AL DENTE
1615 N. Clybourn | 312-587-0055
This Italian newcomer hosts a four-course dinner ($120) at 9 PM with an open bar and complimentary champagne. Or you and up to 19 friends can reserve an upstairs booth where you'll get a dinner buffet, bottle service, open bar, and champagne throughout the night for $1,200-$3,500, depending on the size of your party.
AMBRIA
2300 N. Lincoln Park West | 773-472-5959
Chef Christian Eckmann will offer a six-course degustation menu from 5:30 to 6 ($105) and a nine-course one from 8:30 to 9 ($150). The later seating gets live jazz music and a doggie bag of homemade breakfast treats to enjoy the next morning.
ATWOOD CAFE
1 W. Washington | 312-368-1900
There'll be regular dinner hours, 5-11 PM, at this restaurant in the Hotel Burnham. A special four-course, prix fixe menu of traditional French food for $48 ($70 with champagne, cocktails, and wine), will be served. A kids' menu will also be offered at 5 PM ($10 per child) and includes an entree (chicken fingers, mac 'n' cheese, PB&J, pasta, or grilled cheese) with french fries, a drink, and vanilla ice cream, plus hats and noisemakers.
AVENUES AND THE LOBBY AT THE PENINSULA CHICAGO
108 E. Superior | 312-337-2888
Avenues will have one seating at 5 PM (four courses for $95, or $145 with wine) and another at 8:30 (six courses for $215, or $275 with wine). Black tie required at the later seating. There's one seating in the Lobby at 8:30 -- five courses for $215 ($275 with wine). At 7:45 there'll be a champagne reception in the Lobby, where Eric Remschneider and the Peninsula Big Band featuring Stephanie Browning will play.
BAR LOUIE
3545 N. Clark | 773-296-2500
1704 N. Damen | 773-645-7500
123 N. Halsted | 312-207-0500
1800 N. Lincoln | 312-337-9800
47 W. Polk | 312-347-0000
5500 S. South Shore Dr. | 733-363-5300
1321 W. Taylor | 312-633-9393
All seven locations will offer a four-hour open bar from 8 PM to midnight and an all-you-can-eat buffet from 8 to 10, plus a balloon drop and champagne toast at midnight, for $60. The Polk location will have a DJ.
BISTRO 110
110 E. Pearson | 312-266-3110
Twenty-dollar champagne flights will include Perrier Jouet Brut Epernay, Moet & Chandon White Star, Nicolas Feuillatte Premier Crue Brut Rose, and Charles de Valliere Cremant de Bourgogne Demi Sec. Chef Dominique Tougne will offer a special a la carte menu.
BLUEPOINT OYSTER BAR
741 W. Randolph | 312-207-1222
Couples are meant to share the four-course menu, which will include two appetizers, an entree platter (with sesame-crusted ahi tuna, grilled salmon, crab-stuffed shrimp, and half a pound of Alaskan king crab legs), two sides, and two desserts ($100). Reservations will be taken for three seating times: 6, 8, and 10. Live entertainment and dancing begin during the 8 o'clock seating. (The regular menu will also be available.)
BRASSERIE JO
59 W. Hubbard | 312-595-0800
The 5 to 6:30 PM seating will get a three-course menu for $29. The second seating will start at 6:45 and include four courses plus a champagne toast; it's $49. The Manuel Arrington Band will play jazz from 8 to 1.
CAFE BA-BA-REEBA
2024 N. Halsted | 773-935-5000
The top-selling specials of 2004, including lobster bisque, baked lobster tail with a butter crust, and mushroom-crusted filet mignon, will be offered along with the regular menu. At 8 PM a DJ will start playing Afro-Cuban, mambo, salsa, and Latin jazz for a dance party. The midnight toast will be cava sangria and comes with complimentary tapas. Before 8 reservations are required and there's a two-hour limit on tables; there's a $10 cover for the dance party. From 10 to 3 on New Year's Day there'll be a pajama brunch -- anyone who shows up in their PJs gets a gift certificate equal to the price of their meal to use anytime in 2005.
CAFE MATOU
1846 N. Milwaukee | 773-384-8911
The 5-6 PM seating will get three courses for $60 (choices include smoked salmon, sauteed snails, roast prime rib, and chocolate-almond cake with poached pear). The 9-10 PM seating costs $80 and will feature five courses (everything on the early menu plus soup and salad).
