled squid and braised short ribs.
