Forget What to Eat — What Do You Wear?
Got dinner reservations for New Year’s Eve but still don’t know what to wear? We’ve got you covered. If you’re eating at Craftsteak, we recommend pairing your Wagyu New York strip with a Ralph Lauren charcoal suit and a Diane Von Furstenberg velvet wrap dress. Our Everything Guide to New Year’s has even more suggestions for your evening. And the photos are hot.
New Year, New Look
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Party Like There’s No Tomorrow on New Year’s Eve (Then Eat Brunch Like YesterdayDon’t get us wrong: We like mirror balls, cramped apartments, and warm bottles of cheap tequila as much as the next person. But if we were in the money? And New Year’s Eve were to be truly a blowout? We would turn our back on everyone we know to get to even the least extravagant of the New Year’s Eve celebrations offered at the ten restaurants in our New Year’s Eve guide. And while our New Year’s Day repast will probably be dehydrated hash browns and a sense of profound remorse, we would hit the places in our New Year’s Day brunch guide too. That is, if we had any sense.
Flawless First Night
Begin With Brunch
Mediavore
Rachael Ray Continues Food Network Domination; New Year’s Day BrunchesWith Batali and Emeril out of her way, “homegrown star” Rachael Ray has just inked a two-year deal for a new prime-time series on the Food Network. [Eater]
It’s nothing he hasn’t said before, but the wordiness of some menus gets on the Bruni’s nerves. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Forget turducken: British chef Phillip Corrick has created a monster that involves at least 48 birds of a dozen different species and feeds 125 people. [Daily Mail]
In the Magazine
Plenty of Edible Reasons to Love New York
This week, in what has become an annual tradition, the magazine identifies more reasons to love New York. The city’s edibles are justification enough, and this year Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld present two: our enthusiasm for frying and the Dessert Truck. The Robs continue to indulge by listing some of the city’s richest dishes, like WD-50’s eggs Benedict or foie gras meat loaf from Café Gray, as well as suggesting some places for New Year’s Eve dinner. Gael Greene does not speak of Crave on 42nd with such reckless abandon, but there’s nascent hope for this week’s openings: a wine bar, a vegetarian burger joint, and an eclectic East Village bistro. Finally, Rob and Robin give us one last at-home indulgence: baked Vacherin Mont d’Or. And after twelve months of tsuris, we’ve all got it coming.
NewsFeed
Bar Boulud Opening Early for New Year’s EveBar Boulud isn’t slated to open until January, but legendary good-time guy Daniel Boulud has decided to move up the place’s christening a little bit — to New Year’s Eve. The first night of Bar Boulud will be the site of two seatings: one at 5:30, consisting of three courses of charcuterie-heavy classic French bistro fare for $80, and a second, more festive “gala,” starting at 9, with four courses for $150, including a midnight Champagne toast with D.J. and dancing. That is, if eating the likes of hare terrine, warm saucisson aux lentils, and civet de lapin, and drinking inordinate amounts of red wine doesn’t take the starch out of you. (The menu isn’t set yet, but Boulud’s publicist says these are the type of dishes likely to be on it.) The man himself promises to swing by sometime after midnight to greet his debut crowd, which suggests to us that he’ll be leading the conga line sometime before dawn. Try calling the reservation line on Monday: 212-595-0303.
Related: Exclusive: Feast Your Eyes on Bar Boulud, Coming in November
Foodievents
Ring in the New Year With David Chang!We just got a look at the Ssäm Bar New Year’s Eve party, and while we won’t be attending (that $300 is earmarked for a new car), we have to say that it looks pretty impressive. For your three bills, you get open bar (beer, sake and wine only), plus Champagne (but for how long?), and, in the food department, such Ssäm standbys as artisanal-ham plates, aged steak, and a slow-cooked pork butt, d.b.a. Bo Ssäm — usually $180 when you order it on the menu. We still can’t figure out the economics of Ssäm Bar, but given Chang’s resistance to moneymaking (through expansion, cookbooks, etc.), we doubt he’s looking to make much money. And if the “unlimited beer, wine, and sake” really are unlimited, the Soupman could well end up on the red side of the ledger.
David Chang’s New Year’s Party
