Sips & Nibbles: New Year's Eve

I am back with a special New Year's Eve edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently. If you are seeking a place to celebrate, why not consider these places.
**********************************************************
1) Legal Harborside will celebrate New Year’s Eve under the stars at Liberty Wharf this year. At this celebration bidding adieu to 2012 and welcoming 2013, revelers will enjoy the winter scene – complete with Legal Harborside’s copper-clad fireplace – and will eat, drink and be merry with a bird’s eye view of First Night’s midnight fireworks over Boston Harbor.

In addition to being supplied with festive noisemakers and hats, tickets to this sky-high soiree include live music and a midnight toast with Gosset "Excellence" Brut NV bubbly. Legal Harborside will also offer table reservations to this year-end celebration.

When: December 31st from 9:30pm – 1:30am
Cost: Individual tickets: $45 per person; Reserved couch/table: $400 per group (up to six people)
More Info: Tickets and tables may be reserved online. Tickets purchased are non-refundable and have no cash value. Limited tickets and table reservations are available. Access to the event will only be granted to guests with a ticket receipt and 21+ ID. Guests may order food a la carte from Legal Harborside’s full menu up until 12am.

2) Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar's tradition of celebrating New Year’s Eve for a long weekend continues. Start the festive evening with a holiday cocktail or featured bubbly and then indulge in the New Year’s menu.

Drink Options:
--Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut ($12 by the glass, $100 magnum bottle) - Raise a toast to celebrate the New Year with “a wonderfully drinkable sparkling wine that appeals immediately for its balanced texture and rich flavors," Wine Enthusiast.
--Haute Holiday ($10.95) & Merry Mint Spice ($11.95): Ladies will enjoy Fleming’s Haute Holiday created by wine director Maeve Pesquera expressly for the season. Quay Elysim (a Muscat dessert wine), Germain Elderflower Liqueur and Mionetto Prosecco are presented in a champagne flute garnished with a Luxardo cherry. For the gentlemen, Merry Mint Spice mixes Gentleman Jack with Domaine de Canton and POM juice with aromatic muddled mint leaves and simple syrup, shaken and served on the rocks.

Culinary Options:
New Year’s Nights Celebration Menu offers three luxe entrées which all include a special shrimp appetizer. Fleming’s a la carte menu will also be served.

Shrimp appetizer included with entrées: Poached Gulf Shrimp over Southern-Style Goat Cheese Grits - celery root slaw, extra virgin olive oil drizzle

Entrées:
--Delmonico Steak with Blue Crab & Gruyère Glassage - shaved black truffles, served with bacon-wrapped braised leeks and balsamic reduction ($74.95)
--Filet Mignon & Lobster-Brioche Bread Pudding - on roasted asparagus, lemon beurre blanc and lobster reduction sauces, black truffle shavings ($69.95)
--Lobster Tail with Mac & Cheese - one pound east coast lobster tail, split and roasted with champagne, sage and lemon butter, served with Italian bacon mac & cheese ($79.00)

Dessert
--Chocolate Budino - rich chocolate tartlet, chevre-salted whipped cream, and cocoa nibs ($9.95)

When: December 28th – 31st beginning at 4pm
Make Reservations by calling 617-292-0808

3) The Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro is hosting a special New Year’s Eve Dinner featuring a multicourse, prix-fixe menu and an optional wine pairing. Guests can choose to dine early, leaving time to enjoy the festivities and see the beautiful ice sculptures in Boston Common located just steps from the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro, or guests can ring in the New Year by dining later in the evening while watching the clock tick down as the champagne starts to flow. Reservations are required and can be booked early by calling 617-723-7575.

WHEN: Monday, December 31st, 2012 from 5:30PM to 11PM.
COST: $77 per person. Optional supplement course for two for an additional $20 per person and optional three course wine pairing for an additional $29 per person. A 20% Gratuity Will Automatically Be Added To Your Bill

New Year’s Eve Prix-Fixe Menu

Amuse Bouche
--Pat and Barbara Woodbury’s Wellfleet Oyster (Smoked Ikura Roe)
Appetizers
--Scituate Lobster Bisque (Black Garlic Ink, Tarragon)
--Nantucket Bay Scallop Ceviche (Baby Gem Lettuce, Fennel, Cranberry Vinaigrette)
--Boston Lettuce Salad (Grapefruit and Orange Segments, Jeweled Pomegranate, Rosemary Vinaigrette)
--Duck Leg Confit (Mustard Leaf and Wild Mushroom Panzanella, Fresh Local Cheese)
--Country Style Terrine (Seasonal and Traditional Accompaniments)
--Wild Mushroom Risotto (Oyster and Maitake Mushrooms, Parmesan)
Supplement Course for Two (For An Additional $20)
Foie Gras Torchon (Anadama Toast, Pear and Chestnut Jam)
Main Courses
--Painted Hills Sirloin Steak (Jerusalem Artichoke Confit, Root Vegetable Gratin, Red Wine Bone Marrow Jus)
--Scituate Lobster (Poached in Saffron and Butter, Potato Purée, Celery and Bay Flan)
--Gnocchi Parisienne (Braised Free Range Chicken, Pumpkin, Sage Ricotta, Brussels Sprout Leaves)
--American Red Snapper (Warm Farro Salad with Pumpkin, Pickled Honey Mussels, Coriander Beurre Rouge)
--Sorghum and Olive Oil Roasted Delicata Squash (Crimson Lentils, Pistachio, Black Truffle Vinaigrette) --Round the Bend Lamb Loin (Braised Winter Greens with Mint, New Potato, Roasting Jus)
Desserts or Cheese
--Warm Chocolate Cake (Earl Grey Ice Cream, Candied Walnuts)
--Vanilla Bean Crème Brulée (Gingersnap Cookie)
--Buttermilk Panna Cotta (Chocolate Crumb, Honey Anglaise, Raspberry Preserve)
--Maggie’s Reserve Cow’s Milk Cheese, Williamstown, MA (Jewish Rye, Pickled Mouse Melon, Kiev Raspberry Jam)

4) This New Year’s Eve, Towne Stove and Spirits will say goodbye to 2012 with a lively Gatsby-themed cocktail party that lets guests relive the magic and mystique of the roaring ‘20s. Featuring a midnight champagne toast and classic hors d’oeuvres prepared by Culinary Director Lydia Shire and Executive Chef Mario Capone, revelers will experience the splendor of a near century-old style in Towne’s upstairs dining and lounge areas, Uptowne and the Back Bay Room, where live music will entertain the dapper gentlemen and flapper girls decked out in their best Prohibition-era attire.

WHEN: Monday, December 31st from 9pm – 2am
COST: $80 per person
MORE INFO: 1920s Gatsby-esque semi-formal attire is required. Event tickets are available online. For VIP tables, please email: kritter@towneboston.com.