new years eve 2009

Ringing in the New in DC

By John Blee

December 2009

D.C. is notoriously a two-party town, but come Dec. 31 there’ll be a party on every block! It’s scene and be seen. Also, the teens are debuting this New Year’s Eve. It won’t be a new millennium, but it’s the next best thing.

New Years is better planned ahead. The most spirit you’ll find in D.C. will be in Georgetown and the up-and-coming Downtown.

Planning is essential as many places are already filling up, especially restaurants. Georgetown’s great Café Milano is planning two seatings, one from 6 to 8 p.m. with a prix fixe at $50, and a later seating starting at 9 p.m., also prix fixe at $125. As with most restaurants on New Year’s, there is also the choice of an à la carte menu.

Peacock Café is serving a New Year’s bargain with prix fixe starting at $35, with three servings throughout the evening. The Peacock is known as a friendly place to pass New Year’s Eve.

Hook, in Georgetown since 2006 and named one of the country’s greenest restaurants, is offering its usual menu with some high-end extras such as caviar. Hook’s last seating will be at 10 p.m., but will accommodate special reservations.

At the Four Seasons’ Bourbon Steak, where slow poaching the food is an art, there will be two seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m. The first prix fixe menu is $90 and the second serving is $175. The second is a six-course meal and there will be a live band beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Fahrenheit at the Ritz Carlton Hotel is very grand-modern in décor and will offer a four-course meal after 8 p.m. for $145, which includes a glass of champagne. There will be an earlier serving of a three-course meal for $75 between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Alex Jenkins will be at the piano with violin at Marcel’s, where there will be an 8:30 p.m. seven-course tasting menu for $175. An earlier serving at 5:30 p.m. will offer five courses for $95.

La Chaumière, where there’s French fare with no fusion confusion for more than thirty years, will feature its usual exemplary fare. Included are its specialties such as beef Wellington and foie gras.

Ris Lacoste will be offering a prix fixe menu at her brand new restaurant RIS. The “prix” has yet to be fixed.

Downtown at Café Atlantico (405 8th St.), two seatings will be offered with a tasting menu, party favors, music and a midnight toast. There will be an a la carte menu from 5 to 7:15 p.m., followed by the New Year’s Eve chef’s tasting menu from 8:30 to 10 p.m. for $95. Available during the second seating only, the chef’s eight-course tasting menu will feature such delights as wild mushroom soup of porcinis, white truffle and quail egg, foie gras, avocado terrine and trio of crab with stone crab. Latin dance music will be featured from salsa and meringue to bachata.

The W Hotel (515 15th St.), with its how-are-we-allowed-to-be-this-close views of the White House and airy top-floor lounge, will host their POV Rooftop Party on Dec. 31 to ring in the new decade. Revelers looking to strut their dance moves will have their choice of a live jazz ensemble or DJ, and can enjoy an open bar throughout the evening and champagne toast once the clock strikes 12. Tickets are $89 when reserved before Christmas. Call 202-661-2455 for tickets and information.

From Lincoln to Grant to Whitman, the Willard Hotel (1401 Pennsylvania Ave.) has boarded some of America’s most distinguished figures. Why not join the ranks? Head to the Willard for the hotel’s New Year’s Eve Gala, where VIP ticketholders will enjoy a black tie reception with an open bar. Guests will then be treated to an evening in the Crystal Room, complete with a private string concert and five-course dinner. Whether you’re with your sweetheart or simply a man-about-town, this promises to be a night to remember. VIP tickets $245, black tie required. Call 202-628-9100 for tickets and information.

Zaytinya features the flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean. From 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. an a la carte menu will be available, followed by a second seating from 8:30 to 10 p.m. that includes unlimited mezze, choice of dessert and a midnight toast for $95.

At Acadiana, Ceiba, D.C. Coast, PassionFish or TenPenh for New Year’s Eve they are relaxing dress codes in favor of stylish contrast. You can wear blue jeans! Four courses created by Chef Jeff Tunks and his counterparts at each of the restaurants will cost from $50 to $70. It begins at 5 p.m. and last seating is at 10:30 p.m.

Another Penn Quarter gem is prim and handsome Proof (775 G St.), the wood and varnish-leather hangout Downtown’s hip crowd calls home. With a staggeringly long wine list and slick-casual decorum, Proof is perfect for those after an elegant New Year’s Eve without the bowtie. New Year’s Eve guests will enjoy a special four-course prix fixe menu, priced at $95 per person. Executive Chef Haidar Karoum will prepare a choice of delicious dishes ranging from roasted pumpkin and chestnut soup with foie gras to sake-glazed sablefish with smoked eel.

Art and Soul (415 New Jersey Ave.) is offering a five-course prix fixe menu priced at $80 from 5 to 7 p.m. and $95 from 8 to 11 p.m. The later seating also includes a celebratory glass of champagne, party favors and a box of handmade chocolates from Artisan Confections for the table. For those who may go a little overboard this year, the restaurant is also hosting a special “Hangover” Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day.

Return to the top