The hottest restaurants are filling up fast for New Year’s Eve, so don’t wait to make reservations. It’d be a shame if procrastination left you stuck at home with Dick Clark, Jessica Simpson and a box of Poppycock. Unless specified, prices are per person and don’t include tax or tip.
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!
Get down to live music by Grupo Cha Cha, which plays everything from Latin jazz to Afro-Cuban mambos from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Order your dinner off of a menu of the chef’s favorite tapas ($4-$8) and paellas ($10-$15). Seatings at 5 and 8 p.m. Includes a champagne toast at midnight. $10 cover after 8 p.m. 2024 N. Halsted St. 773-935-5000.
Glory
Join in an old-fashioned clambake on the second floor of this New England-style restaurant. Lobster, crab, clams, mussels and traditional accompaniments will be served in addition to wine and beer, and party favors will be handed out before midnight. $70 for 8 p.m. seating, $85 for 10 p.m. Reserve your spot before Dec. 15 and get $10 off. 1952 N. Damen Ave. 773-235-7400.
LaMora
Give your New Year’s Eve celebration a goose at this romantic Roscoe Village restaurant, which specializes in Italian cuisine with French and Spanish influences. The night’s menu includes a choice of filet, mahi mahi or ravioli, plus appetizer and salad. Finish with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. $40-$50 (based on entree choice). Seatings at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. 2132 W. Roscoe St. 773-404-4555.
Le Colonial
This elegant French-Vietnamese restaurant located inside a two-story row house will be decked out in streamers and balloons for a sumptuous New Year’s Eve celebration. On the four-course fixed menu: goi bun so (Nantucket sea scallops with egg and rice noodle salad, roasted peanuts, fresh herbs and chili-lime dressing) and cari do bien (lobster, mussels, shrimp and scallops in coconut curry sauce). The 5 p.m. seating costs $75. The 8 p.m. seating costs $100 and includes a midnight champagne toast with hats and noisemakers. 937 N. Rush St. 312-255-0088.
Shaw’s Crab House
This popular downtown seafood spot is ringing in the New Year with live bands and a midnight champagne toast. The main dining room opens at 5 p.m. and features live music by the Rockin’ Johnny Band from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. The regular menu will offer favorites like King crab legs and whole Maine lobster ($25-$40). The Blue Crab Lounge will offer its usual menu (entrees price from $15-$25), and the Fabulous Fish Heads will play from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Starting at 11 p.m., New York’s Times Square ball drop ceremony will be broadcast on the big screen. 21 E. Hubbard St. 312-527-2722.
Zest
Prefer to forgo the hullabaloo of noisy New Year’s Eve celebrations? Opt for dinner at the restaurant at the Hotel Inter-Continental. Live piano music will accompany chef Joshua Young’s six-course contemporary American menu. Entrees include choice of crab-stuffed filet mignon with sweet corn souffle and lobster bordelaise, and potato-wrapped Alaskan halibut with German-style cabbage and mustard apple beurre blanc. Seatings from 6-11:30 p.m. $95. 525 N. Michigan Ave. 312-321-8766.
Le Passage
On a normal night the crowd at this uber-chic River North dance club makes for great people-watching, so we can’t wait to see who shows up on New Year’s Eve. A $125 ticket gets you access to you a premium open bar (8 p.m.-midnight), a live DJ all night and passed hors d’oeuvres, including stuffed mushrooms, shrimp and crab cakes. Champagne, hats and horns will be handed out before midnight, with 1,500 balloons set to drop at the big moment. An after-party goes until 4 a.m. (free for those already in attendance, $30 at the door for everyone else). 937 N. Rush St. 312-255-0022.
Bistrot Margot
This lovable French restaurant will be open for an a la carte dinner of customers’ favorite specials from the last year, including bouillabaisse and beef Wellington ($15-$26), from 5-10 p.m. At 10 p.m. a Roaring Twenties theme party kicks off, with a live DJ spinning 1920s and contemporary dance music and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. There will also be an open bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, and a table with fruit, cheese, pate and desserts. Includes a raffle and small gift giveaways (splits of champagne, wine openers). $85 ($100 at door). Those with dinner reservations who want to join the party may do so for $65. 1437 N. Wells St. 312-587-3660.
