by Jennifer D’Agostino
Celebrate the New Year with a glamorous night out at one of Toronto’s hottest restaurants. These eateries are pulling out all the stops, offering prix-fixe menus, sparkling wine toasts and delicious decedent desserts. Here are the best restaurants to book for New Year’s Eve dinner 2017! [Photo of Leña ©Yellow Pages / Pages Jaunes]
Adelaide Hotel
The Adelaide Hotel is hosting its very first New Year’s Eve dinner to ring in 2018. The restaurant offers two seatings, the first will be a three-course meal and the second will be four-courses. The meal includes winter truffle risotto, grilled octopus, charred short ribs, seared Ontario trout and more. For dessert there’s an option of a delicious opera cake or Champagne tartlette. There will be a sparkling toast at midnight.
EPIC
Toast to 2018 at the Royal York’s EPIC restaurant. This year it’s offering a five-course meal, which includes freshly shucked oysters, Alberta beef tenderloin, ling cod, B.C. scallops, Quebec foie gras and more. For dessert you can delight in the Choco-LITI dessert buffet featuring the famous flourless chocolate cake. At midnight there will be a Champagne toast.
TOCA
TOCA’s New Year’s Eve menu showcases the contemporary Italian cuisine that the restaurant is known for. Divided into two seatings, the first will be a four-course menu, while the second will be five courses, including a glass of sparkling wine. Both meals are inspired by the seasons with Chef Oliver Glowig’s signature dishes, and will conclude with an elaborate dessert table, and selections from the famous Cheese Cave.
Figures
Dine on a four-course meal at Toronto’s hottest cocktail bar! The meal starts with an amuse of Ontario parsnip fritter and continues with options of squash veloute, B.C. wild mushroom risotto, oven roasted root vegetable curry, USDA prime beef tenderloin Wellington and more. Figures will be serving its signature comic book inspired cocktails all night long!
Benihana
Benihana celebrates the New Year with a teppanyaki-style experience right at your table. The six-course dinner includes choices of Wagyu striploin, AAA Canadian filet mignon, Yorkshire Valley chicken and Atlantic branzino. There will also be a selection of sashimi, soup and a Mandarin cheesecake for dessert.
The One Eighty
The One Eighty celebrates the New Year with a three-course prix-fixe menu and a dance party. The three-course meal includes items like duck confit soup, Ahi tuna tartare, roasted rainbow trout, truffle gnocchi, Alberta beef tenderloin and more. The dessert menu has something for everyone, from chocolate to sorbet to apple tart tatin. The dinner will be followed with a dance party featuring DJ Lexx Decibel.
Momofuku Daisho
Celebrate New Year’s Eve with a large format prix-fixe at Momofuku Daisho. The shared menu includes tsignature dishes like grilled striploin and lobster with black truffle, Brussels sprouts with mint and puffed rice, oysters with caviar and more delicious eats! And for dessert there will be a chocolate and almond cake. You can add more decadence to your evening by requesting additional caviar and foie gras when making reservations.
Café Boulud
On New Year’s Eve there’s two seated dinners that include plenty of delicious French classics like dry-aged beef, black truffle guinea hen, poached turbot and Champagne sponge cake for dessert. Grab a glass of the finest Champagne and ring in the New Year with loved ones for a fine dining meal that will be one you won’t forget!
Drake Hotel
The Drake Hotel is hosting a Champagne House Party to ring in 2018. The party includes three different dinners. The menu includes a shared seafood platter of oysters, cured salmon, mussels, shrimp toast and more. It continues with lobster carbornara, a choice between rack of lamb and pan seared halibut, and an opera cake with champagne ganache for dessert. The second seating includes an amuse course and petit fours for dessert. The Drake is also hosting a cocktail party with passed food like grilled cheese sammys, house cured salmon, shrimp and pork dumplings and more.
Planta
Celebrate the last day of 2017 at Planta! There are three seatings with either a four-course or five-course menu. The plant-based options include beet carpaccio, potato agnolotti, Maitake lettuce wraps, Hawaiian heart of palm and more. Guests can also partake in the a la carte menu that includes Thai noodle salad, the famous carrot dog, truffle fries, among other favourite dishes.
