Chefs at area restaurants serving dinner for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve may have outdone themselves in creating menus with festive and unusual dishes this year. Reservations are needed soon for those hoping to dine out with family and friends on those days.
Consider, for instance, the Foie Gras and Flapjacks choice among the nine first-course appetizers for New Year’s Eve at Square Bistro in Chardon. Owner/Executive Chef Jaret Havanchek’s menu describes it as Seared Foie Gras atop an Apple Cinnamon Pancake with Blueberry Maple Syrup and Red Vein Sorrel.
Square Bistro’s three-course New Year’s Eve dinner, priced at $75 per person, will be served from 4 to 9 p.m. that Wednesday evening. Those hoping to pace themselves might choose the Lobster Bisque instead or perhaps the Roasted Beet Salad with Poached Red and Golden Beets, Orange Segments, Fried Goat Cheese Croquettes and a Blood Orange Vinaigrette garnished with pistachios.
Diners at Square Bistro — on Chardon Square, at 205 Main St. — will find seven entrees to choose from on the New Year’s Eve menu. Of course, they include a couple of variations of steak and lobster tail, including the traditional surf and turf. A lobster tail, at $20 extra, is available with any entree. There’s also Wild Boar Bolognese and Rack of Lamb or, for lighter appetites, the Alaskan Sablefish, pan-roasted with sea salt and herbs and served with Lemon Basil Pesto Beurre Blanc, Ancient Grains with Fried Capers and Haricot Verts. Perhaps most intriguing is the Japanese Pumpkin Ravioli, embracing a blend of Kabocha, Sweet Potato and Mascarpone in a Carrot Pasta Dough with grilled Chicken Breast, Candied Pecans, Caramelized Apples, Cotija Cheese and Roasted Sage Brown Butter.
Check square-bistro.com for its dessert options. Reservations: 440-279-0101.
Dinner with a Lake Erie view is a treat at The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, where the shoreside Horizons Restaurant serves up a Christmas Eve Buffet from 4 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 24 and a New Year’s Eve dinner on Dec. 31. Christmas carolers, singing throughout the Lodge, will add to the holiday spirit.
Carved prime rib and maple-glazed ham anchor a buffet of entrees that also include Roasted Turkey Breast with Dressing and Gravy, baskets of Battered Fish and Chips and Cheese Tortellini and Alfredo, plus Chicken Tenders for kids. Meals are made to order, with sides such as Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes, Garlic Buttered Green Beans, Roasted Asparagus and Maple and Pecan Roasted Sweet Potatoes. There will also be a soup station and assorted salads.
The Christmas Eve Dinner buffet is $49.99 per person for adults and $18.99 for children 12 and under.
New Year’s Eve dinner at Horizons will be available from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a special à la carte menu that includes Garlic Butter Crab Legs and 4-ounce Grilled Filet Medallion ($54.99), served with a Red Wine Veal Reduction, Roasted Fingerling Potato, Asparagus and Honey Thyme Rainbow Carrots, as well as Crispy Parmesan Chicken Carbonara ($29.99), served with Black Pepper Linguine, Roasted Garlic Cream, Sugar Snap Peas and Pancetta. The regular menu also will be available. Top it all off with a Mango Cheesecake ($10) served with Champagne Strawberries.
Toast to new beginnings while watching the ball drop in the lounge at midnight. The space will be open from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
It’s at 4488 N. Broadway (also known as Route 534) in Geneva-on-the-Lake. Call 440-466-7100, ext. 2, for dinner reservations.
A special Hot Chocolate Flight is designed to captivate folks on Fridays and Saturdays during December at Horizons. Ideal for sharing, it’s available in alcoholic ($18.99) and non-alcoholic ($13.99) versions. They include The Judy (nilk chocolate, marshmallow); Candy Cane Lane (Iced peppermint, white chocolate); Christmas Cheer (dark chocolate, marshmallow, maple syrup); and Gingerbread Man (dark chocolate, gingerbread spices).
A hot chocolate flight, available in alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions, is available on Fridays and Saturdays through December at the Lodge in Geneva-on-the-Lake. (Courtesy of The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake)
Noosa Bistro, 9500 Diamond Center Blvd., Mentor, also has a special menu for both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Menu highlights include Oysters Rockefeller and Surf and Turf, along with a Seafood Cobbler. Reservations are needed at 440-953-1088. Check out Noosabistro.com for details.
Dining and Cooking