Time to get your New Year's on!

SPECIAL EVENTS & PERFORMANCES

New Year’s Eve in Loft District. Celebrate New Year’s Eve in style and drink all you want – and let someone else do the driving throughout downtown Birmingham’s historic Loft District. Purchase an armband and bus pass for $10 at any participating club and you’ll receive half-price cover change at all five venues, access to the party bus that runs every 15 minutes and a special price of $89 for a room at the Redmont Hotel. Bus passes may also be purchased on the bus New Year’s Eve. Participating venues are The Wine Loft, Steel, Rogue Tavern, Metro Bistro and Above, the rooftop bar at the Redmont. Transportation runs 8 p.m.-2:30 a.m. For more information, call one of the participating venues. 

“New Year’s Swingin’ Eve.” Pelham Civic Center, 500 Amphitheater Road, Pelham. The Birmingham Swing Dancers present the Clay Swafford Band, a Birmingham-based Memphis and jump blues band, with an emphasis on swing. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. $45; advance $40. Admission includes snacks, ice water, party favors and breakfast buffet with midnight champagne toast. Cash bar. Dress in holiday attire. (205) 903-0278.  www.birminghamswingdancers.com

John Morgan. Comedy Club Stardome, 1818 Data Drive. The “Ragin’ Cajun” returns to the Magic City with his outrageous act, headlining three New Year’s Eve shows. He’ll appear with Roy Wood Jr. at 6:30 & 8:45 p.m., and with Wood and Lester Bibbs at 11 p.m. $25. Morgan makes solo appearances Jan. 2 at 7:30 & 9:45 p.m and Jan. 3 at 7:30 pm. $16.50. (205) 444-0008. www.stardome.com

To Mock a Killing Bird. Birmingham Festival Theatre, 1901 11th Ave. South. Those wild and funny guys from the Extemporaneous Theatre Company will present this original improvised murder mystery show. 8 p.m. $15; advance $12. Student and group discounts available. (205) 687-5233. www.extemporaneoustheatre.com 

LIVE MUSIC

Five-O – The Rare Martini

Honeybaked/The Big Tasties – Stillwater Pub

Az Izz — Iron Horse Café

Bethany Borg Trio — The J. Clyde

Billy, Billy & Jesse — Innisfree Pub

Caddle — Metro Bistro

DJ B-Bryan — Steel Urban Lounge

DJ Mike A — Base Camp

Earthbound — Open Door Café

Failed Escape/Todd Simpson — Tipsy’s

Honeybaked/The Big Tasties — Stillwater Pub

Hunter Lawley Band — Superior Grill

Kids Got the Disco/Nastique/DJ Coco — Bottletree

Little G Weevil, Elnora Spencer & 2 Blu — Moe’s Original Bar B Que

LOBOTOMIX — Speakeasy

Midnight Train — Oak Hill Bar & Grill

Ona Watson & Champagne — Ona’s Music Room

Strawberry Fields — Old Car Heaven

Stuart McNair & the Contraband — Marty’s

Taylor Hollingsworth/Kate Taylor/Walker Yancey — Rojo

The Dexateens/BeItTheMeans — The Nick

Thrine — Oasis

Total Assets — WorkPlay

Trotline/Sam Hunt — Zydeco

Wait Five — Margarita Grill

DINING

Ranking second behind Valentine’s as the busiest night of the year in most restaurants, New Year’s Eve traditionally means plenty of feasts. Below are some notes on what Birmingham-area restaurants have planned for Thursday, Dec. 31. 

Guests of the Hot & Hot Fish Club will enjoy a five-course meal that includes house specialties such as Jumbo Lump Blue Crab salad, lobster bisque, wild mushroom risotto, aged beef strip, rack of lamb and a chocolate sampler platter. The $75 price includes one glass of champagne, and party favors will be provided for those who make late reservations and choose to ring in 2010 with the Hot & Hot staff. The complete menu is online at http://hotandhotfishclub.com. To make a reservation, call (205) 933-5474. 

