Strada Italiano is set to ring in the new year with its seventh annual Feast of Seven Fishes. For chef and owner Anthony Cerrato, the yearly dinner is about honoring his Italian heritage, as well as celebrating a long-standing family tradition. “As a kid, New Year’s Eve was always fun for me because my great-grandparents would get everybody together — cousins, great-uncles and great-aunts, second cousins — and they would cook all day,” he says.
As in years past, the prix fixe $40 New Year’s Eve dinner ($45 if you choose to include a glass of wine) will be a seafood extravaganza. The first course combines whole poached mussels, scallops, shrimp and calamari marinated with celery and fennel, fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil and blood-orange juice, followed by squid ink and crab arancini. The meal’s final dish, cioppino, will feature fresh squid ink linguine, crab claws, clams, white fish, octopus and shrimp in a buttery white wine saffron tomato broth. Complimentary sparkling wine will be served at midnight.
Meanwhile, next door, The Social Lounge, which Cerrato co-owns with Eric Booker, will continue the revelry with a late-night menu, midnight toast and live DJ. A $5 entry fee is required. Food menu highlights include the Jersey disco fries (covered in gravy and melted mozzarella cheese), the Philly Social and Calabrian cheese balls.
“It’s all about creating memories,” says Cerrato. “There’s nothing better than breaking bread with somebody. It’s a very sacred bonding experience.”
Feast of Seven Fishes runs 4 p.m.-close Monday, Dec. 31, at Strada Italiano restaurant, 27 Broadway. For reservations, call 828-348-8448. The Social Lounge’s New Year’s Eve celebration will begin at 10:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, 29 Broadway. For more information, visit avl.mx/5id.
New Year’s Eve at Postero
Postero will celebrate New Year’s Eve with a five-course meal that begins with oysters and caviar followed by a local butternut squash caponata. Scallop crudo, warm winter salad, potato-crusted cod and beef tenderloin and Yorkshire pudding are additional course options. Coffee and doughnuts will cap off the meal. The prix fixe menu is $80 per person, tax and gratuity not included.
Postero’s New Year’s Eve dinner runs 5-9:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, 401 N. Main St., Hendersonville. For reservations call 828-595-9676. For details and to learn more, visit avl.mx/5i9.
Feast at the Fleece
For its third annual New Year’s Eve Feast at the Fleece, the Golden Fleece will offer a five-course prix-fixe menu curated by executive chef George Delimdimos. The evening will include creamy lobster bisque, warm root vegetable salad, wild mushroom and black garlic ragout, pomegranate-fennel glazed rack of lamb and persimmon-Champagne mousse. Tickets are $65 per person, tax and gratuity not included. Wine pairings are also available for an additional $25.
Seatings for New Year’s Eve Feast at the Fleece are at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, 111 Grovewood Road. To purchase a ticket, visit avl.mx/5ia.
Jargon celebrates the new year
Jargon will host a New Year’s Eve dinner with two seatings from 6-8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m-close. The prix-fixe, five-course menu includes rabbit ravioli, pickled beet salad, marinated rouget, porchetta and sweet potato pie. According to the event’s Facebook page, these menu options are subject to change. The event is by reservation only, $75 per person, tax and gratuity not included. Wine pairing options are available for an additional $25.
New Year’s Eve at Jargon runs 6-8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.-close Monday, Dec. 31, 715 Haywood Road. For reservations, visit avl.mx/5ib.
Rustic Grape Wine Bar hosts New Year’s event
Rustic Grape Wine Bar will welcome 2019 with a New Year’s celebration. The $20 event includes sparkling wine and a dessert flight or holiday cheese and charcuterie board. The evening will also include live music by Juan Holladay.
New Year’s Eve at Rustic Grape Wine Bar will run 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 31, 14 Aston St. Seating is limited. For tickets, visit avl.mx/5ic.
Punk Wok returns to Buxton Hall Barbecue
Buxton Hall Barbecue is bringing back its Asian-inspired pop-up concept, Punk Wok. The weekly Monday event will relaunch on Dec. 31 and continue throughout January. According to a press release, pitmaster Elliot Moss will offer “a limited-time mashup of Southern staples and Asian favorites, such as The King’s BBQ Fried Rice and ramen with whole hog, whole chicken, tea egg and white kimchee.” Desserts will be prepared by Ashley Capps, Buxton Hall’s lead pastry chef. On Monday, Dec. 31, Buxton will also host a New Year’s Eve Dance party featuring DJ Marley Carroll. Dancing begins at 10 p.m. The event requires a $10 entry fee.
Punk Wok returns Mondays, Dec. 31-Jan. 28, 6-9:30 p.m., at Buxton Hall Barbecue, 32 Banks Ave. For reservations, email reservations@buxtonhall.com. Buxton’s New Year’s bash begins at 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31.
Fresh Food Drive
Mother Earth Food, a local and organic food delivery service, is raising money to provide weekly deliveries of fresh produce to families in need. The organization’s fundraising goal is $6,000. At press time it had raised $290. The fundraiser ends Jan. 1.
For more information, visit avl.mx/5ie.
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