Ring in 2022 in Style

December 21, 2021 – Looking for a night out to celebrate the end of this sordid year that seemed to continuously uncork bad news right from the start?  Here are few local restaurants that want to help you ring in what we can only hope is a better year ahead.

Alderwood in Santa Cruz will be open normal hours on NYE. The Chefs counter is already sold out for that evening. The restaurant is closed January 1st and 2nd. Use Open Table to book. 

Aubergine in Carmel, helmed by Executive Chef-Director Justin Cogley, a Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef, and pastry chef Yulanda Santos, are ready to provide a proper exit from 2021, with their skillful, ingredient-driven cuisine that celebrates the bounty of the region.

Basil in Carmel will be open NYE serving a prix fixe for $40pp, by chef/owner Denis Boaro. Dinner includes Bruschetta Tartuffo (with black truffles), choice of soup or salad (caprese or beet and pear), entrée and dessert. Entrées include spinach gnocchi with salmon, tagliatelle pasta Bolognese, rigatoni al pesto, butternut squash ravioli, grilled Monterey Bay salmon or Alaskan King Oro salmon with lemon caper berry white wine sauce and short ribs with creamy polenta, Swank Farms asparagus and porcini sauce. Dessert options are chocolate cake, Italian bread pudding, berry cobbler or ricotta cheesecake. For an additional $24, while supplies last, order a traditional holiday dessert, Italian Pandorato, a vanilla brioche bread covered with sugar glaze; serves 8. Reserve online or at 831.626.8226.

Café Gabriella in Santa Cruz welcomes you NYE with their regular dinner menu, with special small plates. The menu currently includes Steamed Clams with fennel, chili flakes & white wine, Porcini Gnocchi with Calabrian sausage, Bigoli Co. Spaghetti Bolognese, Truffle Mushroom Brie Ravioli with spinach, peppers, bacon, and garlic cream sauce, Shrimp or Mushroom Risotto, Durham Ranch Marinated Quail with chili oil, market veggies and mashed potatoes and Braised Superior Farms Lamb Shoulder with horseradish crème fraiche, market veggies and polenta. They are also open January 1 and 2. Reserve at 831.457.1677.

Chaminade in Santa Cruz enjoyed a recent renovation during the last year and their newly updated restaurant, The View, a Treeside Restaurant, will feature a special New Years Eve meal overlooking Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay. The View will offer three seating times at 5pm, 7:30pm, and 10pm for a prix-fixe 4 course menu with a champagne toast and a balloon drop at midnight. Details: ChaminadeNYE

Cibo Ristorante Italiano in Carmel will be celebrating from 9pm until 1:30AM, with DJ Gill, party favors, dancing, countdown, drink specials. Bar/Patio will be open all night. A regular dinner menu is offered at 6:30pm or earlier, for those who wish to dine and dash and reservations are available for 8:30pm or later, for those who wish to stay for the Party. 

Covey Grill at Quail Lodge offers a special dine-in dinner on NYE from 5pm until 9pm, with choices of roasted rack of lamb ($45), served with organic quinoa, pomegranate Raita sauce and crispy kale, or butter poached lobster and uni bucatini ($40), prepared by Quail’s Executive Chef Brian Parks. CoveyNYE

Estéban Restaurant is located within walking distance of all the festivities in downtown Monterey.  Raise a toast to 2022 and ring in the New Year with Chef Mario’s featured specials, like Oysters on the half shell with mignonette of pickled shallots, yuzu and pimentón dulce; Local Dungeness crab chowder with Spanish chorizo, Yukon Gold potatoes and sweet cream; Caviar Patatas, lightly fried potato puffs with Manchego and smokey crème fraiche; 8oz Westholme Australian Wagyu Bavette steak, with shaved black truffles; and Paella Monterey, starring Monterey Bay calamari, wild prawns, clams, mussels, lobster, scallops, Dungeness crab, caviar in Tinta Negra. The regular seasonal dinner menu will also be available. If a four-legged family member is in tow, a special Pup Menu is served on the Terrace. Estéban’s Tapas Hour runs from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and dinner is served from 5:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. For reservations, call Estéban at 831-375-0176 or visit www.estebanrestaurant.com.

