No Reservations, No Problem

No reservations yet? Austin restaurants offering special Valentine's Day dinner deals

If you haven't made reservations yet, here are a few restaurants around town offering up special menus or deals on Valentine's Day.

Courtesy photo

No reservations? No worries! Whether you are hungry in love or just plain hungry, eating out is a Valentine's Day tradition.

If you haven't made plans yet, here's a taste of the special Valentine's menus being offered at a few outstanding Austin restaurants. Just remember that from here on out, reservations are strongly encouraged.

Olamaie
This Southern sweetheart is offering up venison heart, sunchoke tartare, chocolate cremeux and more for you and your sweetheart this Valentine's Day. Indulge in the additional wine pairings for this five-course tasting spread to round out your evening.
$80-$125

No Va Kitchen & Bar
The three-course, prix fixe supper at this Rainey Street gem has a selection of menu options to choose from as well as some classic a la carte items that you can add on to your meal. Dishes include drunk scallop crudo, bacon and eggs pasta, rabbit sugo, chocolate cream cake, warmed strawberries and more.
$45

Sagra
East side Italian eatery Sagra is offering a fixed-price menu, as well as vegan alternatives for you veggie-loving lovebirds. Enjoy pistachio-crusted scallops, mushroom wellington, saffron bisque, and creme brulee in addition to optional wine pairings.
$49.95-$64.95

North by Northwest
If wine isn't your thing, then consider grabbing craft brews at North By Northwest. Both NXNW locations are cooking up the romance for Valentine's Day with four-course menu including beef carpaccio, seared snapper and more.
$49

Due Forni Pizza & Wine
Share the love and the menu at Due Forni, which has constructed a scrumptious meal for two. Courses include toasted brioche, lobster ravioli, pizza al fungi and chocolate panna cotta.
$60 for two people

Carmelo's
Italian is truly the language of love. Enjoy Carmelo's classic pasta dishes or seafood offerings like tuna tartare and lobster bisque. As an extra bonus, your dinner comes complete with clever Italian phrases written on "Romance 101" cards to help woo your date. Reservations are required.
Prices vary

Goodall's Kitchen & Bar
The three-course, prix fixe supper at Goodall's includes a variety of the restaurant's decadent creations, including Katama oysters, muscovy duck and warm vanilla pudding cake.
Prices start at $70.

Finn & Porter
Enjoy braised rabbit, a ribeye plate, a chocolate terrine dessert and more off of Finn & Porter's prix fixe menu. Splurge a little and opt for the additional wine pairing for each course.
$75

Épicerie
Épicerie's four-course Valentine's Day spread includes seared scallops, charred radicchio salad, strawberry shortcake and a luscious cheese plate.
$55

The Carillon
Step it up a notch at The Carillon, where the five-course dinner includes blue prawns, poached beef tenderloin and an intriguing dessert called "chocolate in black and white." There will also be optional wine pairings for an additional charge.
$80-$145

drink.well.
Combat Saturday's love-induced hangover and head over to drink.well. on Sunday for a $15 prix fixe menu that includes honey-glazed pecan cinnamon roll as well as chicken and waffles (including vegetarian substitutions). There will be deals on mimosas, Blood Marys, bottles of wine and more.
Prices vary

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More pumpkin, less milk

Austin-based vegan milk ready for fall with new pumpkin spice flavor

Photo courtesy of Malk

Pumpkin is one of the first ingredients in this flavored almond milk.

Vegans may avoid dairy, but they deserve a pumpkin spice latte in the fall. Malk Organics, an Austin-based almond milk company, is taking care of that with a new pumpkin spice variety.

This seasonal flavor is hitting shelves now, and will be available "throughout the fall season while supplies last," according to a news release. It joins three standard flavors — unsweetened, vanilla, and chocolate — for a total of four almond milks across the board. The company also makes oat and cashew milk, or "malk," and some creamers.

The second ingredient after filtered water is organic pumpkin, so that flavor should come out strong in whatever drink it's spicing up. It also contains almond butter and sugar, plus extracts of vanilla, cinnamon bark, nutmeg, ginger, and clove — all organic, too.

"With the popularity of the pumpkin spice flavor profile, we wanted to offer consumers a healthier way to enjoy their favorite fall beverages." said Malk CEO Jason Bronstad in the release. "We have meticulously crafted a pumpkin spice SKU featuring the cleanest ingredients without compromising on delicious flavor."

When Bronstad talks about health, he's referring to claims made in the release that distance the completely organic product from "gums, oils, and fillers." The brand prides itself on these things, plus few enough ingredients to count on one hand — not quite the case for this more intricately spiced product, but surely an exception can be made for that pumpkin pie flavor.

This isn't Malk's only seasonal effort; it's also bringing back its holiday nog made with almonds, maple syrup, nutmeg extract, and Himalayan pink salt. So far there aren't really any exotic flavors on the permanent menu, but a caramel creamer enhances the otherwise vanilla and unflavored line.

For those who feel called by the dairy-free pumpkin spice but don't know what to make with it, Malk has plenty of recipes on its site that might be nice to spice up. The Pumpkin Protein Pancakes are an obvious candidate for an extra bit of pumpkin oomph, as is the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Actually, there are lots of pumpkin recipes already on the website using other varieties of Malk; but perhaps the Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars could use some additional adventure.

Pumpkin Spice Malk ($6.99 for 28 ounces) can be found at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Erewhon, Gelsons, HEB, Fresh Market, and other local retailers. Find nearby options at malkorganics.com.

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More pumpkin, less milk

Austin-based vegan milk ready for fall with new pumpkin spice flavor