Events

Flagship Valentine’s Weekend Cruises

Feb. 13-15. Take to the sea with a romantic cruise along San Diego Bay. Flagship Cruises & Events is offering its Sweethearts Dinner Cruise, Feb. 13-15, including a three-course meal, Champagne, a professional couples photo, DJ music and dancing. Or opt for the Valentine’s Day Champagne Brunch Cruise, Feb. 14, with an elevated breakfast buffet, from carving stations to seafood to desserts; plus DJ entertainment, unlimited mimosas and more. See website for departure times and ticket pricing. 990 N. Harbor Drive, downtown, 619.234.4111. flagshipsd.com 

Valentine’s Cruises with the Gondola Company

Feb. 13-15. Float away for Valentine’s Day with The Gondola Company, offering its exclusive Saint Valentino Cruises all weekend. Enjoy a private 50-minute tour aboard a Venetian gondola through the canals of the Coronado Cays, led by a gondolier. The experience includes a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a single red rose; plus upgrades like select wines, non-alcoholic beverages, a bouquet of roses, a gondolier serenade, and a live mandolin player. See website for pricing and reservations. 503 Grand Caribe Causeway, Suite C, Coronado, 619.429.6317. gondolacompany.com

“Bubbly on the Star” at Maritime Museum

Feb. 14. After dinner on Valentine’s Day, surprise your sweetheart with “Bubbly on the Star,” a special nightcap experience aboard the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s iconic Star of India. (Built in 1863, it’s the world’s oldest active sailing ship and a National Historic Landmark.) Each ticket includes open-deck access for stargazing and mingling dockside, a drink from the wine and mimosa bar, a box of sweet treats, a fresh rose, and live acoustic music. 7:30-9 p.m. See website for ticket pricing (21+). 1492 N. Harbor Drive, downtown. sdmaritime.org

Food + Drink

Extraordinary Desserts’ Bubbles & Sweets Bar

Feb. 12. Satisfy your sweet tooth before the Valentine’s Day sugar rush at the Little Italy location of Extraordinary Desserts. The bakery/restaurant is serving complimentary bubbly and a decadent array of house-made sweets and treats, including cookies, cake slices and brownies. Specialties include the XO Romeo, a chocolate brownie with chocolate ganache and salted caramel; and the Juliet Cake, made with white chocolate, roses and raspberry. 6-9 p.m. $42 per person (reservations required; see website). 1430 Union St., Little Italy, 619.294.7001. Details

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Rancho Valencia

Feb. 14. The five-star Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa invites guests to dine at its elegant restaurant, The Pony Room. Among its myriad decadent choices, the four-course Valentine’s Day Dinner menu offers lobster bisque, butter-poached Maine lobster, black-truffle ravioli, Brandt Beef Filet Oscar, Alaskan king crab, a red-velvet heart-shaped souffle, and chocolate crème brulee. $195 per person (plus optional wine pairings and add-ons such as Royal Petrossian caviar). Call for reservations. 5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe, 858.759.6246. ranchovalencia.com  

Bacari

Now Open. Taking over the French Quarter-style space once occupied by Urban Solace, Bacari is North Park’s new Mediterranean-inspired bar and restaurant. The decor blends vintage rugs and antiques with rustic stone work and colorful Mexican tiles for a quaint charm—featuring a plant-filled patio, balcony and full bar on each level. Dine on seasonal small plates for dinner and weekend brunch, from shawarma tacos to “Moroccan Cigars” (stuffed with lamb and chicken) to challah French toast; plus craft cocktails and global wines. 3823 30th St., North Park. eatwithbacari.com

Arts + Culture

Broadway San Diego: Mark Twain Tonight!

Feb. 12. Written and originally performed by Hal Holbrook, Mark Twain Tonight!, presented by Broadway San Diego, is a one-man show performed by Emmy Award-winner Richard Thomas. (He is the first and only person to perform the play since the original.) The actor is famously known as John-Boy Walton in The Waltons; and more recently has been seen on Broadway in Our Town, as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and on Netflix’s Ozark. 7:30 p.m. See website for ticket pricing. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. broadwaysd.com

San Diego Ballet Performances at SDMA

Feb. 13-15. In celebration of the centennial of The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA), San Diego Ballet is working in residence with the Museum in a series that highlights some of SDMA’s iconic works: “Perspective: Celebrating 100 Years at SDMA.” Choreographed by Javier Velasco, the special performances take place at SDMA’s James S. Copley Auditorium, spotlighting works like the 1907 oil painting Maria at La Granja by Joaquín Sorolla. (Ballet attendees get free Museum admission.) F 7 p.m.; Sa 8 p.m.; Su 2 p.m. 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. sandiegoballet.org

San Diego Opera: The Barber of Seville

Feb. 13-15. San Diego Opera stages The Barber of Seville, with music by Gioachino Rossini and libretto by Cesare Sterbini. Rossini’s prequel to Mozart’s funny, romantic opera, The Marriage of Figaro, centers on Figaro, the witty, charismatic barber. He plays matchmaker for his friend, Count Almaviva, who is desperately in love with the lovely Rosina—all challenged by Rosina’s greedy, paranoid guardian, Dr. Bartolo. Mistaken identities and hilarious hijinks ensue. See website for showtimes and tickets. Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown, 619.533.7000. sdopera.org

Jacobs Music Center: Jazz @ The Jacobs

Feb. 14. San Diego Symphony presents a special Jazz @ The Jacobs concert: “Songs for Lovers.” It celebrates the music of Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, Charlie Parker and Dina Washington. The lineup of performing musicians includes trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos (pictured), saxophonist Charles McPherson, pianist Randy Porter, vocalist Melissa Morgan, bassist Luke Little and drummer Willie Jones III. 7:30 p.m. (Pre-show by Young Lions Jazz Conservatory at 6:30 p.m.) See website for ticket pricing. 750 B St., downtown, 619.235.0804. sandiegosymphony.org

Bacari is by Jakob Layman. Richard Thomas as Mark Twain is by Julieta Cervantes. All other images are courtesy of the venues and businesses featured.