At Grasings in Carmel, chef/proprietor Kurt Grasing, executive chef Cal Stamenov and the Grasing’s team, present a 4-course prix fixe for NYE, from 5:30 to 9:30pm, at $175pp, plus tax and gratuity. Starters include Maine Lobster Minestrone en Croûte with cannellini beans, butternut squash, kale and rouille; Chilled Morro Bay Oysterswith ginger mignonette; Duck Foie Blonde with heirloom apples, frisée and aged balsamic, or Classic Steak Tartare with pickled vegetables and olive oil croutons. Second Course is a Winter Salad of endive, red pears, persimmons and walnut vinaigrette or Fresh Fettuccini with Black Truffle Sauce, for an additional $18. Third course choices are Red Tail Venison with parsnip purée, and savoy spinach, New York Wagyu Beef with black truffle potato and carrot-horseradish purée, Alaskan Halibut with vegetable confetti, coconut-lemongrass and coriander, and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Parmigiano-Reggiano and garden herbs. Add fresh shaved winter black truffles to any dish for an up charge of $25. Desserts are Raspberry Vacherin, Heirloom Apple Fritter with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce or Chocolate Crème Brûlée. Reservations: 831.624.6562.

La Posta in Santa Cruz is out with a luxurious three-course prix fixe menu at $95 for dining in or enjoying at home. Start with a choice of chicories salad, Dungeness crab with citrus and endive or pan-seared quail. Entrée options include foraged mushroom and stracciatella ravioli, grilled octopus or lamb scottadito with celery root puree and mint-pistachio salsa verde. For dessert finish with Meyer lemon curd, almond cake with Mandarin marmalade and gelato or chocolate budino with pomegranate reduction and candied walnuts.

Lucia at Bernardus Lodge is open for dining from 5 until 9pm, featuring the regular menu, with items like pan seared halibut, grilled swordfish, short ribs, Angus beef filet and pizzas. Reservations: 831.658.3400

Mentone in Aptos will be open for NYE, normal hours, from 5—9pm. They’ll also be open on New Year’s Day and January 2nd, with normal business hours and menu. It will be closed January 3 through 13th for the annual winter break.

Mezzaluna Pasteria in Pacific Grove will be open for normal business hours, New Year’s Eve, Friday, Dec. 31, and New Year’s Day, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022. Enjoy Italian culinary classics, an extensive wine list, and a craft cocktail program highlighted by the Peninsula’s widest selection of Amari, a hugely popular Italian herbal liqueur. Owners chef Soerke Peters and Amy Stouffer feature fresh pasta, mozzarella, and gelato made fresh daily. Chef Peters is a leader in sustainability on the Monterey Peninsula, sourcing only the freshest local ingredients. Book a table online at www.mezzalunapasteria.com or call 831.372.5325

Michaels on Main in Soquel has you covered for a fun party, with some great food for just $40pp, and don’t forget the libations. Choose between Spiced Poached Pear Salad with chicories, honey walnuts, Manchego cheese and balsamic vinaigrette, Citrus Marinated Prawns with braised fennel or Shrimp Bisque. Mains are NY Strip Loin with Gorgonzola-dried currant reduction, seasonal veggies and mashed potatoes; Pan Seared Sea Scallops with orange thyme beurre blanc, butternut squash risotto and seared spinach; Pork Loin Medallion with roasted maple pecan winter squash, cider braised collard greens and brandy apricot puree; plus Roast Butternut Squash Steak served with cauliflower caper quinoa and vegan ash yogurt. Dessert choices are New Year’s Eve Parfait of raspberries, Grand Marnier pound cake & Chambord whipped cream, Chocolate Flourless Cake drizzled with hot fudge and caramel or Traditional Cheesecake with raspberry coulis. Reserve: 831.479.9777.

Oswald in Santa Cruz is open normal hours on NYE and closed Jan 1 and 2. Dinner features fried calamari, Caesar salad with trout, beef lasagna, market fish chowder, spiced duck breast and curry lamb. Reservations: 831.423.7427.

