The holidays are practically upon on us and whether you’re looking to start
a new holiday tradition or just a way to get out of doing the dishes, some of
the Boston-area’s best restaurants are happy to accommodate with special Christmas
Eve menus and hours.
Aujourd’hui
Spend
Christmas Eve at Aujourd’hui
where chef de cuisine Jerome
Legras will be preparing a special holiday dinner for guests. The four-coursemeal
costs $155 per person, not including tax, gratuity or beverages. Call Aujourd’hui
at 617.351.2037 for reservations and additional information about the evening’s
menu.
Cafe Fleuri
Cafe Fleuri at the Langham Hotel welcomes guests to a special Christmas Eve
Chocolate Bar on Saturday, December 24th. Drop by from 12:00-4:00pm for
an array of chocolate-themed treats from chef John
Lambiase and pastry chef John
Quinn. The Chocolate Bar costs $30 per adult, $14 for children 12 and under
and is free for children four and under. Santa will be on hand to take last
minute requests and pose for pictures. Call Cafe Fleuri at 617.956.8751 to make
reservations.
Caffe Umbra
Spend
Christmas Eve at Caffe
Umbra where chef Laura
Brennan will be serving the regular a la carte menu augmented with special
holiday selections like pristine Wellfleet oysters mignonette; mushroom consommé
en croute; baked stuffed jumbo shrimp and roast capon cannelloni with fontina,
mushrooms and radicchio. They’ll be open from 5:00-10:00pm, so call 617.867.0707
to make reservations.
Davio’s
Boston celebrates the season on Saturday, December 24th with the Feast of
Seven Fishes, an Italian Christmas Eve tradition. Chefs Stephen
Brown, Eric
Swartz and Rodney
Murillo have put together a five course dinner featuring seven sea creatures
(the number seven represents the sacraments of Christianity, the seven pilgrimage
churches of Rome, and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit). Join them for Frutti
di Mare – clams, calamari, scallops with red and yellow peppers, roasted garlic
and fresh parsley; baked Chatham jumbo shrimp with crabmeat, garlic butter,
crumbs and sherry; hand made lobster ravioli with mascarpone lobster cream;
and pan seared sea bass with saffron artichoke risotto and Meyer lemon confitura.
The dinner costs $65 per person, not including tax or gratuity and will be available
in addition to Davio’s regular dinner menu. Call 617.357.4810 to make reservations.
Grotto
Grottoand chef Scott
Herritt will celebrate Christmas Eve with the traditional Italian feast
of seven fishes. The dinner, believed to bring good fortune in the year to come,
varies from family to family and even year to year – the only rule is that seven
fish must be presented in one form or another throughout the course of the meal.
The dinner will cost $50 per person and will feature four courses of fish laden
dishes. Dessert will be fish free. Herritt will also be offering a limited menu
featuring items from the Feast, signature favorites, and new inspirations which
can be ordered a la carte or prixe fixe (three courses for $40 or four courses
for $50).Call Grotto at 617.227.3434 for reservations and more information.
Julien
Julien at the Langham Hotel invites guests to join them on Christmas Eve
for a four course, prix fixe menu available from 5:00-8:30pm. Chefs Daniel
Kenny and Mark
Sapienza haven’t revealed their plans for the evening’s menu yet, but guests
can expect traditional delights with a contemporary twist. Dinner costs $79
per person for adults and $35 for children 12 and under and free for children
4 and under. Call Julien at 617.451.1900 for more menu information and reservations.
Le Soir
Guests
at Le
Soir in Newton Highlands on Christams Eve can opt for the regular menu or
for the four-course Christmas Eve Tasting Menu. Chef Mark
Allen has put together a menu that includes courses like butternut squash
bisque with lobster; cocktail shrimp with baby romaine and Caesar dressing;
braised beef short ribs with root vegetables and pomme puree, port jus; and
lemon ice box pie.
Lumière
Lumièrein West Newton will be open on Christmas Eve, serving chef Michael
Leviton‘s regular menu as well as an a la carte menu of the staff’s favorite
holiday items from around the world. Menu highlights include oyster stew with
leeks, reisling, crème frâiche and chives; house cured salt cod
brandade with black truffles and garlic toast; Chinese "red braised"
pork belly and roasted pork ribs with brown bean garlic sauce; roasted goose
breast with savoy cabbage, apples and goose confit, braised chestnuts and thyme
jus; galette des rois, an almond cream filled puff pastry tart; and sufganiyot,
Israeli jelly doughnuts. Reservations are essential, so call Lumière
at 617.244.9199 to save your table.
The Metropolitan Club
The Metropolitan Club in Chestnut Hill invites guests to enjoy a festive Christmas
Eve dinner courtesy of award-winning chef Jeffrey
Fournier. The restaurant will be serving their regular menu as well as a
special, four-course tasting menu that includes courses like watercress and
roasted squash salad with pomegranate vinaigrette and red diakon radish; roasted
chestnut risotto with chanterelles and sage and soubise cake; Duck, Duck, Goose
– confit leg, rendered breast, and goose liver pate with pineapple gastric;
and marbled Grand Marnier chocolate custard with orange scented Chantilly. Price
has yet to be determined and reservations are recommended. Call the Metropolitan
Club at 617.731.0600 for reservations and more information.
Meritage
Spend
Christmas Eve at Meritage
at the Boston Harbor Hotel and you’ll be treated to a five course prix fixe
menu from chef Daniel
Bruce. The menu is available from 5:00-10:00pm and costs $95 per adult.
There’s also a three-course prix fixe available for children at $37.50. Call
617.439.3995 for menu information and to make reservations.
UpStairs on the Square
This
Christmas Eve, Mary-Catherine Deibel and Deborah Hughes welcome
guests to UpStairs
on the Square from 5:30-8:00pm for a specially designed four-course holiday
menu from chef Steven Brand. Menu items include roasted winter baby beets
with arugula, horseradish panna cotta and passionfruit; fresh Vermont poussin
stuffed with brioche cornbread, Smithfield ham, pecans and mirepoix; and Buche
de Noel with meringue mushrooms. Dinner costs $85 per person and is half price
for children 12 and under. Call UpStairs at 617.864.1933 to make reservations
and to get more information about the evening’s menu.
