Haute 5 Places in LA to Bring in the New Year: Tres Haute Parties for a Memorable Night

It’s December 22nd, do you know where you’ll be on New Years Eve?  In Los Angeles, New Years Eve is never an easy night – taxis and town cars are booked well in advance, nobody wants to be a designated driver, and there’s so much traffic that you’re honestly worried you’ll countdown in the car (make sure you’re sitting next to someone you want to kiss, just in case).  Perhaps this year, you’ll skip the party in Malibu (really, PCH on New Years?) and ring in 2010 at one of these tres haute parties…

SLS Hotel

The SLS Hotel doesn’t scream out for scandal or naughty behavior.  But if you’re going to cause a stir, can you think of any more chic or bizarre place to do it?  Find us a lobby that’s more fun to sneak down to after hours than this one, is our point.  Hence why the SLS is perfect for New Year’s Eve! Their New Year’s Eve Gala offers up fine dining from The Bazaar, enough champagne to make you remember only the good bits of 2009, and the chance to dance until the morning.  They’ve got a Star Lit Soiree Package for out of town guests, too.  Click here to read more about it.

The SLS Hotel is located at 465 S. La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles.  (310) 247-0400

Seven Grand

We don’t know about you, but when we head downtown, we want to hit all the spots that give downtown it’s unique feel – The Biltmore Hotel, The LA Athletic Club, and so on. Seven Grand, known for it’s impressively long whiskey menu and the old-gentlemen’s-club atmosphere, is just the right spot to make some resolutions – especially of the “breakable” variety.  With live jazz, a host of bartenders waiting to pop some bubbly or ask if you’d like your whiskey neat, and pool tables abound, 2010 never looked so swanky.

Seven Grand is located on the 2nd floor at 517 W. 7th Street in Downtown LA.  (213) 614-0737

Michael Mina’s XIV

It may look like an opulent French chateau from the 17th Century, but really Michael Mina’s XIV is a perfect destination for ringing in this new decade.  What better way to tell 2010 just what kind of year you’d like it to be than by kicking it off in black tie and sipping endless champagne at XIV’s 2010 New Year’s Eve Soiree?  Tickets range from $1000 – $10,000 for table packages, guaranteeing you everything from extra tickets and bottles of champagne to roped off areas that come with private security guards – unfortunately they can’t hold off another year from flying by.

Michael Mina’s XIV is located at 8117 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood. Call (323) 656-1414 for tickets.

The Buffalo Club

Maybe you had something a little different in mind… All these soirees sounds fun, but you were looking for more of a romantic, wine-soaked evening accompanied by the good ol’ fashioned feel of a secret clubhouse. Look no further than Santa Monica’s Buffalo Club.  On an unassuming strip of Olympic Blvd, you’ll open the more unassuming (and virtually sign-less) door to an oasis of burgundy leather banquets, dark wood accents, bartenders in ties, and a menu with a distinct New York steakhouse feel.  Here’s what we’d do: book a table for 9 p.m., order up some oysters, caviar, and the New York steak to share (paired with wine, of course) and then countdown to 2010 with your champagne glass firmly in hand – you’re a member now!

Buffalo Club is located at 1520 Olympic Blvd. in Santa Monica. (310) 450-8600

Providence

If you’re idea of telling 2009 off and calling forth 2010 has less to do with dancing until you’re forced to take off your heels and more to do with deciding between the Black Sea Bass and the Artic Char, Providence is your spot.  One of LA’s best restaurants (thanks for those two stars, Michelin), Providence will have you singing Auld Lang Syne in style.  The multi-course menu offers Snapper, Sea Scallops, and Prime Rib with wine pairings that all maintain Providence’s dedication to only the best and freshest ingredients.  Of course, the experience doesn’t stop there.  They know your singing voice sounds much better after a bit of Apple Sorbet, Petit Fours, and a glass (or three) of champagne.  Cheers!

Providence is located at 5955 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles. (323) 460-4170