South Dakota’s most romantic restaurants for a memorable date night

Where to take your Valentine? Here are a few restaurants in South Dakota with ambiance made for first kisses and memorable nights.

It should feel like the entire restaurant was made for two.

Some of the most romantic restaurants in South Dakota have barely lit corners for kisses, velvet couches to snuggle into and a good wine list to make your Valentine swoon.

Here’s a look at some memorable, fairy tale dinners. Note: Don’t look at the prices when you make this reservation; the impassioned ambiance is worth the cost for this one.

Minerva’s Restaurant

Cozy booths, sparkly chandeliers and friendly maître d’s make up this historical corner of downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Minerva’s has been open since 1977, but the establishment has been well-known since 1917, when it was first a confectionery and then a creperie. The nostalgia holds strong with a sprawling salad bar today, Santee bison steaks and a decadent chocolate soufflé for two.

Details: 301 S. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, S.D., 605-334-0386. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit minervas.net.

Parker’s Bistro

Another historic building giving remarkable charm in Sioux Falls, Parker’s Bistro has exposed brick walls like a hug around white linen tabletops, glimmering candles and fresh flowers. (Tip: There’s a flower shop nearby. Stop there first.) It’s very intimate in there, with corner nooks on one side and an upscale bar next door with velvet couches near the windowfront. All of it hints at the first kiss.

Details: 210 S. Main Ave., Sioux Falls, S.D., 605-250-1322. Hours are 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit parkersbistro.net.

R Wine Bar

Italiano is spelled a-m-o-r-e.

Owners Riccardo and Marybeth Tarabelsi brought a romantic nighttime-in-Florence experience to downtown Sioux Falls with four upscale establishments, including R Wine Bar, Maribella Ristorante, Brix Wine Bar and Trio Jazz Club. If you really want to impress your date, squeeze it all into one date night, progressive dinner style.

R Wine Bar was first to open, introducing a large wine menu featuring Penfolds or Caymus from Napa Valley and an Antinori Tignanello Chianti from Classico, Italy. Appetizers include mussels and ceviche; dinner includes pasta al limone, Champagne chicken or Gorgonzola steak and gnocchi.

There’s always jazz music in the corner.

Details: 322 E. Eighth St., Sioux Falls, S.D., 605-271-0814. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit RWineBar.com.

Legend’s Steakhouse

A legendary dinner for a legendary date night. The Legends Steakhouse is on the upper floor of the Silverado Franklin Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota, and is notorious for its guests like presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Babe Ruth enjoyed the hotel bar, too.

Deadwood has so much kitschy history to love.

At the Silverado, it’s raucous at the casino downstairs, but quiet in the restaurant upstairs with a private dinner vibe, soft music barely there and lobster or steak Oscar for dinner.

Details: 709 Main St., Deadwood, S.D., 605-578-3670. Hours are 7:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit silveradofranklin.com.