Louro pours on the sexy.
Credit: Michael Tulipan
We scoured Valentine’s Day menus for ingredients that’ll give your love life (or at least your sex drive) a little lift on Feb. 14. Pop the cork and toast to a sexy night.
Bananas
The phallic fruit is loaded in B vitamins and potassium, which help the body make sex hormones, as well as chelating minerals, thought to bump up male libido.
Find it in:
Prawn and banana curry on Louro’s Tragic Lovers of History menu (seven courses, prix fixe: $95, 142 W. 10th St., 212-206-0606)
Dark chocolate cremeux with coffee crumble, bananas and whisky marshmallows at Dovetail (four courses, prix fixe: $115, 103 W. 77th St., 212-362-3800)
Chocolate-Banana Trio (a chocolate-banana opera cake, caramelized banana and cup of hot cocoa) at Rouge Tomate (four courses, prix fixe: $125, 10 E. 60th St., 646-237-8977)
Basil
Basil’s flavonoids ward off inflammation, which boosts circulation throughout the body — including “down there.”
Find it in:
Oyster ceviche ($16) at Dos Caminos (multiple locations, www.doscaminos.com)
Arugula salad at Patsy’s (three courses, prix fixe: $65, 236 W. 56th St., 212-247-3491)
Scallop crudo at Boqueria (six courses, prix fixe: $65, 53 W. 19th St., 212-255-4160)
Strawberries
The heart-shaped berry’s tiny seeds are supposed to symbolize fertility, but it’s really dudes who get the benefit here: Strawberries’ folic acid and vitamin C up sperm count and motility.
Find it in:
Strawberry zabaione at cozy Jade Hotel restaurant Grape & Vine (four courses, prix fixe: $65, 52 W. 13th St., 212-300-4525)
Fondue au Chocolat at Brasserie 8 ½ (four courses, prix fixe: $65, 9 W. 57th St., 212-829-0812)
Passionfruit pavlova at The Musket Room (10 courses, prix fixe: $195, six courses, prix fixe: $125, 265 Elizabeth St., 212.219.0764)
Almonds
Just the smell of these nuts is said to turn women on (who knew?) But they’re also a good source of fatty acids, which boost fertility, libido and hormone production.
Find it in:
Truffled almond soup at Nerai (five courses, prix fixe: $95, 55 E. 54th St., 212-759-5554)
Foie gras with hibiscus almond dust at Juni (five courses, prix fixe: $165, 12 E. 31st St., 212-995-8599)
Chocolate Caramel Tart at The Harrison (three courses, prix fixe: $75; 355 Greenwich St., 212-274-9310)
Oysters
Zinc, found in these bivalves, is thought to benefit sperm production, libido, fertility and reproductive health. These restaurants are serving them on V-Day:
Maison Premiere (four courses, prix fixe: $95, 298 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, 347-335-0446)
A Voce Madison (seven courses, prix fixe: $95, 41 Madison Ave., 212-545-8555)
BLT Fish (three courses, prix fixe: $95, 21 W. 17th St., 212-691-8888)
Cull + Pistol (four courses, prix fixe: $55, 75 Ninth Ave., 646-568-1223)
Il Buco (five courses, prix fixe: $125, 47 Bond St., 212-533-1932
Betony (six courses, prix fixe: $195, 41 W. 57th St., 212-465-2400)
Manzanilla (four courses, prix fixe: $95, 345 Park Ave. S., 212-255-4086)
Colonie (four courses, prix fixe: $95, 127 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, 718-855-7500)
Rusty Mackerel ($15/half dozen, 209 Pinehurst Ave., 212-928-4888)
Chocolate
When you take a bite, you release dopamine into your system, the same chemical that causes a high. It also contains the amino acid arginine, which increases arousal and sensation in both sexes.
Find it in these standout Valentine’s desserts:
Chocolate-dipped stemmed strawberries at Gemma ($12, 335 Bowery, 212-505-9100)
S’mores at Edi and the Wolf (three courses, prix fixe: $59, 102 Avenue C, 212-598-1040)
Flan de chocolate at Gran Electrica (three courses, prix fixe: $65, 5 Front St., 718-852-2700)
Hazelnut dark chocolate cheesecake at Red Rooster Harlem (three courses, prix fixe: $55, 310 Lenox Ave., 212-792-9001)
