New Year’s—a time where many celebrate (or mourn) what has transpired over the last year and revel (hopefully) in anticipation of what’s to come. No doubt, the nation’s capital is ready for 2019, with many restaurants and bars hosting a night of nights with prix fixe menus and Champagne toasts.
From a sublime French feast to elevated diner dishes and warm bowls of pasta, here’s where to head this New Year’s Eve in D.C. and wipe that slate clean.
(Photo courtesy of Masseria Facebook page.)
Masseria
“With its chic and seamless blend of indoor and outdoor space, Masseria is a clear departure from its simpler surrounds,” state Michelin inspectors of Nicholas Stefanelli’s Puglian-inspired one-Michelin-starred restaurant. A number of seatings will be held in the lounge and dining room, as well as the chef’s table and counter, replete with Champagne, cocktails, canapés like Massieria’s signature “foienoli” and courses like linguine with XO sauce and dry-aged rib eye with cheese fonduta and crushed potatoes. Come one, come all—come hungry.Bresca
Chef/owner Ryan Ratino is serving up a six-course prix fixe menu for the tune of $115 per person at his one-Michelin-starred eatery. Dishes include a foie gras terrine with banana, maple, black truffle and buckwheat pancakes; tagliatelle nero with king crab, chile, sweetbreads and brown butter; and Spanish turbot with potato, preserved lemon, gnocchi and choy. Two optional “yet distinctive” wine pairings priced at $50 and $95 per person are also available for the evening.Ellē
"This indie hot spot with a retro-chic décor and cool staff has so many things going for it," say Michelin inspectors of Lizzy Evelyn and Nick Pimentel's bakery-cum-bar. "First, there’s the team behind it, who’ve already struck gold on the city’s dining scene. Then there’s the location, inside the former Heller’s Bakery, which was an 80-year-old neighborhood institution. And finally, there’s the food." Head there for New Year’s Eve and indulge in a five-course tasting menu for $85 per person. (A vegetarian menu will also be available.)
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Gooey grilled provolone in a rich tomato sugo with Taggiasche olives. (Photo courtesy of Sfoglina Facebook page.)
Sfoglina
The day menu will be served on New Year’s Eve at Fabio Trabocchi’s pasta darling that “sets a very high bar but lives up to its moniker with a notable variety of hearty and elegant preparations listed as ‘classical’ and ‘seasonal,’” per Michelin inspectors. Specials for the evening include vitello tonnato with arugula and heirloom radicchio; goat cheese scarpinocc with pears and winter black truffles; and porcini-dusted venison loin with foraged mushrooms, whipped potatoes and Brasato sauce.Joselito’s Casa de Comidas
Javier Candon is hosting “An Evening in Spain” dinner party on New Year’s Eve at his family-run Bib Gourmand-designated eatery on Capitol Hill, with Spanish dishes “featuring ingredients known to bring love, luck and good fortune.” A three- and six-course menu will be had between two seatings (at $50 and $120 per person, respectively), with dishes including roasted turbot with dashi gelée, ratatouille and crispy Applewood bacon; rack of lamb with pequillo pepper foam and glazed baby onions; and sherry hen consommé with poached quail egg.Unconventional Diner
Looking for something “unconventional?” Head to chef David Deshaies's diner donning the same name in Chinatown for a four-course menu priced at $60 per person (and optional $35 per person wine pairing). Indeed, Deshaies does classic American dishes justice by ramping them up. Dishes on the holiday menu include a “spinny crab” bisque with snow peas and radishes; slow-braised short ribs with leeks, black winter truffles and pearl pasta risotto; and pistachio vacherin with lemon curd, blueberries and pomegranate.
