A new year is on its way, and while it feels like 2020 just wrapped, we’re well into the decade defined by a pandemic. Yay? Omicron is currently raging through New York City, but many restaurants are making the best of a tough situation by creating cautious, safety-focused meals and celebrations for vaccinated and negative testing guests. Here’s where to ring in 2022 in the city:
Chef Laurent Tourondel’s new restaurant Skirt Steak will be open on New Year’s Eve and along with the standard menu featuring American Skirt Steak prepared to perfection will be serving a special and decadent Skirt Steak Rossini with foie gras and fresh truffles. The menu is simple with market greens and unlimited hand-cut French fries served with every entree. A chef-selected seasonal vegetable is also available as well as a roving dessert cart with rotating selections. A secret cauliflower steak is offered as an alternative menu item for vegetarians and outdoor seating is available. Reservations are only available for groups of 7 or more, via phone: 212-201-4069.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the Snow Globe in the Sky atop the historic Beekman Tower at Ophelia, an Art Deco-inspired cocktail lounge in Midtown. Ophelia is hosting both an Early Evening Sunset Soirée and a Late Night Bash to reign in the New Year while taking in the unobstructed skyline views. Both events will have Hors d’Oeuvres, a live DJ, and all of the accessories needed to celebrate the end of 2021. Tickets for the events start at $75.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve on Pier 15 at Watermark Bar against the backdrop of exceptional waterfront and panoramic views of the Brooklyn skyline. The 10,000 square foot outdoor bar, restaurant and event space has been transformed into a Winter Wonderland full of glass houses, lights and festive decor where a party will be hosted to reign in the New Year, complete with a livestream of the famous NYC ball drop on the big screen.
The Rooftop & Margie’s at The Rockaway Hotel
Spend New Year’s Eve at The Rockaway Hotel and enjoy a special New Years Eve Pre-Fixe Dinner Menu on The Rooftop, followed by a live DJ performance, or at Margie's from 7:00 - 10:00pm at $85 per person. Complete with an appetizer, entree and dessert, menu highlights include Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup (cilantro pesto, toasted pumpkin seeds), Roasted Halibut Fillet (cauliflower puree, golden raisin & caper dressing, pomegranate), Butternut Risotto (sage, gorgonzola, candied walnuts, beurre noisette) and Warm Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies served with homemade eggnog. Early bird rates will be available at both The Rooftop and Margie’s from 5:00 - 7:00pm at $65 per person.
Celebrate the start of the new year with Bubby's Champagne & Fried Chicken New Year's Eve dinner at $65 per person. Featuring buttermilk biscuits with homemade seasonal jam, coleslaw, buckets of famous crispy fried chicken and a choice of pie with unlimited champagne for 1.5 hours. Bubby's is also open for brunch on New Year's Day.
The luxe downtown restaurant and bar will be offering a special menu in addition to their à la carte items. The prix fixe New Year’s Eve menu is priced at $185 and includes high-end dishes such as Grilled Tiger Prawns, Nantucket Bay Scallop Crudo, Seared Diver Scallops, Slow Baked Maine Lobster and more. Midnight Champagne Toast will be part of the dining experience. The full prix fixe menu can be found here and will available throughout the evening, with the à la carte menu options available until 9:00PM.
Union Square Hospitality Group is hosting a scaled-back version of their annual celebration. This year’s theme boasts apres ski and winter lodge vibes and is dubbed “Camp Porchlight.” To emphasize a dedication to health and safety for all, the team has adopted the tagline “high spirits, low density” for the holiday. Reservations for dinner and groups are still available.
On New Year’s Eve, the historic Japanese soba restaurant will offer their regular a la carte and tasting menus. Chef Tsuyoshi Hori will be serving more than a dozen soba dishes, both cold and hot, with options such as their signature Duck & Leek; Hamaguri clam; Kurobuta pork; Mushroom and Lobster tempura; along with raw bar selections, including sashimi, appetizers, salads, tempura and entrees. A Tasting Menu offers a great way to taste a variety of dishes at both lunch and dinner. The 6-course dinner tasting starts with 5 types of seasonal small bite appetizers, followed by 3 types of sashimi, then choice of each: tempura, soba, entrée and dessert ($98). The lunch tasting is shorter with an appetizer, carpaccio of white fish, then choice of each: tempura, soba and dessert ($48).
