What will you eat for your last meal in 2014? New Year’s Eve is a time to splurge or latch to a favorite from the past year. Regardless, a bit of bubbly should be involved when the clock strikes midnight. We found six restaurants for you to consider for the evening that serve up menus to inspire conversation, salute culture, and above all, celebrate the end of another year in Atlanta’s cherished dining scene.
Agave Restaurant (Intown Atlanta)
The atmosphere pays homage to Inman Park's typical restaurant design, with exposed brick, low lighting and a crackling fireplace. Similar to a rustic canteen of New Mexico, Agave links convivial conversation and eclectic southwestern fare.
A five-course menu awakens your palate with the heat of hatch chiles, chorizo and chipotle. Offerings include sweet corn chowder, veal chorizo meatballs, baby arugula and brussel sprout salad and chipotle glazed short ribs, all paired with Don Julio tequila-infused margaritas. A Don Julio 1942 Snifter rounds out the meal as the chaser to a blueberry cream cheese tart. Pairings are $99 per person.
agaverestaurant.com/tequila-dinner.
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Common Quarter (East Cobb)
The “come as you are” mentality of Common Quarter still holds true on New Year’s Eve, but ingredients get a facelift toward luxury. The storefront façade disappears from your mind once inside, where interior elements such as high top communal tables and a marble slab bar elevate the spot from its humble appearance.
Instead of a prix fixe menu, chef Jeffrey Gardner spins together decadent dishes that trump the typical “OTP” fare such as “Millionaire’s Breakfast” with soft scrambled eggs, foie gras and Georgia Sturgeon caviar or grilled beef tenderloin with truffled potatoes. A special “kick off the party” special for $15 gets you a glass of champagne and truffled French fries.
F & B Atlanta (Buckhead)
Warm lighting and mahogany accents provide the backdrop to this Buckhead haut spot, known for drawing in a high gloss crowd for both the atmosphere and its central location on Peachtree Road. Chef Philipe Haddad has revitalized France’s signature cuisine with an elegant interplay of rustic yet approachable influences.
A three-course prix fixe menu includes a choice of mains such as pan-seared Pacific sturgeon, braised venison shank, or butter-poached Maine Lobster and beef tenderloin. The meal is $80 per person, and an option to add Laurent-Perrier champagne can be purchased for $75 per bottle.
fandbatl.com.
Gunshow (Intown Atlanta)
New Year’s Eve is the time to put on a show, and chef Kevin Gillespie plans to do just that, as the restaurant name so aptly suggests. For this special evening, the free-form concept changes and dishes are cemented into a seven-course tasting menu.
The same forward-thinking plates span the menu, such as wild antelope filet, foie gras torchon with gingerbread, and Maine lobster and white truffle Hot brown. Dinner is $125 per person, and an additional $65 for optional beverage pairings. Call the restaurant to secure a reservation with a credit card.
La Tavola (Intown Atlanta)
La Tavola celebrates “Buon Anno!” or the “New Year” with a hearty, established cuisine reminiscent of one served in an Italian village’s trattoria. The restaurant’s cozy cornerside space dwells amidst the buzz of Virginia Highland, while the dimly lit dining room encourages intimacy.
A three-course menu is centered around antipasti, secondi, and dulce, allowing guests to be flexible in their choices between house-cured loza or housemade Cotechino sausage, grilled cobia or risotto bianco with Nantucket Bay scallops, and apple crostata or fig gelato. The pre-fix menu is $55 per person.
SOUTHBOUND (Chamblee)
Rounding out the year of a strong opening, SOUTHBOUND has earned its spot in the dining scene with accolades such as “Best New Restaurant.” Live music and the bonhomie of friendship couples with toothsome options for dinner inspires hubbub in Chamblee’s emerging neighborhood.
In addition to the regular menu, eight specials include langoustine and leek terrine, oysters and artichokes, poached monkfish and winter truffle risotto. Reservations are encouraged, and can be place online at seatme.yelp.com.
Find more things to do New Year's Eve in Atlanta in the AJC Holiday Guide
