Roast Beast Stuck in the Chimney? Last Push for Christmas Chow

‘Tis three nights before Christmas (that’s two before Christmas Eve)...If you’re still looking at hours of stirring and stirring between wrapping, cooking and last-minute details for feasting with family and friends, stop. Santa has a remedy: the Dish list of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and takeaway dining solutions. Click. Call. Order.  Reservations. Joy to the world, food is on the table.

Check Our List Twice -- Once for Christmas, Once for New Year’s Cheer at Atlanta Restaurants

Cue the lights, Christmas music and fireworks. With Christmas and New Year’s Eve approaching at a rapid rate, Atlanta-area restaurants are preparing to bring the holiday cheer with specials and events galore to celebrate the arrival of Saint Nick and 2015. Reservations will fill up fast, so be sure to call the numbers below for more information and to reserve your spot.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day:

• 10th & Piedmont (404-602-5510) will be open on Christmas Eve, and sister restaurant G’s Midtown (404-872-8012) spreads the Christmas Day love with its popular bar menu available from 6 p.m. – midnight on December 25; communitashospitality.com

• Indulge in everyone’s Yuletide favorites at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland for Christmas Day dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Pricing is $28 for adults, $18 for young adults and $10 for children under 10, and tax and gratuity are not included. Menu highlights include a Big Green Egg smoked turkey breast with caramelized apple and sage stuffing, and classics such as green bean casserole, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry Gran Marnier compote and sweet potato biscuits. Finish it off with a sweet slice of pumpkin cheesecake or Southern pecan pie. Wine pairings are also available to put the cherry on top of the perfect holiday meal. Prefer to bring Christmas dinner home? The carry-out option is $175 for a dinner serving six-eight people and includes an oven-ready turkey, gravy and delicious dressing, potato and casserole sides. There is also a turkey-only option for $70. The 12-pound turkey comes roasted, smoked or fried and is in the pan ready to re-heat. Orders must be placed by December 21 and picked up by December 24 at 6 p.m. 404-876-7249; atkinspark.com

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day:

• Both 10th & Piedmont (404-602-5510) and G’s Midtown (404-872-8012) will celebrate New Year’s Eve from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. Guests can choose from the regular selection or a special menu for $45 per person. Highlights include smoked salmon mousse cups, mini crab cake bites, scallops and caviar, lobster tails, roasted lamb loin, Napa Valley cheesecake and carrot cake. The first course includes a glass of Champagne. Munch on brunch at both restaurants on New Year's Day from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; communitashospitality.com

• Buckhead restaurant Aria is celebrating New Year’s Eve with a $95 per person four-course meal. The second, third and fourth courses give diners the choice of meal option. 404-233-7673; aria-atl.com

• Once Christmas 2014 is in the books, head to Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland on New Year's Eve for several treats, such as shredded confit duck leg ($12), pan-roasted halibut ($24) or smoked prime rib ($26). On New Year's Day, a $12 brunch featuring roasted pork loin with hoppin' John, braised local greens and cornbread will be served starting at 11 a.m. 404-876-7249; atkinspark.com

• Join Bantam + Biddy for New Year’s Day fun. For just $25 on January 1, the restaurant is serving up honey-glazed ham, stewed black-eyed peas, braised collard greens, cornbread and country gravy, and sweet potato pie or carrot cake. Breakfast, including $4 Bloody Marys and mimosas, is served until 3 p.m., but this featured menu is only available while supplies last. All locations are participating; bantamandbiddy.com

• Chick-a-Biddy will begin the first day of 2015 serving brunch. From 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on January 1, guests can enjoy classic brunch items such as fried chicken and waffles with honey butter and maple syrup, almond pancakes with ginger apples and maple syrup, and The Southern, including three JB Farm eggs, grits and black pepper bacon, pimento cheese and toast. 404-588-1888; chickabiddyatl.com

• Keven Gillespie is ready to launch 2015 with a New Year's Eve seven-course tasting menu at Gunshow. The price is $125 per person seven beverage pairings available for an additional $65. 404-380-1886; gunshowatl.com

• Gypsy Kitchen celebrates its first New Year’s Eve with a featured dinner menu for $75 per person. Highlights include NYE Spanish toast, chicken croquetas and a shrimp duo of garlic shrimp and crispy Kataifi-wrapped shrimp. For the entrée, guests will choose among Rioja-braised short ribs, a Catalan-style seafood stew or veggie paella fried rice. 404-939-9840; gypsykitchenatl.com

• HOBNOB is open for dinner New Year's Eve and is offering a special menu in addition to its regular fare. A late-night party kicks off at 10:30 p.m. and includes all-you-can-eat pizzas, beer and Champagne. Tickets are $25 in advance here; $35 tickets at the door. James Patrick Morgan will play the tunes until 12:30 a.m. Festivities include a balloon drop, party favors and a Champagne toast. HOBNOB will also serve New Year’s Day brunch. 404-968-2288; communitashospitality.com

• Toast the New Year from the top of the Hilton Atlanta at Nikolai’s Roof. For $110 per person, diners enjoy an elegant menu including roasted diver scallop, rye crusted halibut and seared beef tenderloin, with the option to include a four- or five-glass wine pairing for additional purchase. 404-221-6362; nikolaisroof.com

