Time for Tacos
With a new year comes a new restaurant. Spanish gem Laïola will be morphing into Tacolicious, the first brick-and-mortar outpost of the stand that appears weekly at the Thursday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. But the restaurant plans to go out with a bang: opening chef Mark Denham will be returning, along with much of the original crew. For four nights (December 28-31) they’ll be serving dinner and giving Laïola a proper send-off. Call 4215-346-5641 to book a table, or just stop in to say goodbye—and hello!
Crab Cracking at Camino
For the Monday supper that falls squarely between Christmas and New Years—December 28—head to Camino in Oakland for a festive meal of a different sort. Every Monday night through January the restaurant will serve a $26 three-course menu: minestrone, a half of a Dungeness crab with winter chicory salad and, for dessert, bay leaf ice milk.
Get Vertical with Old Rasputin
Take the chill off a winter’s night at the Old Rasputin vertical tasting at Monk’s Kettle on December 29. The night will center around three beers—Old Rasputin original, Rasputin XI and Rasputin XII—and the menu will feature dishes to pair with the suds (think blue cheese, beef short ribs and chocolate). The vertical tasting, available after 5 p.m., is $28 and includes a commemorative glass.
Old-School New Year’s
If you prefer to attend a New Year’s Eve celebration that revolves around classic cocktails and speakeasy style, reserve now to spend the last night of the decade at Bourbon and Branch’s New Year’s Affaire. The admission price of $150 (reservations in advance, please) gets you a Champagne welcome, you choice of cocktails from the special menu of the night, all night long, and a bit more Champagne at midnight, just to cap things off. Best of all, you have the run of the entire place—the main bar, the library and Russell’s room. Visit the website to reserve your space.
Reserve Now: Dinner to End a Decade
If you prefer to dine out on NYE, now is the time to make reservations—wait until after Christmas and you’ll be dining at Sonic rather than Delfina. We’ve compiled a list of some of the local gems that still have space (as of this newsletter) for the big night. But don’t dally—reservations are going fast.
