Looking for a New Year’s Eve 2016 dinner? Toronto restaurants are rolling out their menus for the big night, and it looks like there will be some fine dining to be had – provided you snag those reservations fast enough. We rounded up some of the best bets in town for the evening of December 31 – call restaurants directly to make a reservation.
Bar Reyna
This chill Yorkville cocktail bar is doing five courses at $55 per person (from 5:30 to 7:30) or $85 per person (8:30 to 10 – the latter includes a glass of pink bubbly and a live DJ set). Main course options include filet mignon, cataplana (seafood stew) or mushroom chestnut risotto.
Beast
Scott Vivian’s intimate dining room/shrine to animal products will be hosting a family-style dinner at $75 per person. On the menu: poached pickerel, roasted duck breast, oysters rockefeller and more. Note: There’s only one seating, at 6:30 pm.
The Chase
Over three dinner seatings, at 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30, the Chase offers a menu that includes grilled lobster, venison tartare and Japanese scallops. The first seating is $90 per person, while the second and third are $125. Downstairs, the more relaxed Chase Fish & Oyster offers two family-style menus, featuring eats like BBQ pork ribs, mussels and lobster, priced at $75 and $90 per person.
Cafe Boulud
Strike a romantic note at Daniel Boulud’s Four Seasons brasserie. Cafe Boulud hosts two separate seatings: an $85, three-course prix fixe from 5 to 7 pm. and a $135 four-course prix fixe with complimentary champagne toast from 8:30 to 10.
Carbon Bar
Grilled meats and the Electric Circus – together at last! The legendary Much dance show is the theme for chef Hidde Zomer’s BBQ spot. Early bird seatings from 5 to 5:30 are $59 seatings from 6:30 to 7:30 are $79, and all-night tables are $99.
Colette Grand Café
A splashier option: Colette’s $150/person NYE bash is “secret society” themed. For your ticket price, you get eats like fried chicken, duck confit crepes and a pig roast, plus open bar and access to a serious dance floor. Tickets can be purchased here. (Continue the indulgence into the new year with a $75/person buffet brunch the next day.)
Loka
As usual, Loka has both omnivores and vegetarians covered, offering two separate five-course menus (pickled arctic char and duck confit fazzoletti on the meat side, crispy brussels sprouts and pan roasted mushrooms for the veggies). Each menu is $75 per person.
Maple Leaf Tavern
The dive bar-turned-upscale tavern offers a family-style $65/person meal New Year’s Eve menu, featuring a beautifully prepared Whole Oxtail Brioche that is pre-order only and serves four. Come back the next morning for their New Year’s Day boozy brunch.
Miku
Ring in 2017 with aburi sushi, surf and turf and a matcha s’more at this luxe sushi-focused spot on the waterfront. The full five-course dinner is $140 per person, while a vegetarian five-course option is $85.
Montecito
The movie-themed downtown eatery is offering diners their choice of three or more courses from their a la carte menu for $70 per person. DJ Lissa Monet provides the tunes. Seatings begin at 5 pm.
Momofuku
Multiple restaurants mean multiple NYE options at Momofuku. At Shōtō, enjoy a 10-course tasting menu with a celebratory toast at $160 per person for groups of two to four. Daishō is doing a five-course prix fixe at $125 per person (menu items include Muscovy duck and foie gras with riesling gelee). And for big groups of six or more, Nikai is offering three family-style menus, ranging from $65 to $95 per person.
Planta
Chef David Lee’s all-vegan, family-style NYE menu at his Yorkdale eatery includes items like asian pear tartare, seared heart-of-palm “scallops” and a platter of dessert selections. The menu is $55 per person.
Southern Accent
With Mirvish Village scheduled for the wrecking ball, this final bash at Southern Accent will be one to remember. The restaurant promises a cocktail bash with finger foods, dancing and live music. Entrance is $80 per person.
The Ace
This cozy Roncy restaurant is offering a four-course $90 prix fixe from a menu featuring seared duck, pan-roasted organic salmon, pea risotto or filet beef, plus a complimentary glass of brut.
Thoroughbred
Kick back at this Entertainment District small plates spot with two tasting menus, priced at $55 and $75 per person (the higher-priced option includes a few more luxe dishes – think foie mousse profiteroles and lobster devilled eggs). Both include a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, as well as access to a dance floor that will stay raging until 3 am.
nataliam@nowtoronto.com @nataliamanzocco
