Posts Tagged ‘caviar’

Plan an Anytime Romantic Celebration at Home with These Great Choices

This year is an especially good time to keep the Valentine’s Day momentum going with romance and love.

Have Brunch in Your Pajamas

Marky’s Caviar - Courtesy Marky’s

Chef Budda Lo presents HUSO’s Champagne Brunch, from the speakeasy hidden behind third-generation caviar purveyor Marky’s Caviar. With a breakfast spread of private stock caviar from the group’s own domestic aqua farm, poached eggs, croissants, elderflower Bellini’s and Valrhona chocolate-covered strawberries, you’ll be motivated to stay in PJ’s the entire day.

Bring on the Aphrodisiacs

Courtesy Grand Army

Your at-home Champagne indulgence doesn’t end there. After a post-brunch interlude and perhaps a nap on the sofa, Grand Army brings on more bubbly and presents the consummate aphrodisiac, oysters. Part of a seafood indulgence, Blue Point oysters come with mignonette sauce, littleneck clams, shrimp cocktail and a pair of lobster rolls. Add a finishing chocolate note with creamy chocolate cremeux for dessert with strawberries. Book in advance but pick up your shellfish during the day so the oysters can be freshly shucked.

Courtesy Red Hook Lobster Pound Facebook

There are no oysters in Red Hook Lobster Pound’s seafood soiree but you’ll get plenty of shellfish love with the Brooklyn seafood shack’s Lovester feast. Expect the full New England treatment with this extravaganza — two cooked lobsters (crackers included), mussels, clams, Dungeness crab, shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes. Add a choice of a crab or shrimp cocktail, a bottle of William Hill Chardonnay and two mini chocolate mousse cakes and you have an instant trip to Maine.

Courtesy Fornino

A “Pizza Love Fest” might be more to your liking, and Fornino in Greenpoint has it ready for your home enjoyment. Pretty and classically Italian, the feast includes a cheese and fruit plate, salad, two mini pizzas, tiramisu, strawberries and a bottle of wine. Brooklyn knows pizza, and Fornino does it right.

Courtesy o.d.o

Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant, o.d.o transports you to Japan with a special, limited-edition Gift Box for two. The creation of talented Chef Hiroko Odo, the box itself is an intricately designed collectible, hand-made from the fibers of mulberry tree bark known for their strength and flexibility. The elaborate kaiseki meal features a selection of A5 Wagyu beef jerky, snow crab, roast beef marinated in sake lees, blowfish and Spanish mackerel in addition to assorted nigiri sushi, futomaki and a sake pastry box. The meal is accompanied by a set of Suntory whiskeys and Murakami × Perrier limited edition bottles. Enhancing the meal’s Japanese sensibility, the box comes with a music playlist curated by Academy Award-winning composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto plus Japanese-designed coasters, incense, incense holder and glass.

Courtesy Sushi Noz

You won’t be lost in translation with Michelin-starred Sushi Noz’s DIY Temaki hand roll kit, even if it doesn’t come with Bill Murray-endorsed Suntory whiskey. Meticulously styled with Japanese attention to detail and precise instructions for preparation, the kit includes seasoned rice and sheets of seaweed served with heart-shaped containers of Japanese uni and house-cured ikura. A long-stemmed rose from a Japanese florist graces the package. To ensure absolute freshness, the kit must be booked in advance on Tock for pick-up in person at the restaurant.

Dessert Any Time

Courtesy Chocolate Fondue Box

One of the prettiest dessert kits offered, Relish Catering’s Chocolate Fondue Box has everything you need for an indulgent and fun fondue experience. You’ll get a fondue pot with long-stemmed strawberries, red-velvet-rose cakes, butterscotch fudge sparkle pops, rice crispy treats, hazelnut-dark chocolate biscotti, candy hearts and other romantic dip-ins.

Courtesy Black Tap Soho

You’ll have a chance to try out your own pastry artistry, too, thanks to Black Tap Soho. In partnership with Magnolia Bakery, the restaurant-soda shop’s Red Velvet Cake Shake Kit includes all the essentials to make two Red Velvet Cake Shakes. The kit includes red velvet cake batter shakes (pre-mixed), cups with vanilla frosting and sprinkles, red and white sprinkles, two slices of red velvet cake, chocolate sauce and cherries. If you’re feeling rather lazy, you can opt for the photo-ready Classic Red Velvet Cake Batter Shake, pre-made with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and a cherry on top. No preparation required.

Courtesy Senza Gluten Cafe & Bakery

Greenwich Village’s Senza Gluten Cafe & Bakery will deliver a gluten-free and equally sensuous basket with heart-shaped shortbread cookies and red velvet cupcakes filled with chocolate ganache. The basket continues the chocolate theme with bakery favorites dairy-free chocolate crinkle cookies, chocolate walnut mini cubbies and classic chocolate chip cookies.

Courtesy MR All Day

You can pick up Pastry Chef Camari Mick’s takeaway treats at MR All Day, the Musket Room’s pop-up cafe operating out of a vintage 1962 International Harvester van. It’s worth the trip to Nolita just to see this – but go early, rising chef Mick’s treats sell out quickly. For the holiday season, he’s offering bonbons, macarons, love potions, Tahitian vanilla and mocha mousse and more.

