Here Comes 2014

Plan the perfect New Year's Eve in Dallas with our handy party guide

Has another year already flown by? According to things like the calendar and math and other mysterious voodoo that nobody truly understands, it appears so.

It might seem a little early to be making plans, but do you really want to be left flat-footed when it’s December 28 and everything is sold out? Not if you’re going to re-create When Harry Met Sally all the way to the final credits. Otherwise it’s just a waste of 12 years.

We’ll keep updating this list as we find more fitting additions, but we hope you can find something here to make sure that you say goodbye to 2013 in a worthy fashion.

Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck
Celebrate at Five Sixty’s new Cloud9 with an open bar from 9 pm to 1 am, plus music and dancing brought to you by DJ J-Barnes. Nosh on dim sum and other Asian bites as well as hand rolled sushi and nigiri by executive sushi chef Hiroyuki Fujino. Tickets are $200.

Lizard Lounge
Get down at Lizard Lounge with 3LAU spinning as well as Johnny Funk, DJ Yosh and Raydar & Shaolin. Doors open at 9 pm, and the party goes to 4 am. Tickets start at $25 for 18+ general admission.

House of Blues Dallas
The Old 97’s are back in town to play the House of Blues. The boys have been around for nearly 20 years, but you wouldn’t know it by their frenetic live shows. Rhett Miller almost surely drinks unicorn blood to stay forever young. Doors open at 8; openers are The Hickolds and RTB2. Tickets start at $30.

Big D NYE 2013
Victory Park plays home to more than 35,000 people from 7 pm to 12:30 am. Fireworks go off at midnight, but there is live music beforehand. The regular party is free to attend and for all ages, but the ViewPoint Bank Red Carpet Party is $150, featuring VIP area with heaters; complimentary beer, wine and cocktails; a champagne toast at midnight; and bites from Pompeii food truck and more. It is 21 and up.

Rock the ’14 with Emerald City Band
The Emerald City Band takes over the InterContinental Dallas for a night of swing music, dancing, a three-course dinner and 25 bars as the band plays music by Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Etta James and more. Tickets start at $70. (Link contains autoplay video.)

DFW Soiree Countdown 2013
The Omni hosts a New Year’s Eve bash and casino from 9 pm to 2 am with live music, a silent auction, dinner buffet, casino lounge and more. Tickets start at $99.

KLUV's Rockin' New Year's Eve Party
98.7 KLUV parties at the Hilton Anatole’s grand ballroom beginning at 8 pm with the greatest hits of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Guests can enjoy an open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvre, DJs, a champagne toast and more. Tickets start at $109.87.

New Year’s Eve in Altitude
Party 33 stories above Dallas at W Dallas’ Altitude club with three DJs, a champagne toast at midnight, and front-row seats to the Big D NYE fireworks show. Party pops off at 9 pm and goes until 2 am. For ticket and bottle service inquiries, call 214-397-4123 or email christina.dodd@whotels.com.

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Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

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