New Year's Eve, the party night of the year, can be a hassle if you don't have a plan in place. Here are some ideas – from an all-vegan feast to a lavish seven-course spread. Haven't made a reservation yet? Here is an updated list of restaurants
that can still fit you in on the last day of the year:
If you're looking to enter the New Year cruelty free, you could do worse than head to Downtown Vegan Millennium, where the house will be cooking up a five-course, completely vegan, prix fixe meal ($80 per person; 415-345-3900).
Or, for an all-veggie option, head south to Flea St. Café, where vegetarians can opt for a meat-free feast while their omnivore tablemates can indulge in the regular five-course dinner. All will be serenaded by the Eckstein Jazz trio, who will be playing throughout the evening in the newly renovated modern dining room ($85 per person; limited seating still available, 650-854-1226).
While the Ritz-Carlton's Dining Room is fully committed for New Year's Eve, at the slightly less tony Ritz-Carlton Terrace, toque Chang Sivilay is offering a smaller four-course tasting menu for you to enjoy, as well as an à la carte option ($98 per person; 415-773-6198).
CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen, meanwhile, is also ringing in the New Year with a prix fixe special, in this case a four-course tasting menu of the restaurant's signature Mediterranean dishes. And of course, their exhaustive wine list will be a useful social lubricant ($50 per person; 415-437-1770).
For the more romantically inclined, there's always the Fifth Floor, which is offering a seven-course prix fixe for the holiday, served in its famously speakeasy-like setting ($195 per person, with optional wine pairings; 415-348-1555).
As the midnight hour approaches, you could head to One Market for drinks and a view of the fireworks on the Bay. And if you want to get really settled in, the late seating at 8:30 PM includes a prix fixe meal ($120 per person for prix fixe dinner; limited seating still available, 415-777-5577).
Francophiles can fete Le Reveillon at Roland Passot’s signature fine dining venue La Folie. Specialties include slow-baked turbot with a lobster soufflé and roasted elk with a root vegetable gateau (5:30–6:30 PM, $135 per person for six courses; 9–10:30 PM, $210 per person for seven courses, party favors and champagne toast; limited seating available, 415-776-5577).
Or, for a less formal yet still festive affair “à la française,” check out one of the Left Bank brasseries for a five-course prix fixe dinner featuring choices like foie gras parfait, duck pot au feu and a fondant au chocolat with cognac-infused cherries. À la carte items will also be available until midnight ($65 per person; available in all of the Left Bank locations).