Courtesy Mochidoki SoHo

Mochidoki SoHo offers a special holiday collection including pretty-in-pink Black Forest made with cherry chocolate mochi, Chantilly cream, dark chocolate gateau and dried Morello cherries. The Japanese mochi range has been further enhanced with hazelnut Rocher, cinnamon mocha, chocolate strawberry and limited-edition cherry chocolate mochi, a delicate and artistic sweet with black cherry and vanilla ice cream swirled with dark chocolate chips.

Courtesy Angelina Paris NYC

With its very-French flair, recent import Angelina Paris NYC offers pure romance in the form of a pastry “Love Letter.” The elegant red-and-white yogurt mousse pastry is shaped like an envelope and includes a creamy vanilla, blackcurrant berry, raspberry, financier biscuit and crispy white chocolate.

Still Haven’t Found a Place for NYE in NYC? The Big Apple Has Lots of Choices

The Big Apple is a place to celebrate diversity of people, diversity of cultures and diversity of experiences.  Keeping that in mind, New York City offers a panoply of evening experiences so you can choose the type of New Year’s Eve to call your own: staying at home in your apartment or hotel room, attending an elaborate party, enjoying a luxe dinner, or finding a venue that puts you in the center of NYC’s proprietary grand fête, the Ball Drop in Times Square. If you’ve found yourself without a place to go, it’s not too late to book these wonderful options that will get you out and about as you start the new decade. Remember, New Year’s Eve lore says that where you are and who you meet first on New Year’s Eve set the stage for the year ahead. So, if you’ve already gotten rid of those bad memories at Good Riddance Day in Times Square and you’re prepared to put your New Year’s resolutions into play, kick off the future with a special night to say goodbye to the past and move forward with wonderful memories.

Good Riddance Day

New York City is Never Lacking When it Comes to Parties

Plado Tasting Bar

Lively Plado Tasting Bar in the East Village is perfect for a friends-and-family gathering with its shared plates menu. The new Mediterranean-focused tapas restaurant invites you to a Festo de Tapas, brought to you by charming Chef German Rizzo. Come hungry as you’ll enjoy a set menu of 10 selections including wagyu carpaccio with truffles and pecorino,  taro gnocchi and lobster ravioli. The two three-hour seatings also include unlimited beer, wine and sangria. If you’re there when the clock strikes twelve, there’s a midnight toast and party favors.  https://www.pladonyc.com/

Zuma

If a Midtown location is easier for a meet-up with your friends, Zuma has a New Year’s Eve soirée that will keep everyone dancing.  . Set in the restaurant’s swanky second-floor lounge, adorned for NYE with a flashy red carpet and balloon-covered ceiling, the party kicks off with a welcome glass of Champagne and geisha dancers to get you moving. Then the creativity is up to you as you pose for pictures in the NYE-themed photobooth and dance the night away to Zuma’s resident DJ. Handcrafted seasonal cocktails, a midnight Champagne toast and viewing of the ball drop are part of the festivities. You can choose to have dinner, too, with omakase menu choices in the main dining room before the party. Contemporary Japanese dishes like lobster tempura with spicy ponzu and wasabi; thinly sliced sea bass sashimi with yuzu, truffle and salmon roe; and wagyu tataki with ponzu and fresh white truffles are special choices for the evening. https://zumarestaurant.com/locations/new-york/

Cote - Credit: Gary He

For New Year’s Eve, Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse Cote has a prix fixe dinner starting with caviar-adorned “steak and eggs,” followed by seven different cuts of steak, noodles with A5 Japanese wagyu and other festive dishes prepared by Chef David Shim. The meal includes a Champagne toast as well as a giant Champagne tower pour at midnight.  The party continues downstairs at Cote’s cocktail lounge Undercote. There, it’s a throwback to the 80s with a Miami’s Vice-themed event. The evening includes a premium open bar with themed cocktails by Sondre Kasin, an array of special snacks, a Champagne toast at midnight and a DJ set. Dress your Miami Vice best with pastels, structured shoulders, sequins, cutout dresses, white suits and belted waistlines and get ready to dance to DJ music.  https://www.cotenyc.com/

NIGHT MUSIC

Vegans aren’t left out on New Year’s Eve at NIGHT MUSIC in the East Village with all-vegan Indian-inspired cuisine by Ravi DeRossi. From 6pm-10pm guests can enjoy a four-course dinner with a Champagne toast. After that, the restaurant transforms into a cocktail party with an open bar.  www.nightmusicny.com/

HUSO - Marky’s Caviar

For a luxe celebration where caviar is synonymous with New Year’s Eve rather than with party hats and noisemakers, you’ll want to reserve a seat at HUSO, the caviar bar hidden behind a velvet curtain at Marky’s Caviar retail store on Madison Avenue. New Year’s Eve diners will be treated to caviar service of Beluga di Venezia, Russian Royal Osetra and private stock Sevruga; canapés; a demi bottle of Champagne; and an eight-course caviar-filled tasting menu from Eleven Madison Park alumnus Chef Buddha Lo. https://www.markyscaviar.com/

I Want to Be Somewhere Where I Can See the Ball Drop, or Maybe the Fireworks

If the thought of joining the millions of people who fill the outdoor corrals around Times Square  makes you recoil in horror, there are ways to see the ball drop in comfort, albeit for a price.

