Publication Date: Friday, December 23, 2005
Picks for '06
Picks for '06
(December 23, 2005) New Year's Eve comes in many flavors and forms for Palo Altans
by Rebecca Wallace
Some simply must have champagne and lobster bisque on New Year's Eve. Others hanker for mashed potatoes and gravy.
Still others want a milky-white cow.
New Year's Eve comes in many flavors and forms in the Palo Alto area this year. Offerings include multi-course meals, an organ concert and a Big Band dance.
Theater is also an option on Dec. 31: TheatreWorks stages "Into the Woods," a musical with such fairytale characters as Cinderella and the bovine Milky-White.
No New Year's date? Things could change the night before, when the ballroom at Michael's Restaurant at Shoreline Park in Mountain View hosts a dance party for singles.
And if things don't change -- well, more bisque for you.
Below is a sampling of the many New Year's events in the Palo Alto area:
"Dressy attire" is recommended for the Pre-New Year's Eve Gala for Singles held from 8 p.m. to midnight on Dec. 30 at Michael's Restaurant at Shoreline Park. The $25 cost includes hors d'oeuvres and dancing to oldies and modern tunes. Call (650) 327-4645.
TheatreWorks' "Into the Woods" has shows at 2 and 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 and at 2 and 7 p.m. on Jan. 1, at the Lucie Stern Theatre at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Tickets range from $20 (students) to $54. Go to www.theatreworks.org.
Organist James Welch performs a New Year's Eve concert at 8 p.m. at St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 600 Colorado Ave. in Palo Alto. The program includes such Bach works as "Toccata in F Major." There is a suggested $10 donation for the hour-long concert. Call (650) 326-3800.
New Year's Eve goes retro when Paul Price's Society Orchestra plays vintage jazz from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Masonic Center Ballroom at 461 Florence St. in Palo Alto. Evening dress is standard, with period attire optional. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door and include a light buffet, beverages and midnight champagne. Call (650) 279-3598.
Four Shillings Short, a homegrown Palo Alto group playing Celtic, folk and world music, hosts a New Year's Eve party for all at 760 Homer Ave. in Palo Alto. Call (650) 274-1100.
Here's what some local restaurants are planning:
British Bankers' Club, 1090 El Camino Real in Menlo Park, (650) 327-8769. Five-course meal and live band playing alternative music $75 per person.
California Roadhouse, 401 Castro St. in Mountain View, (650) 254-8981. A la carte menus can be ordered until 7:30 p.m. Starting at 9, there's a $50 four-course meal including lobster bisque, filet mignon and cheesecake. Champagne and party favors are included, and The Vegas Nights will play rock 'n' roll.
Dan Brown's, 4141 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, (650) 493-9020. A $20 cover charge means DJs, dancing and a buffet table including fried chicken, mashed potatoes, meat loaf and apple and pecan pies. Dan has also reserved rooms at the Townhouse Inn across the street for $65 a night.
Fanny & Alexander Restaurant, 412 Emerson St. in Palo Alto, (650) 326-7183. DJ Uncle Hank is on tap from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and include champagne and party favors.
Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana, 520 Cowper St. in Palo Alto, (650) 853-3888. Champagne and an expanded menu, including grilled ahi tuna with martini mustard sauce and braised baby fennel and balsamic reduction.
Spago, 265 Lytton Ave. in Palo Alto, (650) 833-1000. The Gabe Lucas Jazz Trio will play all night. First dinner seating is a la carte at 5 p.m. Second seating is at 8 p.m. and is a five-course preset menu at $120 per person (excluding alcohol other than the midnight champagne toast).
Trader Vic's, 4269 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, (650) 849-9800. Polynesian-style gala with three-course meal, tropical decor and party favors. First seating is at 5:30 p.m. and $65 per person; second seating starts at 9 p.m. and is $85 per person, including champagne and leis.
Zibibbo, 430 Kipling St. in Palo Alto, (650) 328-6722. First seating starts at 5:30 p.m., at $65 a person with a two-and-a-half-hour limit on the table. Second seating starts at 7:30 p.m. At $95 per person, it includes party favors, champagne and dancing to the cover band Sonic Strut.
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