CARMICHAEL'S STEAK HOUSE
1052 W. Monroe | 312-433-0025
The regular menu will be offered between 5 and 8 PM. A special five-course menu ($125 including tax and gratuity) will be offered from 8:30 on and comes with a split of champagne. Dishes on the special menu include sliced duck breast, Atlantic halibut, filet mignon, and chocolate truffle cake. A swing band will play from 10 to 1.
CERISE
520 N. Rush | 312-645-1500
This French dining room inside the Le Meridien Hotel will offer a five-course dinner -- it’s $65 for the 6 PM seating and $95 at 7 PM -- plus live music and dancing.
CHEN'S
3506 N. Clark | 773-549-1280
A $60 package will include a dinner buffet (Chinese appetizers and sushi) and open bar from 10 to 1.
CHIEF O'NEILL'S PUB
3472 N. Elston | 773-473-5263
The party will run from 8 to 1 and feature a dinner buffet, all-night open bar, party favors, door prizes, and dancing to Irish music. A sandwich-and-dessert buffet will be offered from midnight to 1:30. It's $75 ($65 if you book before Christmas, $35 for just the open bar).
CYRANO'S BISTROT & WINE BAR
546 N. Wells | 312-467-0546
Live violin music by Jovan Mihai-lovic will play in the background while Chef Didier Durand serves two prix fixe meals. Diners at the early seating (6:30-8) will get four courses for $59. Those at the 9 PM seating, called the Grande Finale, will be served five courses for $89. Both include a glass of champagne. An a la carte menu will be offered for an early, pretheater seating from 4:30 to 6.
EVEREST
440 S. LaSalle | 312-663-8920
The precelebration dinner (5-6:30 PM) offers four courses for $95; starting at 8:45 a $225 gala seven-course meal will be served, accompanied by a live jazz trio. (You can get wines paired to each course at an additional cost.) Diners at the later seating will get an Alsace kugelhopf pastry to take home for breakfast the next morning.
1492 TAPAS BAR
42 E. Superior | 312-867-1492
This four-story River North graystone will offer two seatings: one between 4 and 8:30 and another from 9 till 3 in the morning. Each seating gets soup, salad, three or four tapas, wine, cava, and dessert. There'll be flamenco dancing during the early seating and a DJ and dancing during the second. For an extra $25-$40 (depending on the seating)there's also an open bar. Prices range from $65 to $95 depending on seating time and menu choice.
LE FRANCAIS
269 S. Milwaukee, Wheeling | 847-541-7470
Roland Liccioni’s five-course degustation menu will be served at 6 ($120); his seven-course menu will be served at 9 ($150). Violinist Johnny Frigo will perform throughout the evening.
GABRIEL'S
310 Green Bay, Highwood | 847-433-0031
There'll be three seatings, each with four courses, at this French and Italian dining room. The first one starts between 5:30 and 6 PM and costs $100, the second starts between 7:30 and 8 and costs $120, and the third, at 10:15, is $150 and includes champagne at midnight. You'll have to make a nonrefundable $25 down payment with your reservations.
THE GRILLROOM
33 W. Monroe | 312-960-0000
This casual Loop eatery will offer a four-course prix fixe menu (including butternut-squash bisque, beef tenderloin medallions, and warm almond tart) with wine pairings, party favors, and champagne for $140 per couple (or $110 per couple without wine). Seating is open but reservations are recommended (the latest seating is 10 PM). The regular menu will also be available.
GROTTO ON STATE
1030 N. State | 312-280-1005
There will be three seatings: 5, 7, and 9 PM. You'll order off the menu during the first two; the third features a five-course menu ($125) of traditional Italian dishes like osso bucco and lobster Florentine over capellini. There'll be champagne, party favors, and dancing to live music courtesy of the Jeff Sandler Orchestra.
THE HANDLEBAR
2311 W. North | 773-384-9546
For $75 you’ll get a vegan buffet, a four-hour open bar (9 PM-1 AM), champagne, and party favors. All proceeds will benefit Compassion on Wheels.
HARRY CARAY'S
33 W. Kinzie | 312-828-0966
Four different prix fixe menus will be offered, each pairing Italian specials with wines made from Italian varietals ($75-$95, or $50-$65 if you skip the wine). Reservations will be accepted on the half hour from 5 to 11 PM.
