True love and romance is worth celebrating at all of its stages—from initial spark to hot flame, brightly burning fire to softly glowing embers. That’s why the Renaissance at North Bend luxury apartment homes community in Austin, Texas, asked the *Idea Specialists™* for suggestions on making this Valentine’s Day a memorable one.
Champagne & Caviar
The first thing they said is that a great choice for this Valentine’s Day weekend would be to indulge in champagne and decadent caviar delicacies at Room 725 (on the seventh floor of the Fairmont Austin on Red River Street). The intimate experience for you and your love will include a performance by acclaimed Austin artist Mélat.
Amor Eterno!
From Thursday, February 13, through Sunday, February 16, downtown’s Arriba Abajo Rooftop Cantina is offering a special Valentine’s dinner for two, including braised short ribs, papas bravas, charred rapini, and escabeche. What the Idea Specialists™ are most excited about, of course, is dessert—a chocolate mousse topped with pistachio brittle and a drizzle of red wine caramel. Oh my! Love eternal, indeed!
Hearts & Fizzes
The Idea Specialist™ love the idea of the specialty cocktail Loudmouth on Rosewood Avenue has concocted for this Valentine’s Day. “You Make My Heart Fizz” is a pink gin fizz with gin, lemon, lime, blackberry, cinnamon heavy cream, egg white, and rose water, and it’s on the special occasion menu that will feature a duroc pork chop for two (according to The Austin American-Statesman).
Other Ideas
For other ideas about how to celebrate in the city, check out Do512. And The Knot has a fun list—95 Romantic, Unique and Spicy Valentine’s Day Ideas for Every Couple.
Sweets For Your Sweetie
And speaking of chocolate…..
Oh, my, but did the Idea Specialists™ come through for Renaissance at North Bend with suggestions on this front! They hit the jackpot when they found this Food Network post on best buys for Valentine’s Day. Favorites?
First up is the Salts of the World Chocolate Collection; each of these chocolates celebrates a different country and features salt, ingredients, and a wildflower all native to that country. So cool!
Then there’s the Belgian Chocolate Covered Mini Doughnut Bouquet. Flowers are nice, but could anything really beat a beautifully packaged bouquet of chocolate-covered mini doughnuts?
Then, for the vegan Valentines out there, the Idea Specialists™ recommend that you go with the Berry Bouquet Vegan Chocolate Box from Compartés. It is packed with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, goji berries, cranberries and cherries, all dipped in absurdly good vegan dark chocolate.
Kids & Puppies
The Idea Specialists™ also gave the Renaissance at North Bend team a cute suggestion on how to celebrate the little lovies in your life—a cute mini-waffle maker! You can make kid-sized waffles in a heart shape perfect for Valentine’s Day morning—or as a dessert treat with ice cream and hot fudge! (Pro Tip: Add a little pink or red food coloring to the batter for that extra flair.)
And because they know that Renaissance at North Bend is a very pet-friendly apartment community (woofs and whiskers welcomed!), the Idea Specialists™ made it a point to share some info on animal safety. Each year the experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) see a rise in cases around February 14, many involving chocolate or lilies. Valentine’s Day can be as much fun for pets as it is for humans—as long as dangerous items are kept out of paws’ reach!
* The Idea Specialists™ *
The Idea Specialists™ is a group of design and inspiration professionals with a focus on communications for the luxury apartment home industry, as well as custom lifestyle planning and more.