Pearl Hour Bar in Monterey presents a “Petals +Pearls Burlesque Comedy Show,” 6:30 to 8:30, including a performance by Carmel Delights Dance Company, charcuterie board and glass of champagne, followed by a DJ with light show. Tickets: 831.657.9447.

Persephone in Aptos has a specially designed menu to transition you from 2021 to 2022. From December 30 – January 1^st, this special prix fixe menu is inspired by traditional dishes that hopefully convey prosperity in the New Year, including lentils (lentil soup with sausage) meant to represent coins, and grapes, served with phyllo cups and mascarpone for dessert. Dinner choices include short ribs, salmon pappardelle and parmesan budino with shaved Brussels sprouts. Open late Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st with reservations accepted until 9:30PM. Reservations: 831.612.6511.

Poppy Hall in Pacific Grove has a fun evening featuring bountiful bubbles, fresh oysters, festive vibes, provocative sauces and more. They’re open for lunch Wed. through Sunday and for brunch on the weekends. Book a table: 831.204.9990.

Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn invites you to a special evening of decadence presented by chef Reylon Agustin, featuring a six-course menu that begins with Krug Champagne, a Tsar Nicoulai Private Batch caviar station and passed canapés: Monterey Seaweed Gougere with Parsnip Mousseline, Australian Wagyu Tartare with Borage Tempura and Remoulade, and a Lobster Roll on Griddled Brioche with Truffle Aioli. Dinner portends to be a show stopper starting with Oyster + Uni with Garden Fingerlime and Piment d’Espelette, followed by Chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) with Dungeness Crab, Mushroom, Bonito and Trout Roe. Third course stars Monterey Abalone with Opo Squash, Fideo Seco (fried angel hair pasta) and Chorizo Consomme, while the Fourth course delivers Lacquered Fowl, Preserved Plum, Allium, Beet and Wood Sorrel. The Fifth course features Australian Wagyu, Koda Farms Rice, Black Garlic, Sesame and Perigord Truffle. It all finishes with a splendid Winter Citrus Tart topped with Fior di Latte (Mozzarella) and Lavender. $225/per person. 831.667.2800.

Soif in Santa Cruz is thrilled to welcome you in for a New Year’s Eve dinner once again! Chef Tom has put together a special a la carte menu for the evening, beginning with starters like warm crab salad stuffed Piquillo peppers, leek and cauliflower soup with Gruyere, little gem Caesar, and deep fried artichokes and fennel. Mains include Lobster and Scallop Ravioli, Squab Breast with wild mushroom ragout, Rib Eye with foie gras and sauce Perigueux, and Risotto with roasted butternut squash, charred radicchio and Gorgonzola.  Enjoy pumpkin fritters or sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Reservations in the dining room and on the patio begin at 5pm. Guests dining indoors must provide proof of vaccination. Go to the website or call 831.423.2020. 

Sur Carmel at the Barnyard invites you for cocktails and dessert, from 10pm until 12:30AM, with a glad of champagne at midnight, a dessert tray and balloons galore! You are welcome to purchase cocktails as you await the big moment. Call 831-250-7188 to reserve your spot.

Vinocruz Winebar + Kitchen in Soquel Village, invites you to enjoy the best of the Santa Cruz Mountains, featuring over 50 local wines by the glass, craft beer on tap and yummy cider. Their award winning cuisine is all made fresh in-house with an emphasis on quality. Try one of many fantastic menu items and pair it with your favorite wine. Reserve for NYE on Open Table. 

Wild Fish in Pacific Grove invites you to enjoy live music, Champagne & oyster bar and craft cocktails until midnight on Friday Dec 31st. With the Lighthouse Jazz Quartet and Swing Band, you will ring in the new year in style! Hog Island Oyster Bar with both raw and grilled oysters, smoked fish, shellfish, crab: all local and fresh! The regular menu will be available until 9:30pm and the Champagne and Oyster Bar will continue through midnight. Get on your glad rags, get down and let’s ring in the New Year together! For more information or  reservations, go to wild-fish.com or call (831) 373-8523.

Whatever you’re planning for the official farewell to 2021, be healthy, happy and most of all, safe. See you in 2022!