Ready to ditch 2021 and say hello to 2022? Here are some spots to dine deliciously and celebrate the New Year.
Santa Rosa
Epicenter: Family party 5- 9 p.m. with laser tag, bounce houses, video games, magic show and bowling. Watch the ball drop at 9 p.m. and celebrate with a sparkling cider. Buffet menu includes cheeseburger sliders, pizza, chicken wings, fruit platter, fries and chocolate-topped cream puffs. 3215 Coffey Lane, Santa Rosa.
John Ash & Co.: Four-course dinner with choice of pheasant and quail terrine, beef carpaccio, avocado and tofu poke stack, baked rock shrimp cannelloni, portobello Wellington, Liberty duck breast, diver scallops, beef filet, blood orange creme brulee and huckleberry pavlova. Book at vintnersresort.com. 4330 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa.
La Gare: Four-course dinner with potato leek soup and Caesar salad, followed by choice of chicken cordon bleu, beef Wellington, prime rib, Australian lobster tail or surf and turf. For dessert, chocolate caramel cake. Three seatings: 5 p.m., 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. For reservations, call 707-528-4355. 208 Wilson St., Santa Rosa.
Ricky’s Eastbound: Pick-up dinner of herb-roasted lamb shank, au gratin potatoes, honey-roasted Brussels sprouts, salad and rolls. $110 for two, $215 for four. Email order to rickyseastboundorders@gmail.com. 5755 Mountain Hawk Drive, Santa Rosa.
Healdsburg
Matheson: Two New Year’s Eve parties at the tri-level restaurant. Downstairs, the menu includes caviar on smoked brioche with whipped tofu; seafood matsutake chawanmushi with Maine lobster and sea urchin; aged Sonoma duck with salsify, chard and mandarin; beef Wellington with whipped potato and Périgord truffle. Also a few specials, including Alba white truffle (additional cost) and house-cured foie gras. The Chef’s Tasting Menu Dinner is planned for the dining room and mezzanine for $175 per person (5 p.m. seating) and $275 per person (8 p.m. seating). Tickets available at exploretock.com.
Upstairs, Roof 106 will have an a la carte menu for walk-in customers (you can queue up at the host stand in front of the restaurant) from lunchtime to midnight. The menu includes wood-fired pizzas, appetizers, sushi rolls and deserts from the dinner menu.
The Matheson party continues with a ticketed New Year’s Eve celebration from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. for $100 per person (must be 21 years and older). Music from the band Notorious, a DJ on Roof 106 and a midnight toast. The Matheson will have a la carte food, champagne, wine and cocktails available to order. Find details at exploretock.com/thematheson or by calling 707-723-1106. 106 Matheson St., Healdsburg.
Valette: Six-course tasting menu with caviar ($95 extra), Dungeness crab tartare, scallop en croute, mushroom gnocchi with prosciutto and truffle, maple-glazed Liberty Farms duck breast, American wagyu filet and Million Dollar Bar. $150 per person. Reserve at valettehealdsburg.com/reservations or 707-473-0946. 344 Center St., Healdsburg.
Rohnert Park
Sally Tomatoes: Served buffet dinner with salad, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, prime rib and chocolate bourbon torte. Stand-up comedy show and live music. Tickets at bit.ly/32rFUbQ. 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park, sallytomatoes.com
Sebastopol
Blue Ridge Kitchen: Enjoy dinner and a party at The Barlow. Three-course meal includes oysters and shrimp cocktail starters and entrees of braised Kobe beef short ribs, cioppino or butter-poached black cod. Lavender panna cotta or Mississippi mud pie for dessert. $95 per person, including admission to the after-party. Call 707-222-5040 for reservations. 6770 McKinley St., Sebastopol. brkitchen.com
Gravenstein Grill: Winter vegetable croquette, root vegetable salad, French onion soup, Dungeness crab salad, New York strip steak, Liberty duck breast, wild mushroom gnocchi and Meyer lemon tartlet. $150 per person; call for reservations, 707-634-6142. 8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. gravensteingrill.com
Sonoma
Glen Ellen Star: New Year’s Eve menu starts with a sparkling wine toast and housemade Parker House rolls with brown butter. For dinner, choose between wood-baked halibut with slow-cooked fennel and saffron, sultanas, toasted pine nuts and sauce Maltaise or New York strip steak with Romanesco sauce, caramelized shallots and pomegranate Bordelaise. Entrees come with rigatoni cacao e pepe, 24North Parmesan Reggiano and grated Perigord truffles, served family-style. $100 per person. 13648 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen. Reserve through resy.com or at glenellenstar.com. 707-343-1384.
Kivelstadt Cellars Eatery: Truffle fries and a glass of 2020 Carignane Pet-Nat Wondering for $15 on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Josh Yenne will play live from 1- 3 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New Year’s Day. Reserve at kivelstadtcellars.com or exploretock.com. 22900 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-938-7001.
Layla at MacArthur Place: Dungeness crab cakes, warm Berkshire pork belly, stuffed Sonoma quail and a choice of two seasonal desserts. $110 with wine pairings available for $60 extra. Seatings at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma. Reservations at macarthurplace.com, 707-938-2929.
Picazo Kitchen & Bar: Traditional Mexican chile en nogada with poblano chile stuffed with veggie peccadillo, vegan walnut sauce, pomegranate and parsley, all served with cilantro rice and corn flour tortillas. Other options include lobster tail pasta with fettucine Alfredo or 6-ounce steak frites with chimichurri. Reserve ahead both for dine-in and take-out. $45 for one, $85 for two. 19101 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, 707-935-3287.
Sonoma Grille and Bar: Three courses include choice, for the first course, of raw Royal Miyagi oysters, chilled baby scallops with sweet and spicy sauce, lobster bisque drizzled with basil oil or blood orange salad with feta, pistachios, frisée and Champagne vinaigrette. Entrees are a choice three-cheese ravioli with tomato sauce; spinach fettuccine with sea scallops; Blue Nose seabass with Tuscan lentils or tenderloin filet with grilled asparagus and crispy shoestring potatoes. For dessert, choice of chocolate torte with gelato and chocolate sauce, cranberry pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce or strawberry cheesecake with strawberry Champagne sauce. $80 per person. 5 -10 p.m. Also open New Year’s Day. 165 W. Napa St., Sonoma. Reserve at 707-938-7542.
Wit & Wisdom: Multi-course meal includes a caviar amuse bouche of Yukon gold roti with crème fraîche and Mina Reserve Osetra caviar and dill. A la carte first course includes choice of smoked burrata with Burgundy truffle and shaved Alba white truffles ($35) or ahi tuna tartare with quail egg. Additional courses include scallops, wild mushroom tagliatelle, lobster pot pie, eye of ribeye steak with potato puree and creamed spinach. Add a black truffle to any course for an additional $65. For dessert, a “Farewell to 2021 chocolate extravaganza” consists of Valrhona milk chocolate cream, brownie bar, gold leaf and Champagne gelée. Reserve at opentable.com/r/wit-and-wisdom-sonoma. Dinner is 5 -9 p.m., and the bar will be open late for a complimentary Champagne toast at midnight. 1325 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-931-3405.
Valley Ford
Dinucci’s: Antipasti plate, minestrone, salad, ravioli with Bolognese sauce, filet mignon or Alaskan halibut, mashed potatoes and cheesecake. $42 per person. Music from Nick Foxer. Book online at dinuccisrestaurant.com or call 707-876-3260. 14485 Valley Ford Road, Valley Ford.
Kathleen Hill contributed to this article.