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Ai Fiori
(Photo: Danny Kim/New York Magazine) |
Open Christmas Eve
Clement in the Peninsula New York
700 Fifth Ave. at 55th St.; 212-903-3918
Brandon Kida and crew are serving up a multi-course menu for an elegant Christmas Eve, with a three-course menu for the 5:30 p.m. seating and a five-course menu at 8:30 p.m. Diners can eat their way through plates of deviled eggs, honey-baked ham with delicata squash and huckleberry, and three entrée choices, including a halibut option for those not partial to gamier meats. $98 and $145 per person
Boqueria
53 W 19th St.; 212-255-4160
171 Spring St.; 212-343-4255
Both locations of this tapas bar will serve up the regular menu alongside holiday specials from noon until 9:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Expect a range of special plates, like grilled lamb leg, Brussels sprouts, labne yogurt and fingerling potatoes, and whole black bass served with potatoes, roasted red peppers, onions, and a warm garlic-sherry vinaigrette.
Manzanilla
345 Park Ave S., nr. 26th St.; 212-255-4086
This Flatiron newcomer will serve up a Spanish take on Christmas Eve dinner with a special prix fixe menu. Start the meal off with fluke crudo and black squid-ink croquettes, followed by seared scallops with cauliflower purée or a wild mushroom tart, and indulge in the suckling pig terrine with butternut squash. Be sure to save room for one of three dessert options. $95 per person
Open Christmas Day
Ai Fiori
400 Fifth Ave., 2nd floor, at 36th St.; 212-613-8660
For those searching for a high-end, multi-course meal on Christmas Day, look no further than Michael White and the Altamarea Group’s Ai Fiori. The Italian feast features butternut squash soup, a seasonal green salad, pastas such as house made tagliatelle and braised veal agnolotti, as well as prime dry-aged striploin served with endive and potato terrine and pan-seared scallops with celery-root caponata. The dessert menu has something for everyone, with a mousse for chocolate fiends and a pistachio biscuit topped with candied cranberries and vanilla gelato for those looking for something lighter. Four courses, $110
The Smith
1900 Broadway, nr. 63rd St.; 212-496-5700
The brasserie’s Lincoln Center outpost will be the only location open on Christmas Day. From 11:30 a.m. until 9 p.m., feast on plates of classic comfort food such as macaroni and cheese, short ribs, and New York strip steak alongside a full raw bar.
Russian Tea Room
150 W. 57th St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 212-581-7100
This uptown establishment is offering a four-course prix fixe loaded with Russian favorites: borscht, whole roasted, deboned pig, and chicken Kiev. Finish the meal with the Tea Room’s famous blintzes or the over-the-top Czar’s gold-and-caviar parfait made with 24-karat edible gold. Four courses $105; $50 for children
Open for Both
Giovanni Rana Pastificio & Cucina
75 9th Ave., nr. 15th St., in Chelsea Market; 212-370-0975
This Chelsea Market restaurant will serve up a selection of Italian holiday plates à la carte from 11 a.m until 11 p.m. on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Diners can indulge on plates of roasted chestnut porcini ravioli and veal chops with leeks and potatoes, and end the meal on a sweet note with a miniature version of a traditional Italian sweet bread, known as pandoro, served with persimmon gelato.
Maison Premiere
298 Bedford Ave., nr. Grand St.; 347-335-0446
This popular Williamsburg oyster den and cocktail bar will be offering $1 oyster happy hours from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m on both Christmas Day and Christmas Eve alongside the full dinner menu until midnight on the latter. On the 25th, while the kitchen will be closed, raw-bar enthusiasts can satisfy their cravings with a selection of oysters, clams, and shrimp cocktail, washed down with plenty of wine, beer, or cocktails.
Rosa Mexicano
61 Columbus Ave. at 62nd St.; 212-977-7700
9 E. 18th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-533-3350
1063 First Ave. at 58th St.; 212-753-7407
Just because you may be in cold, snowy New York City for the holidays doesn’t mean your palate has to be. The Mexican chainlet will serve up seasonal specials such as a winter snow cocktail alongside a $35 two-course prix fixe menu at all locations.
