Where to Dine on Christmas Day 2016
If you don’t especially feel like fussing with a turkey, ham or goose this Christmas (or squeezing friends and family into your miniature NYC apartment), there’s zero shame in passing the buck to a talented, trained chef. Booking a table at one of the following restaurants guarantees double the courses and double the truffles with 100% less of the dishes; so skive off some of your holiday-related responsibilities by scoring a spot at Fowler & Wells today!
Fowler & Wells
There’s no swankier place to put up out-of-town guests this Christmas than The Beekman; a recently restored landmark space with a pyramidal skylight and soaring, nine-story atrium. And there’s no more festive place to dine then at Tom Colicchio’s in-house restaurant, Fowler & Wells — an ode to elegant, old time New York — which will be offering its innately celebratory menu of Oysters Rockefeller, Chestnut Agnolotti with black truffles, and Sautéed Foie Gras with persimmon on Christmas Day; along with specials like Porcelet, served with braised cabbage, hakurei turnips and apples.
Read MoreMarea
Seafood fanatics will want to book a table at Michael White’s shellfish-focused crown jewel on Christmas, which is offering a $150 prix fixe of Bay Scallops paired with cardoons, Gnochetti dotted with ruby red shrimp, John Dory served with black trumpets and potatoes and dolci such as Apple Cider Bomboloni. Feel like splurging still further? Supplement your meal with showers of Tuscan white truffles, shaved over ribbons of Tagliatelle or puddles of silky Risotto.
Read MoreChef’s Club
Why have one star chef cater your Christmas meal, when you a graze on dishes contributed by a whole host of venerated toques? In addition to offering a la carte options like Charred Octopus from Curtis Stone, Pappardelle courtesy of Mario Batali, Paupiette of Sea Bass a la Daniel Boulud and Marcus Samuelsson’s Smoked Arctic Char, Chefs Club will serve decadent specials such as Chestnut Velouté with parmesan, black Truffle and pear, and Maine Lobster with apple, tardivo and beet.
Read MoreSadelle’s
If you’d sooner dine out on Christmas morning, and then pass the rest of the evening snuggled up at home, check out the expansive holiday brunch spread at Sadelle’s; featuring elevated appetizing fare like towers of site-baked Bagels served with house-smoked fish, egg options such as Salmon Benedict smothered in hollandaise, sweet treats such as Sticky Buns and Blintzes, and even a traditional Caviar Service of French Trout Roe or Royal Transmontanous; which can be savored solo or added to any dish.
Read MoreTuome
It’s a longstanding Jewish tradition to eat Chinese food on Christmas Day; but instead of lo mein and beef with broccoli, why not celebrate with Stuffed Quail with squash and cranberry jus, Bouillabaisse with cured pork and Chestnut Mousse Tart with quince and candied chestnuts? Not to mention chef Thomas Chen’s newest holiday addition of passed dim sum — just try turning away baskets loaded with Duck Pho Soup Dumplings, Oxtail Croquettes and more!
Read MoreJean-Georges at the Topping Rose House
If you’re seeking a break from the city this Christmas (and don’t especially relish a visit to see your Ohio relatives), consider decamping in style to Bridgehampton’s The Topping Rose House; an illustrious hotel with a farm-to-table restaurant from an even more illustrious chef — the one and only Jean-Georges. Since you’ll have the shoulder the cost of a room, it’s a relief to know the menu is relatively reasonable by Christmas Day standards; i.e. $88 for three-courses like Black Truffle Caesar Salad, Beef Tenderloin with soy caramel sauce, and a festive selection of desserts.
Read MoreCharlie Palmer at The Knick
Visitors to NYC will get a kick out of peering directly unto the holiday bustle of Times Square — from the cloistered confines of Charlie Palmer’s luxurious fourth floor perch, that is. And his Christmas Day feast won’t be half bad either; a $150 four-course prix fixe includes Maine Lobster with warm potato salad, Ricotta Ravioli with white truffles and spinach crème, Gingerbread Cake with red wine ice cream, and the pièce de résistance, a traditional Christmas Goose; served with semolina dumplings, brussels sprouts, cabbage and poached pears.
Read MoreTempura Matsui
Instead of defaulting to the same old Christmas flavors, why not indulge in Michelin-starred tempura service on Christmas Day? Choose from four to seven courses (priced at $140-230), each including chef-selected, seasonally-inflected items like Grilled Matsutake Mushrooms, Uni-crowned Soba, Foie Gras Chawanmushi and even a Whole Lobster cloaked in froths of lacy batter.
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