• The Pig and the Pearl is offering both their regular menu and a special menu for a New Year’s Eve celebration to remember. For $50 a person, indulge in four courses and bubbly with dessert. Menu items include oysters, smoked prawn and octopus, coffee-rubbed lamb ribs and flourless tuxedo chocolate cake. 404-541-0930; thepigandthepearl.com

• Ring in the New Year with Ray’s. All Ray’s Restaurants locations will be open on New Year’s Eve from 5 p.m.-11 p.m. serving a prix fixe dinner menu. The bars stay open until 1 a.m. Festivities at Ray’s on the River take place in the Grand Pavilion from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Riverside New Year’s Eve Celebration. For $135 per person (plus tax and gratuity), attendees will enjoy a premium open bar, live music and dancing, an all-you-can-eat buffet with live action stations, a balloon drop and Champagne toast at midnight. Parties of 10 or more purchasing tickets by December 15 receive 10% off. 770-955-1187; raysrestaurants.com

• The Shed celebrates New Year’s Eve with a four-course prix fixe meal with bubbly and a toast at midnight. Menu items include tuna tartare, pumpkin ravioli, hot smoked salmon, saffron risotto and vanilla crème brulee. 404-835-4363; theshedatglenwood.com

• The Southern Gentleman offers a $75 five-course menu for New Year’s Eve dinner. Guests will nosh on favorites including pimento cheese gougeres, she-crab bisque and filet mignon. 404-939-9845; thesoutherngentlemanatl.com

• At Trader Vic’s, New Year's Eve dinner is accompanied by live music from Bogey and the Viceroy Quartet from 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. The special menu, available for $60 per person, starts with Thai pepper shrimp, followed by Trader’s crumbled goat cheese salad and smoked Maple Leaf duck breast or Asian stir fry beef. The grand finale is coconut and cardamom pudding. 404-221-6339; tradervicsatl.com

Atlanta Restaurants Give Gift of Time through Holiday and Christmas Meal Solutions

 

Total immersion in holiday activities can push meal planning and shopping to the bottom of Santa's to-do list. Parties, cookie exchanging, Santa visits, ice skating, holiday light viewing, concerts, church services and shopping for the perfect gift all vie for time. By providing meal and carry-out ideas, Atlanta restaurants can provide a much-appreciated gift, freeing you up to savor the seasonal fun stuff with family and friends.  

Enjoy Christmas Eve dinner at Aqua blue in Roswell. From 4-9 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24, a special three-course menu is offered for $29 per person in addition to the full à la carte menu. Look for the Aqua blue daily soup, a 12-ounce rib-eye with horseradish sauce and house-made warm chocolate cake. Reservations: 770-643-8886.  

On Christmas Day in Virginia-Highland, Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar will light something big and green that doesn't shed needles. Turkey breast smoked on the Big Green Egg and served with caramelized apple and sage stuffing and cider gravy stars on their prix fixe Christmas dinner menu. Bourbon-glazed ham with roasted root vegetables joins the party as a second main while green bean casserole with crispy onions and roasted mushrooms, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry Grand Marnier compote and sweet potato biscuits are new twists on classic sides. Peppermint cheesecake and Southern pecan pie close the festive meal. $28 for adults, $18 for young adults and $10 for the under-10 set (tax and gratuity not included). Doors open at 6 p.m., and reservations are recommended: 404-876-7249.

Bantam + Biddy's family meals provide the gift of time during this jam-packed season. For $45, three to five family members or friends can take home a whole rotisserie chicken, meatloaf or herb-roasted pork loin, served with a family sized organic green salad, choice of dressing, cornbread (gluten-free bread upon request), three family sized sides and a half gallon of fresh-brewed tea. Family meals are take-out only and require 30 minutes advance notice. Phone orders at 404-907-3469 and pick up curbside. 

Take a breather at a Communitas Hospitality restaurant on Christmas Eve. HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern, 10^th & Piedmontand G's are all open and serving their regular menus on Tuesday, December 24. New American gastropub G's is open with its regular hours and serving from the bar menu on Christmas Day. Convenient to know if you want to head out for some Christmas cheer, or Christmas dinner doesn't quite turn out as you hope. 

Outsource holiday dessert crafting to Sweet Dee's Bakeshop. Place custom orders by Friday, December 20. Open for limited hours on Tuesday, December 24 for custom-order pick-ups only. Sweet questions? Call 770-696-4461. 

A Christmas Eve feast awaits at South City Kitchen Midtown. From 5-9 p.m., enjoy a three-course prix fixe menu priced at $45 for adults and $22.50 for children 12 and under. Choose one appetizer, entrée and dessert with options such as old Charleston she-crab soup with fresh cream and sherry; roasted turkey breast with giblet gravy, cornbread dressing, collard greens, whipped potatoes and orange-cranberry sauce; pan-seared salmon with mushroom farrotto, arugula salad with port wine vinaigrette; and Southern chocolate pecan pie. Reservations: 404-873-7358. 

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant will be RA-rockin' around the Christmas tree with Christmas Eve hours of 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Christmas Day from 4-11 p.m. (bar open until midnight or later). Holiday cheer drink specials all day on Christmas.

On Atlanta's north side, Ray's on the River and Ray's on the Creekwill both be open on Christmas Eve from 5-9 p.m. Celebrate this special night with mouthwatering succulent seafood, hand-cut steaks, signature specialties and carefully selected wines all served by attentive staff.