Where to Dine & Drink for Christmas & New Year's Eve in the Hamptons

Hamptons restaurant chefs are bringing out their best for Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve this week. See what’s cooking and pouring for the holidays and more in this week’s bites from the East End “Food Seen.”

Settle in by the hearth at Baron’s Cove on Christmas Day from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for a four-course prix fixe from chef Nicholas Vogel for $100 per person; $30 for children. Chef Vogel has prepared a menu featuring favorites like broiled oysters with Chile butter and bank breadcrumbs; prime rib with glazed carrots, potato pave, au jus and horseradish; glazed ham with roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes and dijon; and crab cakes with haricot vert and creamed polenta with poblano remoulade.

The New Year’s Eve menu at Baron’s Cove includes lobster gnocchi with truffle potato gnocchi and butter poached lobster; braised lamb shank with polenta plus date and gremolata sauce; seared local tuna with cannellini beans and olives, and preserved and candied lemon. The $125 per person, four-course meal is served from 5:30–8 p.m.; the $175 per person six-course meal is served in the second seating from 8 p.m. until close.

Also in Sag Harbor, Lil’ Birdie is offering a Jewish Christmas dinner for two for $75! It includes Peking duck breast, bao pancake, cucumbers and Daikon relish, Manchurian sauce, lotus root salad, scallion pancake and a black sesame sticky bun. Pick-up is on Christmas Eve from 3–5 p.m.

Don’t forget Union Sushi & Steak in Southampton! They’re offering a $69 four-course dinner on Christmas Eve.

Manna at Lobster Inn offers a feast of the seven fishes on Christmas Eve. The four-course dinner with beverage pairings begins with a retro twist: shrimp cocktail paired with a whiskey sour. The second course is a more contemporary bronzino crudo with prosecco. Fritto misto of crispy calamari, zucchini and shrimp with stuffed squash blossoms is paired with a Sancerre for the third course. The fourth dinner course is a frutti di mare with a spicy red sauce, linguini, mussels, clams, lobster and crab with a cabernet franc. Dessert is cannoli made from Italian waffle cookies, with house cannoli cream, chocolate chips, chocolate and caramel sauce, and powdered sugar. The wine is a late-harvest chardonnay from Wölffer. The dinner is $85 with beverage pairings and $55 without them. The menu is available from 5–10 p.m. on Friday, December 24.

Nick & Toni’s offers a unique prix fixe menu for Christmas Eve. The three-course menu is $125 per person and is offered from 5–10 p.m. As well, the eatery will ring in 2022 with a noteworthy menu on December 31. The three-course menu will be $135 per person and features an assortment of antipasti and pastas, as well as entrees like veal chop, free-range chicken and domestic wagyu New York strip. Among desserts, you’ll find a chocolate truffle torte and their signature tartufo for two. The evening starts out with a glass of Marc Hebrart, Extra Brut Rosé and crispy East Coast oyster caviar crema. An a la carte children’s menu (for kids 10 and under) is also available for both holiday dinners.

Calissa in Water Mill is offering special dishes on New Year’s Eve. Look for a variety of Mediterranean dishes for appetizers and main courses. Pre-courses include a choice between the winter mezze platter, raw bar platter, tomato orzo soup or mussels saganaki. Main courses include options of moshari kokkinisto, lamb shank kleftiko or halibut roasted in grape leaves. Vasilopita comes complimentary after dinner. Reservations can be made by visiting their website.

Almond Restaurant will celebrate New Year’s Eve with a notable prix fixe menu. Starting at 9 p.m., a super deluxe, locally-sourced, four-course menu will be offered for $125 per person. A Champagne toast complete with party favors will take place at midnight. The a la carte menu will be available prior to 9 p.m. and a lighter snack menu will be offered at the bar along with specialty cocktails. For reservations, call Almond at 631-537-5665.

Kissaki in Water Mill is offering a special omakase experience for New Year’s Eve. Kissaki will also offer a NYE Midnight Bar Package for $100, which includes a choice of Kissaki draft cocktails, call cocktails from a list of premium spirits, selected sake, wine and beer from 10 p.m.–1 a.m. Diners can ring in 2022 for $200 a person, and reservations require a $100 deposit via Resy. If you’re looking to dine at home, pre-order an omakase kit for pick-up on December 31.

This year, Gurney’s Montauk ends 2021 with an elevated dining experience at Scarpetta Beach on New Year’s Eve; adults can join the resort’s signature bash starting at 8 p.m., featuring music from The Rakiem Walker Project, passed hors d’oeuvres and a premium open bar.

On New Year’s Day, the Gurney’s Montauk party continues at The Regent Cocktail Club where you can sip on signature craft cocktails with entertainment from professional vinyl DJs. Family-friendly activities will take place throughout the weekend, including arts and crafts, bingo and cookie decorating with the chef on New Year’s Day. End the weekend with a boozy brunch back at Scarpetta Beach featuring a poetry station from the Poetry Society of New York, where a typewriter poet will write a custom poem on the spot for each attendee. Reservations can be made directly with the front desk or by calling 833-235-7500 or by visiting gurneysresorts.com/montauk.

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