Valentine’s Day 2017 Gift Guide

It’s easy to get stuck in a gift rut on Valentine’s Day, and end up scavenging the holiday aisle on a last-minute run to Rite Aid.   That’s why we’re supplying six, elegant variations on the expected chocolate and flowers routine.  From actual edible roses to bottles of DIY sparkling wine, dessert tours & more…

L.A. Burdick Signature Heart Assortment ($52): All heart-shaped candy boxes are not created equal.  So drop the Russell Stover stat, and head to SoHo’s elegant L.A. Burdick for a romantic, 38-piece assortment of limited release chocolate heart bonbons, filled with dark rum, hazelnut and rum-soaked raisins, and cayenne-spiked cashews, as well as a charming trio of the chocolatier’s famous cocoa mice.

Brooklyn Brew Shop Sparking Wine Kit ($70): Anyone can buy a bottle of bubbly, but why not go the extra mile by making it yourself?  This unique kit contains all the equipment and ingredients necessary to make five bottles of naturally sparkling wine, including specially sourced chardonnay grape juice from a premier California vineyard. And the best part is, the equipment is reusable, so you can raise a glass to your sweetie again and again.

Sugartooth’s Sweeter Than Sugar Valentines Dessert Tour ($50): Think outside the chocolate box by scheduling a tour for two, of NYC’s most prominent sugar-focused destinations.  Nibble on half-pound cookies in Chelsea Market and sip hot chocolate along the High Line, as part of a five-stop dessert journey complete with Valentine’s Day history and trivia.

Murray’s Fondue Set ($59.99): Fondue may have had its heyday in the ‘70’s, but what could be more timelessly sultry, than feeding your partner cheese or chocolate-coated tidbits off a stick?  And not only is Murray’s an obvious destination for all your gooey dairy needs, from French Raclette to Fontina Val D’Aosta to Vermont’s own Spring Brook Farm Reading, they’re even selling the pot as well, crafted from sturdy black earthenware by a 100-year-old Dutch company.

Caviar Russe Indulgent Collection ($160-440): Sure, you can spend a pretty penny or more on a restaurant prix fixe, or you can enjoy this two-person selection of luxurious delicacies for dinner instead.  Tucked inside an insulated gift bag, it contains everything you’ll need to stage a provocative picnic on your couch, including  1/4 lb of sliced smoked salmon, 1/4 lb of foie gras torchon, house-baked blinis and pots of crème fraiche, and 28g of the malossol caviar of your choice, from Pacific Sturgeon to Caspian Platinum Osetra.

Crystalized Roses from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals ($20): Kill two birds with one stone by shopping at Gourmet Sweet Botanicals, which sells glorious bouquets of colorful, hypnotizingly-scented flowers that you can actually eat!  Take the nosegay of 10 crystallized roses, for instance — full-bodied blooms in shades of lavender, pink, red, yellow, orange and peach — that can be enjoyed straight off the stem, used to garnish holiday treats like cupcakes, or separated into sparkly, sugary petals, and dropped into champagne or well, you know, scattered all over your bed.