If chosen carefully and appropriately, a gift can declare your feelings without requiring a grand gesture or speech. Of course, the level of the relationship is the key factor in selecting the right gift, and here at Chester County Cuisine & Nightlife and PA Eats, we hand-picked a delicious assortment of presents for everyone — from your crush to your long-time love.
For Your Crush
The most romantic month of the year arrives in the chilliest and dreariest season. While you cannot give spring, you are able to present a tease of the tastes you will soon enjoy with the growing season. If you give a jar of SIW (Stepped in What) tomato sauce, cultivated from more than 100 heirloom varieties on a 300-acre farm in Chadds Ford, you will easily make your love interest swoon.
SIW cans hundreds of cases of the fresh-off-the-vine sauce during summer and donates a portion of what they make to local food cupboards. Visit siw-vegetables.blogspot.com for more information.
But if you are looking to lock in a future date, rather than just get a few points for having good taste, present your Valentine with tickets to the upcoming Sweet Charity event on March 29 at the Waterloo Gardens of Exton. As a major fundraiser for Chester County Community Foundation, the highly competitive dessert contest invites guests to sample top-notch artisan desserts and mingle with pastry chefs. This year’s event also features a Sweet Victory Welcome Area, which will pair Victory Beers with competing desserts. More information is at www.chescocf.org.
For New Relationships
Giving a box of chocolates may seem like a no-brainer for Valentine’s Day, but what will keep your new love around is selecting one-of-a-kind cocoa concoctions that are sourced locally and are unlike other mass-produced varieties.
Head to the new Bridge Street Chocolates (158 Bridge St., 610-935-8100), where Gail Warner concocts gorgeous, seasonally appropriate chocolates shaped like miniature hearts, available in raspberry and champagne flavors.
Confectionately Yours is the Downingtown-based business of Melanie Lammers. The decadent treats are perfect for your sweet treat addict. Hand-dipping and packaging chocolate-covered strawberries and cocoa-coated pretzels, she makes sure you cannot have just one bite. To place an order, email [email protected] or call 610-873-1301.
Award-winning Eclat Chocolate (www.eclatchocolate.com) is nestled right on South High Street in West Chester. Famous for top-notch artisan creations (even a truffle that is found in a $5,000 martini at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia), Eclat means serious business. If you are looking to get serious with your loved one, load up on their mouth-watering pleasures. From a four-piece set of hand-decorated dark chocolate hearts infused with Queen Emma Rose Tea ganache from Hawaii, to one of their new Obsession bars, including the PHL Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzel swirled with 33-percent milk chocolate and Lancaster County pretzels, these treats will make your lover’s heart skip a beat and quite possibly lead to a marriage proposal.
But, if chocolate does not strike your gift-giving fancy, why not load up on cookies or cakes? Terrain at Styer’s (914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills) offers a sweet alternative to candy with their buttery Twin Hearts Shortbread Cookies rolled and decorated by hand in a bakery just outside of Philadelphia. Sweet Talk Custom Cakes & Confections of Berwyn (www.sweettalkcakes.com) sculpts adorable Conversation Heart Cakes that are available with either a classic mushy message or personalized to your preference.
For Long-term Lovers
You’ve been through the gestures of Valentine’s Day year in and out, so why not give a gift that you know your significant other will go gaga over? If you are in love with a locavore, supply your partner with an array of Chester County’s wonderfully stinky cheeses, available at winter farmers’ markets (West Chester Growers’ Market and Phoenixville Farmers’ Market on Saturdays), and directly through one of the many local cheesemakers (www.chestercountycheese.org).
If your one-and-only is a beer fanatic, local craft breweries have your back. Head to Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant of Phoenixville (130 E. Bridge St., 610-983-9333) or West Chester (3 W. Gay St., 610-738-9600) and grab a growler of one of their new brews. Phoenixville just tapped at Honey Saison and West Chester has a new French farmhouse ale, Biere de Mars.
If you are looking to offer an assortment of beer appreciation as a present, mix-a-six at Ron’s Original Bar & Grille (74 E Uwchlan Ave., 610-594-9900). Since day one, the local mainstay has presented an incredible in-house and to-go beer selection for all craft beer drinkers.
If you are looking to offer beer-love past the hopped brews, hit up the Victory Beer (420 Acorn Lane) retail shop, where they offer all the beer-loving swag a male or female could dream of, including T-shirts, hats, pint glasses, and even dog collars for your pooch-obsessed partner.
Of course, the Brandywine Valley offers perfect Valentine’s presents for wine lovers, too. Head to one of the many wine trail spots to tackle their assortments of fine wines. Come March, the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail presents “Barrels on the Brandywine” with special events every weekend. Secure your spot now by purchasing passports which allow tastings at each member winery and include a commemorative wine glass. Passports are valid each weekend in March and through the entire month of April. For information, visit www.bvwinetrail.com.