HEY SUSHI
2630 N. Clark | 773 248-3900
From 8 PM to 2 AM, Hey Sushi will offer all the sushi (and some cooked dishes) you can eat, an open bar of premium liquor, and a DJ spinning hip-hop, techno, house, and progressive dance music. It's $85 in advance and $95 at the door.
JAPONAIS
600 W. Chicago | 312-822-9600
A four-course meal will be served at two seatings: 5:30-7:30 ($75)and 8:30-11:30 ($100). Both menus are the same -- featuring house specialties like lobster spring rolls, Kobe beef carpaccio, Maple Leaf smoked duck with hoisin sauce, and champagne or sake. A live band will play for both seatings. Or, for $75, you can celebrate in the downstairs lounge, where appetizers and lighter entrees will be served and a DJ will spin dance music.
KIT KAT LOUNGE & SUPPER CLUB
3700 N. Halsted | 773-525-1111
A five-course dinner hosted by Diva Madame X will be served in three seatings: 6:40 ($55), 8:30 ($80), and 10:30 ($90).
KOI
624 Davis | Evanston, 847-866-6969
There'll be a dinner buffet with Chinese food and sushi and an open bar from 9 to 1. The $80 price includes party favors and a glass of champagne.
LE LAN
749 N. Clark | 312-280-9100
The first seating, between 5:30 and 7, will feature five courses of French-Vietnamese cuisine and cost $85; the second, between 8:30 and 11, will have six courses and a Dom Perignon toast at midnight; it'll cost $125.
L8
222 W. Ontario | 312-266-0616
There will be an open bar from 9 PM to 2 AM, hors d'oeuvres, and a dinner buffet, plus dance music spun by DJ Jumpin James and a champagne toast, for $100.
LULA CAFE
2537 N. Kedzie | 773-489-9554
Lula will offer a four-course meal at two seatings: 6 ($50) and 8:30 ($60). On the menu will be goat cheese ravioli, tomato-braised pork with lentils, and chocolate terrine. Special vegan, fish-only, or allergy-sensitive meals will be prepared on request.
MARCHÉ
833 W. Randolph | 312-226-8399
At the sixth annual March du Sade party, a four-course French-American menu will be served at 6 and 6:30 ($75) and every half hour between 8 and 9:30 ($135). The later seatings will be entertained by kinky performance artists -- bondage enthusiasts, dominatrices, fire breathers, and the like -- who'll keep it up after dinner, not stopping till 2 AM.
MAS
1670 W. Division | 773-276-8700
A five-course Latin menu, including crab-and-yuca croquette, grilled quail, and sauteed lobster tail, will be served at two seatings: 7 PM ($65) and 9:30 PM ($75). The later one goes till 1:30 and includes a split of champagne, hats, and noisemakers.
THE MELTING POT
609 N. Dearborn | 312-573-0011
A four-course dinner including a combo platter of filet mignon, ahi tuna, New York strip steak, chicken, ravioli, and teriyaki-marinated salmon plus a choice of chocolate fondue or tiramisu (flambeed tableside) will cost $55 between 4:30 and 6:45, $65 between 7 and 9:30, and $60 between 9:30 and 1. For another $30 you'll get a sampling of Grand Marnier and other after-dinner drinks.
MENAGERIE
1232 W. Belmont | 773-404-8333
For $100, guests will get seven courses of contemporary American dishes like Kumamoto oysters with green papaya salad in a sake mignonette; veal trio with veal rack, sweetbreads, and veal cheeks; and seared scallops with tobiko caviar. For an additional $25, you can add a foie gras course and oxtail ravioli. Included are wines like a Spanish cava, an Austrian gruner veltliner, and an Argentine malbec. Open seating.
MIRAMAR
301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood 847-433-1078
The regular French-Cuban menu will be served all evening. At 9, Bizar Entertainment will throw a hip-hop, reggae, and funk dance party. It'll last till 2 and cost $10.
MK
868 N. Franklin | 312-482-9179
Guests at the 6 PM seating will get a four-course tasting menu for $60. The 8:30 seating, also four courses, costs $110, and features live music by the Alexander Rea Jazz Trio and a champagne toast.
MOD
1520 N. Damen | 773-252-1500
This contemporary American eatery will start serving a special a la carte menu and a special selection of vintage wine and champagne at 5 PM (the last seating is at 11:30).
