Cowan’s Public transforms into Miracle on Centre Christmas bar: Video
Cowan’s Public is transformed into a festive Christmas-themed pop up in Nutley, NJ through early January, but don’t forget to make a reservation.
It’s never too late to start a new Christmas Eve tradition.
Take my mom’s favorite December 24th pastime, for example. Each season, we watch A Christmas Story and then attend Christmas Eve mass at the local Presbyterian Church.
This year, though, I’m done with that dull monotony, because 50% of that annual practice is boring, slow, colorless and flat.
And I’m not talking about the mass.
Don’t suffer through another holiday watching some kid getting his tongue stuck to a pole.
Have a decadent Christmas Eve dinner at one of these local restaurants instead.
Gioia Mia, Montclair
Fried calamari, wagyu beef tartare and more are on the menu for Gioia Mia’s upcoming Christmas Eve feast. Showcasing five courses of upscale farm-to-table fare, the special occasion dinner has been designed to impress with high-end chef specialties only available for the evening.
To begin, diners will select between various salads loaded with seafood, candied nuts and/or aged cheeses. Later, they’ll indulge in elevated pastas (think lobster cream caramelle or lasagna rotolo), seasonally-inspired meat dishes (like beef Wellington) and sesame-crusted fish.
And, for dessert, it’s all about the classics — as the team hints at “panettone bread pudding, eggnog creme brûlée and chocolate buttercream yule logs.”
Cost: $95/person. Excludes tax & gratuity.
When/where: 1 to 6:30 p.m. at 331 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 973-233-0350, gioiamianj.com.
Miracle Christmas Bars, Various Locations
The stockings are hung and halls decked (with thousands of lights) at Miracle Pop-Up Christmas Bars; a chain of over-the-top holiday cocktail bars that take over pre-existing restaurants for the December season. This year, the franchise has four North Jersey locations, and each is about as festive as the upper level of the Macy’s in the Rockaway Mall.
Visit a Miracle outpost and disappear into a sea of dazzling silver and gold decor. Sip a wintery cocktail — like the Christmapolitan with vodka and cranberry, or the sherry cream Jingle Balls Nog — and experience the boozy flavors of comfort and cheer.
Whether Santa mugs, fireplaces or that hideous leg lamp from the season’s worst movie, the outrageous holiday destinations have everything necessary to usher in Christmas Day.
Cost: À la carte.
When/where: Various times (most close by 10 p.m.) at locations in Wood-Ridge, Verona, Nutley, Jersey City; miraclepopup.com.
Restaurant Serenade, Chatham
Restaurant Serenade is the perfect Christmas abode. It’s warm and cozy, has towering windows through which to watch the winter sun fade, is run by a delightfully pleasant chef and boasts a menu of lavish, umami dishes.
The only problem with the holiday-friendly spot, however, is that it’s simply not open on Christmas.
It is, though, open on Christmas Eve, and — given its festive appeal — attracts hundreds of locals to its refined December 24 dinner.
Prepared for a sold-out dining room each year (reserve ASAP), the multi-course meal consists of rich, elevated holiday fare. Appetizers like Short Rib Tortellini and Pumpkin Soup are followed by entrées from filet mignon to lemon sole, and desserts filled with baked apples or sweet chocolate mousse complete the prix fixe experience.
Cost: $105/adult, $45/child (10 and under). Excludes tax & gratuity.
When/where: 4 to 9 p.m. at 6 Roosevelt Ave., Chatham; 973-701-0303, restaurantserenade.com.
Zeugma, Montclair
Don’t get me wrong; I love ham (especially the honey-glazed spiral one). When it comes to Christmas meats, though, a slow-roasted rack of lamb is definitely the superior protein.
Melt-in-your-mouth tender, drip-down-your-chin juicy and dusted with mouthwatering spices, the festive centerpiece is luscious when cooked correctly.
This December 24, try it at Zeugma Grill, where — alongside the restaurant’s Mediterranean classics — it’ll be the star special of the evening.
Cost: À la carte.
When/where: 1 to 9 p.m. at 44 S. Park Street, Montclair; zeugmagrill.com.
Osteria Crescendo, Westwood
I can’t tell you what’s on the Christmas Eve menu at Osteria Crescendo, because the courses haven’t been announced yet.
The modern Italian restaurant is known for its playful approach to classic dishes, though, so its probable that the team’s planning process is also characterized by spontaneity.
Whatever they decide to whip up, however, diners can expect innovative dishes reflecting the vibrant flavors of the winter season.
If I had to guess, I’d expect pastas smothered in mushroom sauces (think porcini-topped orecchiette or gnocchi with white truffles), creatively-reimagined staples (like deconstructed chicken marsala) or meats plated like 21st-century pieces of art (possibly wagyu, possibly with alternating swirls of truffle aioli and crispy, wasabi-dusted potatoes).
(PS: Osteria team — if you use those ideas, I totally want 20% of the cut).
Cost: $115/person + tax & gratuity.
When/where: Three seatings (4, 6 and 8 p.m.) at 36 Jefferson Ave., Westwood; 201-722-1900, osteriacrescendo.com.
Umi Hotpot Sushi & Seafood Buffet, East Brunswick
Feast of the seven fishes? More like feast of the seventy seven fishes.
If, of course, you’re willing to drive to East Brunswick.
For $39 a head, though, this grand seafood buffet (which is probably the best all-you-can-eat in the state), is more than worth the 43 minutes in the car.
Cost: $38.99/person.
When/where: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 275 Route 18, East Brunswick; 732-387-2787, umibuffet.com.
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can’t find her in Jersey’s best restaurants, she’s probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, join our NorthJerseyEats Facebook group, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.