Check out the selection of edibles scheduled to be served at the Veranda on Highland on New Year’s Eve: 

Amuse Bouche

 Bayou La Batre Vichyssoise with Choupique Caviar
 

First Course

Crispy Apalachicola Oysters Hoppin’ John – Thinly shaved pickled cabbage, black-eyed peas, bacon lardons, candied onions, tiny tomatoes tossed in a Meyer lemon vinaigrette 

Curried Duck Confit – Baby spinach, spicy pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, goat cheese and torn mint with a warm curry emulsion   

Smokey and Gnocchi – Julienne of house-smoked Hereford beef, Crimini  mushrooms and melted leeks, tossed with sour cream gnocchi in a rich fond with shaved Reggiano 

Main Course

Pepper-crusted yellow-fin tuna

Sauté of Mirlitons, Asparagus and Sweet Onions, topped with Three Citrus Charred Chili Relish 

Grilled Coldwater Lobster Tail

Grilled Green Onion Risotto, Smoked Jalapeno Beurre Blanc, Roma Tomato Jam  

Certified Hereford Tournedos

Smashed Fingerling Potatoes, Braised Sweet Onions, House Made Worcestershire Sauce 

Iron Seared Veal Chop

Brussel Sprout Lyonnaise, Black Pepper, Bourbon Honey, Granny Smith Apple Slaw 

Final Course 

(With Bubbly Toast) 

Chocolate Terrine

White Chocolate Pistachio Crust, Raspberry Syrup and Grand Marnier Tuille Cookie 

Praline Cheesecake

Crumbled Pralines and Chantilly Cream  

Banana Foster’s Bread Pudding 

Mango Sorbet

Sliced Strawberries 

There promises to be “plenty for everyone” at the first New Year’s Eve dinner at Dyron’s Lowcountry. Here’s some of what chef Phillip Baio has in mind for your final meal of 2009: raw oysters and grilled Gulf grouper, Alabama Blue Crab salad with fried Mirliton pearls and red remoulade, and cornbread-stuffed Georgia quail with Applewood-smoked bacon, toasted pecans and bourbon molasses. Desserts on offer will include a “Black and Tan Parfait,” made with Guinness stout chocolate and Bass Ale butterscotch, and a “S’more Cake,” a graham cracker cake served with marshmallow cream smoky chocolate sauce. The full menu costs $90 per person and includes tax and gratuity; wine pairings for each course are available for an additional charge. Dyron’s is accepting reservations for New Year’s Eve through Dec. 26. Call (205) 834-8257.

Satterfield’s should be splendid on New Year’s Eve: The restaurant’s special is a three-course prix fixe menu that includes each diner’s choice of the following:

First

Haller’s Gumbo

Braised Duck Legs, House Made Andouille Sausage and Gulf Shrimp 

Owl’s Hollow Hydroponic Baby Lettuces

With salt-roasted Beets and Fingerling Potatoes, Radish, Pear and Creamy Blue Cheese Vinaigrette 

Baked 13 Mile Gulf Oysters

With Lump Crab Meat, Horseradish-Bacon Aïoli and Meyer Lemon Confit

Molasses Glazed Quail with Foie Gras and Persimmon Stuffing and Braised Mustard Greens 

Hudson Valley Foie Gras au Torchon

Spoon Bread Canapé, House Made Cranberry Sauce and Pomegranate Gastrique

Poached Seafood Salad 

Main

Chestnut Crusted Dayboat Black Grouper

With Glazed Baby Root Vegetables, Creamy “Farroto” and Brown Butter-Bacon Vinaigrette 

Vanilla Bean-Butter Poached Maine Lobster

With Parsnip Purée, Caramelized Baby Fennel and Sweet Carrot Emulsion 

Roulade of Tanglewood Farms Chicken Breast

Cranberry and Goat Cheese Stuffing with Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts 

Braised Colorado Lamb Shank

Creamy White Northern Beans, Kalamata Olives, Smoked Tomatoes and Mint Gremolata 

Dry-Aged Wagyu Strip

Duck Fat Frites, Haricots Verts, Chanterelles and House Made Worcestershire Sauce 

Dessert

Roasted Banana Tart

With Candied Vanilla Bean, Meyer Lemon Reduction and Banana Pudding Ice Cream 

Cointreau Scented Chocolate Jewel Cake

With Satsuma Reduction, Pink Peppercorn Brittle and Cranberry Sorbet 

Satterfield’s Beignets

With Sautéed Apples and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream 

Black & White Crème Brulée 

The cost is $75 per person, not including beverages, tax or gratuity. You can make reservations with a credit card (a $50 charge per person will be incurred for no-shows). Call (205) 969-9690 or visit www.satterfieldsrestaurant.com. 