W New York-Times Square

W New York-Times Square has a NYE-dedicated space to keep you warm and comfy. In the hotel’s neon-lit Living Room Bar you can cuddle up in a private indoor cabana with bottle service, an open bar, midnight Champagne toast, live screening of the ball drop and live DJ music. The festivities start at 6pm continuing well into the new decade. You can still step outside to watch the ball drop in the cold air, or just stay inside and enjoy the privileged setting. The price is $2,250 to reserve a cabana for up to six guests. General admission tickets are available for less and include the four-hour open bar, party favors and a Champagne toast at midnight. Stay inside – you’ll be able to pick up leftover confetti on the streets when you leave.  https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycwh-w-new-york-times-square/

701 West - Credit Liz Clayman

For superlative views of the ball drop this New Year’s Eve, check out the extravagant celebration at 701 West, Michelin-starred Chef John Fraser’s fine dining jewel at The Times Square EDITION Hotel. The restaurant on the hotel’s eleventh floor is hosting a glamorous, black-tie bash unlike any other in town. Most of the details are a mystery so prepare for anything! Welcome cocktails and canapés in the Salon cocktail lounge set the tone before a six-course dinner, with selections such as eel with upland cress and foie pressé with kumquat mostarda and brioche. A wine pairing by Advanced Sommelier Amy Racine accompanies each course. There’s also a five-hour open bar with a curated wine and cocktail list. But, here’s the best part: you’ll get an exclusive view of the Ball Drop from the heart of the action – the location and specific details will only be revealed to guests that evening.  And, of course, there’s a Champagne toast. Throughout the evening, you can look upon Duffy Square, the northern part of Times Square, from your lofty perch on the outdoor terrace.  Your ticket also includes entry to the hotel’s Paradise Club dance party starting at 8pm. Tickets are $1200 per guest.  https://www.701westnyc.com

For something more casual but still with views of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, check out the celebrations at these two Times Square restaurants and one within sight of the city’s fireworks.

Dos Caminos Times Square

Ring in 2020 in the heart of Times Square with a special fiesta at Dos Caminos Times Square with an open bar, live DJ, party favors and a Mexican dinner menu. The margarita-filled party goes from 7pm to 1am with delicious desserts to add a sweet touch before New Year’s including mini churro ice cream sandwiches, Mexican hot chocolate shooters, mini tres leches cake and mini coconut key lime pie. Yum! https://www.doscaminos.com/nye-timessquare/

Blue Fin

Seafood lovers should head to Blue Fin in Times Square where the restaurant’s New Year’s Eve bash includes an open bar, a menu of Blue Fin favorites, raw bar and sushi, live entertainment and party favors. Arrive starting at 7pm and stay until 2am. To celebrate 2020 in style, VIP tickets are also available which include bottle service, private servers and more.  Tickets:  https://www.bluefinnyc.com

Estuary

If you’d rather be in Brooklyn, Estuary in Brooklyn Bridge Park brings you a fireworks-filled celebration with live music. Michelin-starred chef Danny Brown will offer the likes of chestnut ravioli, foie gras terrine, duck breast à l’orange and tournedos Rossini as part of the dreamy New Year’s Eve menu. As midnight approaches, resident pastry chef Christophe Toury will serve his version of a ball drop, a chocolate dome accompanied by a Grand Finale surprise. From the waterfront eatery, you’ll have a view of the New York Harbor fireworks while you listen to live music.  https://www.estuarybrooklyn.com/

The 2020 Year Celebration Means a Look Back to the Parties of the Roaring 20s

Brooklyn Cider House - Taproom

Get your flapper dresses and newsboy hats ready for the last night of 2019 at Brooklyn Cider House where the Taproom transforms into a 1920s speakeasy. While it coincides with the 100th anniversary of Prohibition (which started in January of 1920), this Roaring 20s celebration will NOT be dry. From 10pm to 2am, guests will enjoy an open bar with the Cider House’s signature ciders, beers on tap, well drinks and specialty cocktails. There will also be open barrels for unlimited cider catching, three DJs, screening of the ball drop, and a Champagne tower toast. You can nibble your way through the evening with party bites or book a dinner-and-party combination. https://www.brooklynciderhouse.com

Valerie

Midtown West’s Gatsby-Golden Era restaurant Valerie will go all out with their Prohibition-themed Roaring Twenties Centennial party with dining, four hours of bottomless cocktails and a midnight Champagne toast. Entertainment by magician Devonte Rosero and a live six-piece jazz band will keep you in the mood from 9:30pm-1:30am and set the stage for posing  in front of a vintage car with a cocktail from the restaurant’s signature Gin & Tonic cart. All guests will leave the party with a bag of favors to ring in the 2020 new year!  https://www.valerienewyorkcity.com/

Planning a trip to NYC?