Where will you be at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31? That’s the precise time at which the ball atop One Times Square begins its descent. If you haven’t yet formulated an answer to that question, be advised that the clock is literally ticking.
Shota Omakase, in Williamsburg, led by veteran sushi chef Cheng Lin (Sushi Seki, Blue Ribbon, ITO Tribeca) will fête the New Year complete with a champagne toast. But before the ball completes its journey, you’ll partake of an 18-course experience that honors the traditions of edomae, with an emphasis on marinating, curing, and aging. Highlights include botan ebi, spot prawns from Vancouver crowned with Sanbaizu jelly and golden ossetra caviar; and sawara — seared Spanish mackerel from Fukuoka Japan partnered with homemade citrus miso and pickled cucumber. Nigiri courses follow, featuring the likes of blue fin fatty tuna, plated on Inochi-no-Ichi sushi rice sourced from a small farmer in Gero City, Gifu Japan. Shota Omakase, 50 South Third Street, Brooklyn, 929-989-6979.
New Year’s eve at the stylish Mexican restaurant Casa Bond is what you make it. Come between the hours of 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and you will find the house offering its regular á la carte menu. But after 8, Casa Bond lets its hair down with two formal seatings, one at 8 p.m., the second at 10 p.m. Ordering is off a $150-a-head five-course prix fixe menu that includes lobster bisque, aguachile verde, and braised short ribs with a chile ancho demi glaze. The party pauses briefly at midnight, when patrons raise a toast to the New Year, then resumes until 2 a.m. Casa Bond, 334 Bowery (bet. Great Jones and Bond Sts.), 917-639-3009.
Bottino, the popular trattoria in Chelsea, is offering two seatings for its three-course prix fixe on New Years Eve, the first from 7 to 10 p.m. ($70 a person), the second from 9:30 p.m. to midnight ($100), followed by dancing until 3 a.m. Open perhaps with an East-meets-West starter of tuna tartare paired with daikon sprouts and tinctured with soy and sesame oils. From there you might move on to one of the house’s excellent pastas or maybe the roast rack of lamb with mint shallot sauce, accompanied by a potato and fennel gratin. Bottino, 246 Tenth Avenue (bet 24th and 25th Sts.), 212-206-6766.
At La Goulue, which has been holding court on the Upper East Side for decades, a return to French bistro classics will be the order of the night on New Year’s Eve. A $195 prix fixe will focus on such classics as duck foie gras with black Perigord truffle, poached Dover sole napped with a lemon beurre blanc and Ossetra caviar, and beef Wellington — a filet mignon spread with a mushroom duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry, and served in a pool of rich sauce Perigourdine. A chocolate and passion fruit tarte will be proffered for dessert. La Goulue, 29 E. 61st Street, 212-988-8169.
Blu on Hudson, which opened earlier this year and is set against a panoramic backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, will be celebrating its first New Years Eve with a three-course dinner (specifics TBA). The per-person cost, $500, includes an open bar, a live DJ, sparklers, and a champagne toast with a screening of the ball dropping at midnight. A less expensive option at $300 begins at 9:30 p.m. and includes an open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres. Seating is not guaranteed, though high-tops will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Blu on the Hudson, 1200 Harbor Boulevard, Weehawken, NJ, 201-636-1200.
Further upstream (a theme is emerging!) Son Cubano, a Latin fusion restaurant in the New Jersey town of West New York, will feature a three-course prix fixe menu to accompany its stunning skyline views. Appetizers include Sugar Shack oysters with plum nori migonette and short rib masitas with salsa verde, cara cara orange, and corn shoots. Among the mains you will find Muscovy duck breast with a blackberry hoisin glaze. The price, which ranges from $100 to $250, depending on where you choose to be seated, covers a live DJ, entertainment, specialty cocktails, and VIP bottle service. Son Cubano, Grandview II Riverwalk Condo, 40-4 Riverwalk Pl, West New York, N.J., 201-399-2020.
For a different take on the New York skyline, one that includes the Manhattan Bridge, reserve a table at Celestine, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant located on the water in Dumbo. The restaurant will offer a five-course prix fixe menu, highlights of which will include Bluepoints, Burgundy truffle pasta, and a main course choice of either ribeye au poivre or dayboat scallops with beurre blanc. The first of two seatings ($145 per person) begins at 5 p.m. The second seating ($180 per person) begins at 9:15 p.m. and guarantees your table for the night, along with a Champagne toast at midnight. Celestine, 1 John Street, Brooklyn, 718-522-5356.
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