Café de Paris has offerings at three different price points. Choosing the $55 menu gets you one starter, one entrée, one dessert and coffee; the $60 menu includes all that plus a glass of champagne; for $70, replace the glass of champagne with one bottle of Vouvray white wine or one bottle of pinot noir.

The featured starters include mushroom-and-chicken-stuffed tarts, baked Oysters Rockefeller and salmon mousee buerre blanc. The featured entrées will be a choice of pan-crusted veal, a grilled 12 oz. ribeye or grilled thyme lamb chops, all of which will come served with truffle mashed potatoes and haricot vert. A trio of seafood entrées will also be available – a choice of Dover sole, scallops or herb-roasted salmon will be served with polenta and seasonal veggies. Finally, the New Year’s Eve desserts include chocolate soufflé, lemon meringue tart and a Peche layer cake.

To make reservations at Café de Paris, call (205) 202-4024. To check out the regular menu, visit www.cafedeparis.us 

Self-described “chef to the stars” Tim Wright has prepared food for the lights of Bill Gates, Dan Rather, the Rolling Stones and at least one Miss America. Wright will be in Birmingham this New Year’s Eve, overseeing the dinner party taking place from 7-9 p.m. at Old Car Heaven. The menu includes shrimp and grits, pork tenderloin, smoked ham, beef tenderloin and crab cakes with chardonnay and tarragon crème. In addition to a chef’s station with a variety of pastas and sauces available, there will also be a mashed potato bar and a wide assortment of sweets.

A Beatles look-alike and sound-alike band called Strawberry Fields will provide the evening’s entertainment. General admission tickets are $75; VIP tables for eight are available for $800 and $1000. Old Car Heaven is located at 115 35th St. South. Call (205) 324-4545 or go to www.oldcarheaven.com. 

If you call Little Savannah and make a reservation for “a romantic dinner for two,” for Dec. 31, the restaurant will have flowers delivered and waiting at your table when you arrive. Forest Park’s neighborhood eatery and fine-dining establishment has a four-course set menu that night, priced at $75 per person or $100 with selected wines. Reservations made for any time between 5-6:30 p.m. will receive complimentary champagne with dinner, as well as selected half-price wines from Little Savannah’s “Captain’s List.” Reservations for 9 p.m. and after will receive complimentary champagne through the New Year.

Here’s the dinner menu:

Amuse Bouche

Sonoma Valley Foie Gras Mousse, Pepper Jelly, Herbed Shortbread,

Pomegranate Molasses 

First Course 

BLT:

Slow-Cooked Smoked Pork Belly, Arugula, Grilled Ciabatta,

Alecia’s Tomato Chutney 

Soup & Salad:

Ginger-Scented Carrot, Buttermilk Crème Fraiche,

Jones Valley Urban Farm Baby Lettuces, Lemon Vinaigrette,

Shaved Carrot, Fried Ginger and Fromage Blanc

Three From The Sea:

Fresh-Shucked Oyster, Rice Vinegar Mignonette

Poached Jumbo Shrimp, Wasabi Cocktail

Satsuma & Chile Marinated Crab Claws 

Second Course 

Seared Black Cod and Brandade Fritters, Baby Frisée,

Smoked Fingerling Potatoes, Cod Roe, Wild Leek

Oven-Roasted Colorado Lamb Chops,

Cabernet-Braised Lamb Tongue & White Bean Cassoulet, Natural Jus 

Grilled Veal Tenderloin, Butter-Basted Sweet Breads,

Parsnip Purée, Wild Mushrooms, Cipollini Onions, Olive Vinaigrette 

Third Course 

Devil’s Food Cupcake, Peppermint Butter Cream 

Meyer Lemon-Buttermilk Meringue Pie, Blood Orange Reduction, Spiced Pecans 

Local Goat Cheese and Apple Tarte Tatin, Truffled Honey 

And here’s the bar menu:

Creamy Parsnip & Apple Soup, Fried Pecans, Fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil   

Mixed Baby Lettuces, Kumquats, Sweet Potato Shoestring Frites,

Local Goat Cheese, Citrus Vinaigrette  

Sesame Crusted Apalachicola Oysters, Glass Noodles,

Bok Choy, Daikon Radish, Ponzu, Wasabi Aïoli  

Roasted Duck Confit, Baby Beets, Haricot Verts, Fried Walnuts,

Goat Cheese, Aged Sherry Vinaigrette  

Little Savannah’s Shrimp & Grits: Gulf Shrimp, Golden Polenta,

Sauteed Crimini Mushrooms, Hickory Bacon Vinaigrette, Fresh Thyme  

Steak Frites: Grilled Prime Sirloin, Parmigiano-Reggiano, White Truffle oil 

To make reservations, call (205) 591-1119. 

Beer is always the featured fare at The J. Clyde, but on New Year’s Eve the restaurant will serve some notable edibles, too. First course choices include a kale and winter vegetable soup or vegetable tempura; for seconds, you can have a house salad (with a beer vinaigrette!) or a warm black-eyed pea salad; third, it’s either a raspberry chipotle pork chop served with a sweet potato mash and balsalmic vegetables or pan-fried eggplant cakes paired with basil mashed potatoes and haricot vert. For dessert, you can have Strawberry Neapolitan or dark chocolate cheesecake. The four-course meal deal is just $35, which means you can spend more on beer! (And just so you know, the beer in the house salad vinaigrette will be Franziskaner Hefeweiss.) Call (205) 939-1312 if you need to know more, or go to www,jclyde.com. 

The New Year’s Eve menu at daniel george costs $85. While that price doesn’t cover tax and gratuity, it does cover a fine five-course meal that begins with a cream of black-eyed pea, with pulled ham hocks, turnips and greens. For the second course, there’s a choice of a duck tamale or a salmon tuna fuse with honey and wasabi glaze. The third course features warm fall vegetables or a mixed herb salad, and the fourth is comprised of either pan-fried Georgia qual or Mero sea bass. The fifth and final course offerings are hazelnut bread pudding or key lime cheesecake. To make reservations, call (205) 871-3266. 

Prosecco, if you don’t know, is Italian sparkling wine. It’s dee-lish (particularly served in summertime muddled with basil and a little bit of bourbon). The four-course dinner being served at Bettola on New Year’s Eve comes with a complimentary glass of it, to complement the pizza, pasta, salad and sweet on offer. To make reservations, call (205) 731-6499 or visit www.bettolarestaurant.com. 

Cleve Eaton & the Alabama All-Stars will perform from 7-10 p.m. at Mafiaoza’s Pizzeria & Neighborhood Pub. The special New Year’s Eve menu includes salmon rillettes, beef carpaccio, veal osso bucco, chocolate mousse and tiramisu. Dinner, which includes a Prosseco toast, will be served from 6-10 p.m. Make reservations by calling (205) 414-7878. 

Café Dupont will offer a four-course dinner for $100 per person plus beverages, tax and gratuity. Highlights include cornets with smoked salmon and American caviar dip, fried oysters and eggplant, risotto carbonara with smoked ham hock cream and truffles, braised veal breast with root vegetables and seared foie gras, bread pudding with rum raisin sauce and Café Dupont beignets. To make reservations, call (205) 322-1282 or visit www.cafedupont.net. 

New Year’s Day brunch at Mudtown will featured black-eyed peas and collard greens, of course, but there will also be smoked ham steak, French toast with raspberry sauce, Conecuh county omelets and Texas egg sandwiches. The restaurant opens at 10 a.m. on Jan. 1. Call (205) 967-3300 or visit www.mudtownalabama.com for more information. 

If you haven’t yet been to B.O.S.S. Ultra Bar & Lounge, then New Year’s Eve should be as good a time as any to check it out. The club will be offering free food and complimentary champagne at midnight. B.O.S.S. is located at 312 20th St. South. Call ahead to find out the cover charge: (205) 326-3673.