We’ve now entered the final push toward the end of 2020, and while the prospect of a new year always tends to be accompanied by optimism and excitement, this year we are especially looking forward to bidding farewell to the year that was with an array of luxurious and decadent festive fare.
Although most Canadian restaurants outside of B.C. aren’t currently offering dine-in services for New Year’s Eve, there are still plenty of interesting takeout options, pre-prepared meal kits, and festive sips on offer from many of the country’s premier dining destinations.
TL; DR - It's finally the end of 2020! Treat yourself to some delicious food and drink from an independent restaurant.
From a multi-course masquerade "ball" at Vancouver’s Pourhouse to a deliciously indulgent Italian feast for two from Saskatoon’s Primal, or an especially festive collaboration and virtual party at The Drake, here are 14 delicious ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve in style across Canada.
CRAFT Beer Market
Inspired by their popular Brewmaster’s Dinner series, CRAFT Beer Market’s aptly named Byeee 2020 New Year’s Eve Brewmaster’s Dinner will offer viewers a chance to partake in a unique tasting experience featuring a five-course menu curated by CRAFT chefs across the country.
The interactive virtual event will feature a selection of local wine and beer pairings, special guest appearances, and will include live demos broadcast from CRAFT kitchens across Canada explaining how to reheat or plate menu items, as well as the concepts behind them. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Deane House (Calgary, AB)
One of Calgary’s top holiday dining destinations year after year, Deane House is offering Calgarians a chance to take its award-winning restaurant experience home this New Year’s Eve with three delicious pre-prepared family-style dinners.
For the main course, diners will have the option between a bouillabaisse, a Borderland braised bison, and a leek and oyster mushroom tart. Each of the three dishes come complete with fried quinoa, sautéed bok choy, green salad, red fife wheat baguette, and a chocolate pave for dessert.
Additional wine pairings are available upon checkout. Orders can be made online.
The Drake (Toronto, ON)
Despite not being able to hold its annual end-of-year blowout, no Canadian New Year’s Eve compilation would be complete without Toronto institution, The Drake. For New Year’s Eve, all of the Drake chefs have collaborated to create a three-course menu featuring Drake Commissary bread and roast eggplant dip to start, followed by a steelhead salmon nicoise, short-rib with beans, rapini and gremolata, and a sticky toffee pudding to finish.
As an added bonus, The Drake has prepared a selection of festive sips that can be purchased upon checkout, including its newly developed NYE Spritz Cocktail Kit. The Drake will also be hosting a virtual New Year’s Eve show from Drake Underground that will be live-streamed.
L’Express (Montreal, QC)
The holiday season and Montreal’s acclaimed Restaurant L’Express have gone hand-in-hand for many Montrealers for years. And while like most Canadian restaurants this New Year’s Eve, L’Express won’t be offering its traditional in-house dining experience, they have put together a fantastic takeout menu for two to keep the tradition alive.
Priced at $98, the menu includes a mixed apero platter, a gravlax de saumon, a savoury duck and cèpe pie, and a chestnut bûche. Additionally, an array of offerings from the restaurant’s famous cave à vin will be available upon request. Orders can be placed over the phone.
Five Sails (Vancouver, B.C.)
If you’re looking for a traditional decadent New Year’s Eve dining experience in Vancouver, look no further than acclaimed eatery Five Sails. Known for its scenic views and sophisticated West Coast cuisine, Five Sails is offering guests a five-course menu that covers all the bases.
From locally-sourced oysters and smoked salmon to black truffle terrine and wild mushroom ravioli, to pan seared foie gras, scallops, and dover sole risotto, Five Sail’s menu will ensure you bid farewell to 2020 in the most luxurious of ways.
Fusion Grill (Winnipeg, MB)
Another long standing restaurant institution that seems to be synonymous with celebration, Winnipeg’s Fusion Grill is offering guests a memorable multi-course meal that includes arctic char gravlax with Northern Pike Caviar, a Prairie dukkah beet salad, a spicy paella, slow-roasted beef back ribs, and more
To cap off the evening, Fusion is providing a baked mascarpone cheesecake with whipped blueberry and sparkling wine cream, a 13th Street BRUT Cuvee Rose, and a special surprise from Archangel Fireworks.
Maenam (Vancouver, B.C.)
For the first time ever, acclaimed chef Angus An has made his New Year’s Eve chef’s tasting menus available for takeout, so whether you’d prefer to ring in the new year with an incredible restaurant dining experience or from the comfort of your own home, Maenam has you covered.