Kasa Moto
Kasa Moto transforms into an izakaya to ring in the New Year! The menu includes Kasa Moto’s signature dishes like fresh sashimi, premium nigiri as well as other delicious Japanese cuisine. The evening is divided into three seatings the last two include complimentary Champagne. Reservations are required.
The Chase Fish & Oyster
The Chase Fish & Oyster is hosting a family style feast of top quality seafood. There will be a seafood boil made Northern or Southern-style, along with sides of biscuits, hickory stick potato salad and mac and cheese. For dessert you can pick from chocolate pecan pie, bourbon caramel ice cream, rum raisin carrot and cream cheese anglaise. There will also be punch bowls and a raw seafood bar.
Biff’s Bistro
Biff’s Bistro serves signature Parisian cuisine to say bonjour to 2018! Chef Bill Osborne’s menu includes truffled potato veloute, rabbit and foie gras terrine, black truffle chitarra pasta, filet boeuf en croute, coq au vin and more. Dessert includes Parisian favourites like double chocolate éclairs, cherry calfoutis and a French custard tart!
Leña
Add some Latin flare to your New Year’s Eve celebration at Leña, which is cooking up a special prix-fixe dinner. The four-course dinner includes tuna crudo, Serrano ham, mushroom minestrone, grilled beef tenderloin and more delicious eats. For dessert it’s your choice between churros, a chocolate molten cake or a selection Spanish and Italian cheeses.
Liberty Commons
This New Year’s Eve Liberty Commons is hosting a Bite and Flight meal to ring in 2018. Choose from a selection of their signature bites, which will be paired with beer flights from local brewers. Bites include braised pork belly, beef brisket and risotto balls. For $10 extra you can have your choice of dessert – apple crumble soft serve or hot chocolate fondant.
Luma
This New Year’s Eve, Luma is serving a special New Year’s menu starting at 4 pm. The menu was created by Chef Michael Wilson and includes Yellow Fin tuna crudo, foie-stuffed pheasant breast, dover sole and baked Alaska for dessert. The TIFF lounge with be on Happy Hour prices all night long.
Auberge du Pommier
A cozy cottage setting, delicious food, surrounded by loved ones – sounds like the perfect way to ring in the New Year. You can expect the best at Auberge, with a menu featuring classic French cuisines like crab salade, Saint-Jacques et Cochon, foie gras parfait, tartlette au escargot and more!
O&B Café Grill
O&B Café Grill is ringing in the New Year with a four-course meal! Choose an app, main and dessert for the ultimate New Year’s Eve dinner. Menu items include veal marsala, trout amandine, ricotta and Swiss chard cannelloni. For dessert choose between a salted chocolate caramel tart and coconut cream pie.
Canoe
Chefs John Home and Ron McKinlay have created an amazing menu to match the dazzling 54-storey view of the city from the restaurant windows. With an appreciation for Canadian ingredients, the multi-course menu showcases the best this country has to offer, including Vancouver Island scallops, B.C. truffles and Haida Gwaii Chinook salmon. Some other menu items include oysters and Champagne, bison rib eye and short rib, and Owen Sound pheasant breast. Limited reservations are available.
Jump
Jump into the New Year with a four-course meal at one of Toronto’s best restaurants. Jump serves a feast of grass-fed beef tenderloin, braised lamb ragu, juniper-cured red stag shoulder and more. Desserts include devil’s chocolate cake and flipped apple pie! Before your meal you can grab a drink at the bar for a discounted price.
Beaumont Kitchen
Beaumont Kitchen celebrates New Year’s Eve with a prix-fixe dinner of steak tartrate, black cod, roasted duck breast, beef tenderloin and more delicious options. For dessert, there’s a decedent Opera cake with sour ice cream and caramel corn. There will also be a shortened a la carte menu available.
R&D
R&D hosts an Asian-inspired feast to ring in 2018. The four-course dinner include duck leg confit, chow mein and Kalbi beef. The night is ends with a R&D countdown ball with chocolate kaya, strawberry, passion fruit and popping candy.
Nuit Social
Nuit Social is ringing in the New Year with a prix-fixe menu of signature charcuterie and international sharing platters. Celebrate the evening with friends and family at one of the three seatings available. There is also an option of purchasing a $45 bottle of Prosecco.