MON AMI I GABI
2300 Lincoln Park West | 773-348-8886
Chef Erik Palmer's regular menu will be offered along with specials like herb-roasted rib eye with creamy sweet potatoes, orange duck with dauphinoise potatoes, and sauteed turbot with pomegranate butter.
NACIONAL 27
325 W. Huron | 312-664-2727
The first seating will begin at 5:30 (three courses, $39); the second will be at 9 (four courses and a champagne toast, $60). From 11 to 2 there will be salsa and merengue dancing; it's $25 to just dance.
NICK & TONY'S CHOPHOUSE
1 E. Wacker | 312-467-9449
A $30 buffet will include 25 items, including a carving station, a pasta station, sides, salads, appetizers, and des-serts. The regular menu will be available as well. Last reservation: 10 PM.
NOMI
800 N. Michigan | 312-239-4030
The first seating (5:30-7:30) will have three courses and cost $100; the second (8-10) will have five courses plus a glass of champagne for $180.
NORTH POND
2610 N. Cannon | 773-477-5845
For $110 you'll get a five-course meal, including caviar, stone crab, foie gras, lobster, cheese, dessert, and champagne, served between 5:30 and 10:15.
ONE SIXTY BLUE
160 N. Loomis | 312-850-0303
Three courses of French-American fare (such as beet salad with goat cheese and truffle oil, veal strip loin with chanterelles, and beef tenderloin with black-truffle mashed potatoes and onion marmalade) will be served from 5:30 to 7:30 and cost $60; four courses plus a glass of champagne will be served after 7:30 for $75.
PAPRIKASH
5201 W. Diversey | 773-736-4949
The party will start at 6 PM and include live music by Alex Udvary, dance music spun by DJs Karesz and Laci, and a four-course meal.
PASHA
642 N. Clark | 312-397-0100
For $100 you’ll get a gourmet buffet (it starts at 8) and premium drinks at an open bar, plus a split of Korbel champagne at midnight. Fifty dollars will get you access to the open bar from 11 to midnight and a champagne split; for $30 (or $50 per couple) you can party at the restaurant-cum-club after midnight. Cash bar before 7 and after 11; 21 and over.
LE PASSAGE
937 N. Rush | 312-255-0022
From 8 to midnight, this nightclub and restaurant will offer an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, party favors, and a Veuve Clicquot toast at midnight, all for $125. A DJ will play hip-hop and house music all night.
PIATTINI
934 W. Webster | 773-935-8466
The party, which runs from 8 to 12:30, will cost $95 and include a four-course meal and open bar. If you want to skip dinner, you can get just drinks for $50.
PIECE
1927 W. North | 773-772-4422
Piece's annual anti-black-tie party will run from 9 to 1:30 and feature pizza, salad, dessert, wine, a champagne toast, and a bottomless glass of the house brew for $60. DJ Joan Jett Black will spin music from the 80s.
POP'S FOR CHAMPAGNE & STAR BAR
2934 N. Sheffield | 773-472-1000
From 6 to 8 PM, the Dan Cray Duo will play jazz while the regular menu is served. There's no cover till 9, when the Russell Alan Rowe Group will take the stage, also playing jazz, and hors d'oeuvres, party favors, and champagne start making their rounds. That part lasts till 1 AM and costs $100 (prepaid).
RED LIGHT
820 W. Randolph | 312-733-8880
Chef Jackie Shen will prepare a $75 seven-course tasting menu (including a vegetarian option) from 5:30 to 11:30 at this pan-Asian restaurant. A DJ will play soul, R & B, and drum 'n' bass. Seatings are available all night; free champagne at midnight.
RISTORANTE WE
172 W. Adams | 312-917-5608
There'll be a four-course meal with several menu choices and a glass of prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) for $65.
SALPICÓN
1252 N. Wells | 312-988-7811
This Mexican dining room will offer a five-course menu in three seatings: 5:30-6 ($65), 7:30-8 ($75), and 9:30-10 ($85). On the menu: some of chef Priscila Satkoff's signature dishes, like callos de hacha (jumbo sea scallops wrapped in bacon), sopa de calabaza (butternut squash soup), and codornices en chile ancho y miel (grilled quail in an ancho-chile honey sauce). Wines paired to each course by owner Vincent Satkoff are available for $40 extra. Mexican trio Los Duques will play all evening.
