Valentine’s Day Dinner at The Vanderbilt

By Patrick Keeffe

Imagine having a Valentine’s Day dinner where Hollywood stars and European royalty dined with members of one of America’s richest and most famous families. You can do that at a spectacular, historic American estate that is also one of the most glamorous and romantic settings on Long Island — the elegant, early twentieth-century mansion of William K. Vanderbilt II, overlooking Northport Bay.

On Saturday, February 9, the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum will hold its annual Valentine’s Day dinner in the mansion, with seatings at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.

Lance Reinheimer, the museum’s interim executive director, said, “Many people have used the storybook atmosphere of the Vanderbilt Mansion as a romantic backdrop for first dates. Several people tell us they proposed marriage here. And couples have come from all over to hold wedding ceremonies at the Vanderbilt. This is a perfect place for a romantic dinner.”

As a guest, your evening will begin with hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer in the Memorial Wing of the mansion, amid Mr. Vanderbilt’s exotic collections of ethnographic artifacts from Africa, Asia and South America. After a brief tour through his private living quarters, you will be seated for a leisurely dinner in the Northport Dining Room Porch.

Entrée choices are Prime Rib of Beef, Chicken Baci Baci (chicken with stuffing of prosciutto, mushrooms and roasted red peppers with fresh mozzarella) and Filet of Sole Stuffed with Crabmeat. All entrees include twice-baked potato and assorted vegetables. Dessert follows in the Lancaster Room, with a side trip to the Vanderbilt Library and the Moroccan Court.

The evening is a special opportunity to enjoy an intimate dining experience with a spouse, partner or special friend and to celebrate in Gold Coast style. Seating at this exclusive event is very limited and sells out quickly.

Tickets are $100 per person, by reservation only. Please call the Vanderbilt at 631-854-5579 to make reservations.

MUSEUM INFORMATION – Winter Hours Through April 15: The museum is open Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays: 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. The museum is closed Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

General museum admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students with ID and seniors (62 and older), and $3 for children 12 and under. General admission includes estate-grounds access to marine museum, Memorial Wing natural-history and ethnographic-artifact galleries, Nursery Wing, Egyptian mummy and Stoll Wing animal-habitat dioramas. For a mansion tour, add $5 per ticket. (A video tour of the mansion is available on request.)

Planetarium Modernization The Vanderbilt Planetarium is undergoing major modernization and a complete technological update and will reopen in March 2013.