Saturday is the last night of the year. How will you celebrate? Still trying to figure it out? Here are nine awesome ways to ring in the new year in the Bay Area.
Spend the entire evening downtown at the Burritt Room + Tavern’s black-and-white-themed extravaganza. Start the night with a four-course seasonal menu from chef Luke Knox. An assortment of sharable snacks like white truffle potato chips with Vermont butter espuma and caviar will whet the appetite. Diners then choose from an selection of black and white entrees including pearl white scallop and Snake River Farms black waygu. At 9:30 p.m., the gears shift from a fancy dinner to a decadent ball. The Taittinger will flow and there will be live music. Guests are encouraged to follow the black-and white-themed dresscode inspired by the famed ball hosted by Truman Capote in 1966.
Take a culinary journey to Spain with Canela’s New Year’s Eve ‘ten tapas tasting menu.’ A spread of luxurious bites will be served. Think creamy almond gazpacho with ginger caviar, foie gras with Pedro Ximenez sherry and membrillo on brioche, deviled eggs with truffles and caviar, and oxtail with roasted grapes. Special wine flights will be available as well. Salud!
At RN74, chef Michael Lee Rafidi is serving two decadent dining options. There is a five-course dinner at 5:30 p.m. or a six-course dinner at 8 p.m. The modern French bistro fare includes an upscale version of croque madame with alba white truffle and Ibérico ham, a seafood platter with uni and bay scallop crudo, oxtail consommé, and Liberty duck a l’orange. Lead sommelier David Castleberry’s wine pairings are highly recommended.
Our favorite new Tenderloin jazz club, Black Cat, is hosting a 20s-and-30s-inspired decadence ball. The glamorous evening consists of craft cocktails, sumptuous cuisine (torchon of foie gras, seared scallops with cauliflower cream, tuna carpaccio, etc.), and a champagne toast. International recording artist Theo Crocker, known for his big band hip-hop blend, will perform along side Kassa Overall.
At Nico, the Michelin-starred French/California restaurant in Laurel Heights, the chef is cooking up a festive six-course meal with special truffle supplements for many of the courses. Beverage director Maz Naba has created two pairing options that will satisfy your last indulgences of 2016.
Bluestem Brasserie is throwing a New Year’s Eve party inspired by Saturday Night Fever. It will be a flashback to a cooler time where everyone was ready to get loose and funky. The restaurant is one of the few places offering a completely vegetarian prix-fixe as well as one geared toward meat eaters. Menu throwbacks include crab louie, linguine with clams, beef Burgundy, and tagine of roasted cauliflower. There is also a special cocktail menu that pays tribute to the late 70s. The Boogie Shoes is a concoction made with gin, Fernet, mint syrup and cucumber juice while the Fuzzy Navel is a mix of grape brandy, apricot liqueur, and orange juice.
At Stones Throw on Hyde Street, diners are invited to a choose-your-own-adventure four-course menu. The menu options are over-the-top and scrumptious sounding. Think fresh tagliarini with uni, chives, bottarga, and fresh shaved white truffles, diver scallops with caviar and Cava beurre blanc, or kampachi crudo with cured egg yolk and scallions.
For a truly unforgettable and unique experience, book a reservation at ‘A Night in Paris’ on the Napa Valley Wine Train. This event begins at 5 p.m. when passengers board the elegantly refurbished 36-seat Pullman railcar. While on board, you’ll indulge in a four-course menu that features smoked salmon carpaccio, shaved fennel and blue cheese salad, and a choice of entrees including grilled filet of beef, fresh basil ricotta ravioli, or Maine lobster pot pie. At 10:30 p.m., event goers return to the train station for a rollicking dance party complete with a midnight toast and artists drawing caricatures of guests.
Our preferred hotel on the Embarcadero, the Vitale, is hosting their annual Confetti and Cocktails NYE Gala from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Guests will sip on premium cocktails and dance under Americano’s outdoor covered patio. Note that Americano has one of the best views of the city’s NYE fireworks show, which takes place over the Bay. If you want to make a night of it, the restaurant at Americano is offering a four-course menu of seasonal delights such as Dungeness crab pappardelle, maple-brined heritage pork chop, and vanilla bean panna cotta.
Haute Secrets
December 29, 2016Designer Greg Lauren Shares His Haute Secrets to LA