SALUD TEQUILA LOUNGE
1471 N. Milwaukee | 773-235-5577
The $80 party package will include a buffet, open bar, party favors, and champagne, from 8 PM to 2 AM. There are no set seating times.
SPIAGGIA AND CAFE SPIAGGIA
980 N. Michigan | 312-280-2750
Spiaggia's first seating will start between 5 and 5:45 and will include three courses for $85. The second seating (7-7:45) will get a four-course dinner for $115. The third (9-9:45) will get a grand degustation of nine courses for $195. There will be live jazz music all night. At the more casual Cafe Spiaggia next door you can get three courses for $48 or four for $58.
SCOOZI!
410 W. Huron | 312-943-5900
There'll be a family-oriented early seating (5-6:30 PM), during which kids can make their own pizza at no charge. (Regular menu items, including the kid's menu, aren't free.) After 6:30 only the regular menu will be served.
SHAW'S CRAB HOUSE AND BLUE CRAB LOUNGE
21 E. Hubbard | 312-527-2722
There'll be live entertainment by Grana Louise, a blues and jazz band, in the dining room beginning at 7 PM, along with an a la carte menu of seasonal seafood. The adjacent lounge will feature the Fabulous Fishheads and broadcast the Times Square ball drop.
10PIN BOWLING LOUNGE
330 N. State | 312-644-0300
This bowling alley and restaurant will have a DJ spinning an eclectic mix of music from 9 till 2 and serve holiday specials like chilled lobster salad, smoked cheddar fondue, and cocktails. After midnight you can enter a drawing to bowl the first ball of 2005.
312 CHICAGO
136 N. LaSalle | 312-696-2420
It'll be open seating and a regular menu at this Italian-American restaurant between 5 and 11. If you're seated after 8, you can opt for a five-course menu for $65 ($100 with wine pairings).
TRATTORIA GIANNI
1711 N. Halsted | 312-266-1976
From 8:30 on a four-course meal will be served with a glass of champagne and live music for $60. (Before that the regular menu will be available.)
TRU
676 N. Saint Clair | 312-202-0001
There'll be four prix fixe dinners to choose from at two seatings (5-6:45 and 9-10:30): a six-course winter vegetable meal ($100), a seven-course grand degustation ($150), an eight-course chef's signature option ($200), and an eight-course truffle selection ($350). Jonathan Hey will play live piano music from 7 PM on. Jackets required.
TSUKI
1441 W. Fullerton | 773-883-8722
This restaurant and lounge will host a toshi koshi ("over the year") party. Two seatings, at 6 and 9:30, will get seven courses of sushi and other Japanese dishes, plus wine pairings, sake, and champagne, for $100.
VA PENSIERO
1566 Oak, Evanston | 847-475-7779
A $65 five-course menu, including a champagne toast, will be offered at the first seating (6 PM) at this Italian dining room. A seven-course menu with unlimited champagne will be served at the 9 PM seating ($95), after which you can dance to jazz and standards by the Paul Marinaro Band.
VONG’S THAI KITCHEN
6 W. Hubbard | 312-644-8664
Dinner will be served from 5 to 11 and include the restaurant’s regular menu as well as a few Thai lobster dishes.
WEBSTER'S WINE BAR
1480 W. Webster | 773-868-0608
Eighty bucks will get you a selection of wine, beer, cocktails, and champagne, plus snacks like shrimp kebabs, chicken satay, quesadillas, hummus, pizza, cheese, and pat. The party will run from 9 till 1:30.
ZEALOUS
419 W. Superior | 312-475-9112
A three-course menu ($65) will be available between 5 and 6:30; between 8:30 and 9:30 five courses will be served ($85). Some of the dishes chef and owner Michael Taus has planned: masa-crusted skate wing on corn cannelloni, grilled venison loin, and scallops and mussels in a Thai coconut curry broth. Vegetarian or seafood menus will be prepared on request. Guests at the later seating can upgrade their dinner by adding caviar and truffles for an additional $20. Wines paired to each course are available for $50 more. |
Too many restaurants to list are giving out free champagne and noisemakers on New Year's Eve. Those listed below are offering more. Prices cited are per person and exclude tax, tip, and drinks; in most cases, reservations are required. Listings by Laura Levy Shatkin.