Benno is the Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant from lauded chef, Jonathan Benno, located inside the glamorous, art-deco Evelyn Hotel. Say “Au revoir” to 2021 in style with a black & white-themed New Year’s Eve celebration. Guests are invited to dress their best in black & white while enjoying a tasting menu featuring black and white truffles, caviar, and champagne. The first seating of the night starts at 5pm with a $275 4-course tasting menu ($150 beverage pairing), and second seating begins at 8pm with a $450 7-course tasting menu ($250 beverage pairing) featuring delicacies like royal white sturgeon caviar, marbre de foie gras, and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are available on Resy.
Located in one of Manhattan’s most iconic neighborhoods, Midtown, Valerie’s dynamic space pays homage to the city's Golden Age and it’s existing timeless architecture. Valerie will be hosting a night perfect for those looking to “Imbibe, Dine & Dance.” Reservations can be made by purchasing tickets ($200 each), plus tax and 20% gratuity. The ticket includes a three-course dinner, three hours of bottomless signature cocktails, Fords Gin Beverage Cart, bubbles, wine, beer, as well as live entertainment from Danny Lipsizt.
Lincoln Square’s Atlantic Grill recently reopened under new management and continues to offer the freshest seafood and highest quality meats, now with a touch of Michelin-starred Chef Antonio Salvatore’s Mediterranean influence while also pulling inspiration from the food and cuisines near global bodies of water. For New Year’s Eve, Atlantic Grill will offer its a la carte menu from 5pm - 7pm. Then, from 7:15pm - 10:45pm, the restaurant will offer a prix-fixe NYE Gala menu for $245 per person that features old-school classics including: fresh oysters; Salpicon de Octopus with fresh peppers, mojo potatoes, spices; handcrafted Pasta Tartufata with black truffles, corn, and crispy onion; Salmon Béarnaise with green beans, cherry tomatoes, dill, and Béarnaise sauce; New York Strip Steak with black truffles, whole grain mustard, and potatoes; Lobster Thermidor; and Lamb Chops, among other dishes. Royal Osetra Caviar service may be added for $55. Dessert is included too. Reservations may be made via OpenTable.
Chef Soogil Lim draws on both his Korean background and French culinary training at Restaurant Daniel for the six-course New Year’s Eve Tasting Menu ($158) that showcases luxurious ingredients like caviar, foie gras and black truffles. Highlights include Caviar & Foie Gras, Black Diamond Kaluga Caviar with tuna tartare and foie gras gougere; Turbot with Perigord black truffles, egg noodles and seafood broth; Beef Wellington with shitake mushrooms, prosciutto and spinach and Truffle + Chocolate, a dark chocolate panna cotta topped with black truffles. In addition, guests can order chef’s signature Uni Bowl with sea urchin, smoked trout roe, seaweed rice ($34) and Black Diamond Caviar ($17 for 3 grams). Reservations via Resy.
The Wagyu destination will be offering their full menu including their signature super premium highest grade Japanese beef served in a variety of ways from wagyu sushi and sashimi to hand roll topped with uni and caviar to grilled A5 wagyu steaks, including the rare Ozaki Wagyu offered exclusively at the restaurant. For a less beef-centric option, a 6-course tasting menu ($125) will also be available, weaving together influences from Japanese, Italian and American cooking. To start, there’s a trio of Pumpkin Salad, Tomato with Yogurt Sauce & Miso Cream Cheese, followed by a bright Smoked Salmon with grapefruit; Wagyu Roast Beef Salad and Minestrone soup. The main course is Braised Washugyu, American wagyu slow braised in tomato sauce; for dessert, Ginger Honey Panna Cotta with raspberry sauce. Reservations via Resy.
Osteria 57
In the heart of Greenwich Village, Osteria 57 features private cabin chalets to offer a trip to the Italian Alps without leaving Manhattan. Offering your own heated cabin and ability to customize your own playlist, the menu by Executive Chef Riccardo Orfino will take the experience up a notch with upscale Coastal Italian cuisine. Two seating times are available at 5:30p ($125 per person and 3 course tasting menu) and 8:30p ($175 per person and 4 course tasting menu), and will offer a menu with many truffle and caviar options, such as: Linguine Lobster and shaved truffle, Black sea bass crudo, tardivo radicchio, pomegranate, caviar, Homemade fusilli, anchovies, butter sauce, white truffle, plus more. Seats are available on Resy.
Cucina 81/2
The newly opened rustic Italian eatery will feature many options to ring in the New Year with opulence, starting with an open bar. For the ultimate experience, Chef John Villa will prepare a 4-course caviar- inspired dinner with premium open bar (to wash it down), a bottle of champagne per table and a DJ Set for $225. Seating for the caviar dinner is from 9pm-midnight. Available on OpenTable.
