Normally, a weekend in which both Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl come one right after the other would be a banner time for sales for businesses of all stripes — from restaurants and bars to retail shops.
Happy couples and business owners alike are hoping that, despite the pandemic, V-Day 2022 will actually be something close to normal, with restaurant reservations full and flower shops overflowing with orders.
For instance, in Bangor, Utopia on Hammond Street will host a four-course Valentine dinner special ($73 per person) on Monday, as will the Tarratine on Park Street ($75 per person). 2 Feet Brewing in Columbia Street will offer a weekend dinner for two package on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with a shareable appetizer and dessert and two entrees for $39 total.
Penobscot Theatre Co. is offering a Feb. 14 date night package for its latest production, romantic comedy “Maytag Virgin.” After you purchase tickets to its special Monday performance, you can add on a surprise bouquet of flowers ($33 or $50 for mixed bouquets, or $66 for a dozen red roses). Or, if you’re feeling a bit sassy, local drag queen Priscilla Poppycocks hosts a game night at the Donald Ross Grille at Penobscot Valley Country Club, starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
For sweet treats, Wildflour Cake Design in downtown Bangor has an array of gift packages available on Saturday and Sunday only, including a special valentine treat box and chocolate-covered strawberries — or to really knock their socks off, two kinds of 6-inch valentine cakes at $65 each. That’s in addition to their incredibly popular “cake pints,” which sell out every time owner Asa Harned has them available.
The Sweet Spot, a bakery at 50 Hammond St. that specializes in decorated cookies, has both a Valentine’s Day cookie bouquet and a Super Bowl-themed cookie bouquet available for pre-order and pickup on Saturday, as well as house-made macarons. Simply Macarons by Jaelin also offers an assortment of the delightful French cookies, available on Saturday morning at the European Farmers Market on Buck Street. And Savour Chocolatier, based out of Veazie, sells chocolate treats year-round in shops like Tiller & Rye in Brewer and Bangor Wine & Cheese.
And there are always flowers, from local shops like Bangor Floral, Chapel Hill Floral, Lougee and Fredericks or Sunnyside Greenhouse and Florist, all in Bangor — though we highly recommend calling each of those places as far ahead as possible to ensure you get your blooms on time.
If chocolates and roses are just a bit too cliche for you, and what you really want to do is watch the big game, you can combine both things — love and football — in one of the many Super Bowl parties happening at bars around the area.
Bangor Beer Co. near the Bangor Mall will host the “Super Bingo Bowl,” offering bingo with prizes and food and drink specials throughout the night of the game. Benjamin’s on Franklin Street in downtown will have a Valentine/Super Bowl mashup party, with the game on the big screen. And Seasons on Main Street will host a tailgate-style party all evening with drink specials and door prizes.