Each of chef An’s three New Year’s Eve menus include a duo of snacks, two starters, a trio of mains and a pair of desserts to finish. While you can’t go wrong with any of the available dishes, the spicy grilled scallop, the red cumin curry of duck confit, and the grilled banana with coconut-caramel sauce are definite standouts.
Reservations for dining in can be made over the phone, while orders for chef An’s tasting menus can be made online on December 31.
Mon Lapin (Montreal, QC)
If chef-curated multi-course menus aren’t your thing but you still want to toast to the year that was with world class wines and award-winning cuisine, Montreal’s Mon Lapin is likely the option for you.
From a duck confit in smoked fat with pine and juniper to the salade rose (radicchio, red endives, elderberries, pumpkin seed praline vinaigrette, foie gras), to a mascarpone buckwheat bûche, Mon Lapin’s holiday à la carte menu has everything you need to make a memorable New Year’s Eve.
Oliver and Bonacini (Toronto, ON)
The Oliver and Bonacini restaurant group has assembled a selection of delicious seasonal offerings for New Year’s Eve in Toronto, and while there are many options to choose from, the Beef Wellington for Two kit by Canoe is definitely a standout.
Each kit comes complete with a 14-ounce beef Wellington, seasonal vegetables, red wine jus, evergreen butter, and a pastry brush. Other New Year’s Eve options include a cioppino kit, a seafood platter, a prime porterhouse kit, and a plethora of sides and desserts.
Orders can be made online. All delivery orders must be a minimum of $100 before tax.
Pourhouse (Vancouver, B.C.)
Vancouver’s Pourhouse is giving guests an opportunity to get glamourous on New Year’s Eve with its Mask-erade Ball multi-course dinner. Diners are invited to dress in masquerade ball-themed attire for a two-and-a-half-hour socially distanced dining experience that features the option between a tartare trio, squash veloute, or devils on horseback to start.
For the main course, diners will have the choice between a grilled sirloin, ling cod, or wild mushroom gnocchi, and for dessert, Pourhouse will offer guests a crème brûlée, Mississippi mud pie, or apple crumble.
Primal Pasta (Saskatoon, SK)
Primal chef Christie Peters has created a beautiful takeout special to help Saskatonians ring in the new year in style. Designed to feed two, Primal’s decadent New Year’s Eve takeout special includes a Caesar salad and fried bread to start, beef tenderloin with creamy polenta with winter vegetables and a truffle spaghetti for the main courses, and butterscotch budino and chocolate truffles for dessert.
Additional caviar, oysters, and sparkling wine options are available with each order. Pre-orders can be made on December 29 and 30.
RGE RD (Edmonton, AB)
Edmonton’s award-winning farm-to-table eatery RGE RD is treating diners to a luxurious New Year’s Eve take home kit, designed to feed two. To start things off, RGE has prepared a Northern Divine caviar platter with all of the traditional accompaniments. Next, diners will be treated to a sunchoke soup, scallops with squash and house cured pork and pepitas, Dexter beef loin with root vegetable pave, mushrooms, and jus, and a selection of sweet treats for dessert.
Additionally, as fans of the popular eatery might expect, RGE is also offering the option to add charcuterie boxes from its newly opened The Butchery. Orders can be placed online.
Rouge (Calgary, AB)
Chef Paul Rogalski and the culinary team at Rouge have put together a luxurious New Year’s Eve multi-course dinner that features a smoked salmon and potato salad with black truffle dressing to start, followed by an oyster mushroom linguini, a bacon-wrapped filet mignon, and a chocolate bombe with Grand Marnier flambe with blueberry chutney and chantilly to finish.
Each kit includes house-made rolls with roasted garlic butter and are priced at $80 per person. Orders can be placed online.
Winebar Kensington (Calgary, AB)
One of Calgary's longest running wine bars, Wine Bar Kensington is putting its best foot forward for December 31 with a delicious-sounding Lobster Thermidor dinner package. Available in a whole or half lobster format ($45 or $65 respectively) and served with brandy, white wine and peppercorn sauce, potato croquettes, roasted Brussels sprouts and squash with maple vanilla vinaigrette and a "Death by Chocolate" mousse, the dinner is designed to be reheated at home and must be picked up on New Year's Eve between 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Orders and desired pick-up times can be made online.