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You went along with what was best for everyone for Christmas. Or Hanukkah. Now it’s New Year’s Eve, and it’s no time to eat pizza rolls in front of the TV all night with Aunt Doris. It’s time to do what YOU want to do, and Richmond’s offering up something for everyone — across all ages, price ranges, naughtiness levels and volume tolerances. We’re breaking it down into a dinner-and-a-party extravaganza based on a Venn diagram of these attributes: Fun, Fancy, Foodie and Fierce. Choose wisely, and enjoy responsibly (or get a free cab).
Fancy / Fierce: Rogue Gentlemen & Decemberween
Let RG’s $90 tasting menu fuel you up for the Party Liberation Front’s over-the-top Decemberween party: rockfish salad over shallot panna cotta with caviar, Korean barbecue, beef Bolognese and duck liver mousse gelato (plus other amazing plates) should pack enough of a caloric punch to keep you dancing to all 12 DJs. Major bonuses at Decemberween: live fire performances and Josephine the Colossal Skeletal Marionette.
Foodie / Fun: Pasture & Off the Hookah’s Great Gatsby party
Jason Alley’s effervescent creativity will be all over the specials menu at Pasture on the 31st (no spoilers), so start your lively evening of surprises there before planting yourself firmly in Off the Hookah’s 30,000 square feet of frivolity. 6 bars, 3 DJs, and lots of beautiful, flappery people to watch. Wear something sharp and sparkly.
Fun / Fun: Burger Bach & Ball Drop at the Byrd
Burger Bach is serving up excellent eats at excellent prices to get you in a bubbly mood —maybe bubbly enough to withstand the crowds at the Carytown ball drop unscathed. Half a dozen raw oysters and two glasses of sparkling wine for $20! Double it for a special double-vision viewing of the 350-LED light spectacle.
Fancy / Fancy: Maple & Pine and the Skyball
You know David Dunlap of Quirk Hotel's restaurant, Maple & Pine, will have nothing but beautiful culinary tricks up his sleeve to bid a proper farewell to 2015. Chestnut soup or lamb belly? Smoked salmon, braised veal, almond-encrusted lamb? Roasted seckel pear with black truffle or espresso chocolate mousse? Top off your elegant dinner with the 007-themed Skyball at Belle & James: Bond-themed cocktails, party favors and champagne will be abundant. Wear your finest conspicuously inconspicuous attire.
Foodie / Fierce: Rappahannock & RVANYE
If gorgeous platters of seafood are the key to your heart, the NYE menu at Rappahannock is going to have you singing love songs. Tuna crudo; rockfish and barcat oyster bourride; wood-grilled octopus, monkfish or scallops … the $55 prix-fixe menu will not disappoint. Nor will it stuff you so full of carbs that you can’t lose your mind to the brilliant beats Gent & Jawns are laying down at the Siegel Center. And you will. They’re amazing. RVANYE also boasts free snacks, a glass of bubbles and a huge custom LED video tower.
N/A: CVS candy & Star Wars
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