New Year's Eve in Rockridge: Dinner, with a Splash of Champagne

If you'd like to celebrate New Year's Eve with an elegant — and fairly pricey — dinner, at least five College Avenue restaurants have special menus for the evening. Reservations are essential; as of Dec. 27, restaurants listed had at least some tables available. (Note: the New Year's Eve dinners are geared for adults, so make other arrangements for the kids.)

Update: The Ramen Shop, traditional Japanese with a Chez Panisse-California cuisine twist, will open officially at 5812 College Ave. on Jan. 4, Grub Street San Francisco reports. Meanwhile, they will be open for a special New Year's Eve dinner, according to Grub Street. Advance tickets are available at Eventbrite.com.

À Côté

A convivial place with a seasonal Mediterranean menu, some communal tables and a great bar. The patio is covered and heated at this time of year. While À Côté bills itself as a small plates restaurant, entrees are more than adequate for the reasonably moderate eater. The New Year's Eve menu includes seared duck breast, New York steak and sea bass, with varied side dishes; shortrib ravioli; wild mushroom and smoked salmon flatbreads.

Soups, salads, appetizers $14-$22. Entrees $20-$34. An intriguing wine list, heavy on European entries, with "Bubbles" (sparkling wines) from $8/glass, $40/bottle. 

5478 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 655-6469, www.acoterestaurant.com (see "Parties & Events" for the New Year's Eve menu). Reservations also available through OpenTable.com.

I Squared

New Year's Eve is your very last chance to dine at I Squared, which is closing as of Jan. 1, 2013. Owned by Sadri Madjlessi and Tanya Anderson, who also operate the adjacent Hudson Bay Cafe, it has specialized in Persian and country Italian cuisine. 

The three-course New Year's Eve menu, at $55 per person, offers a choice of warm beet salad or steamed black mussels; Sultani Kabob, Pappardelle Porcini or fish in parchment; and Chocolate Mousecake or cannoli for dessert. The price includes includes sparkling wine and a glass of red or white wine with your second course.

5403 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 658-4400, www.i2squared.com. Reservations also available through OpenTable.com.

Marica

While seafood always stars at Marica, the four-course chef's tasting menu for New Year's Eve includes choices for red-meat lovers as well. First course: lobster corn bisque, chopped romaine salad and (not or!) smoked BBQ ribs. Then a choice of rack or lamb or Chilean seabass; Maine lobster or filet mignon; and for dessert, a chocolate souffle with homemade pistachio ice cream, a sorbet or orange crème brulee.

The price of $70 per person doesn't include champagne or wine, but bar prices are reasonable. Phone for reservations and leave a message; they will confirm if space is available.

5301 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 985-8388, maricafood.wordpress.com.

Oliveto

The quintessential Rockridge restaurant, upstairs at Market Hall, has two options for New Year's Eve: four courses for early diners, starting at 5 p.m., $95 per person; and five courses for the second seating, with reservations at 15-minute intervals from 7:45 to 9:45 p.m., plus a stroke-of-midnight glass of champagne, $115 per person.

You could start with a cruda of wild axis venison with pickled juniper, candied grapefruit, and parsnip, choose between roast duck breast or grilled ribeye steak, and finish up with a bittersweet chocolate millefoglie torte with brandied vanilla bean-chocolate truffle ice cream; see the complete New Year's Eve menu here.

Note: phone reservations only for New Year's Eve; call (510) 547-5356.

Downstairs, the cafe offers drop-in cocktails, champagne and bar snacks throughout the evening on New Year's Eve, with music by The John Brothers Piano Co. from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

5655 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 547-5356, www.oliveto.com.

Toast

With a menu of organic, seasonal foods selected by chef Rebecca Boice, a Zuni Cafe alum, Toast usually offers up a mix of reasonably priced bar snacks, small plates, entrees and even a pb&j panini for kids at dinnertime. But for New Year's Eve, there a four-course prix fixe menu at $55 per person, with wine pairings at an additional $20 per person.

Start with a puree of parsnip, Dungeness crab and chives, then choose from a salad of mixed baby greens or chicories; a farroto (rather like a risotto, but made with a barley-like whole grain), pan-roasted local fish or braised short ribs; and boca negra, bourbon cream or caramel dessert.

5900 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 658-5900, www.toastoakland.com. Reservations also available through OpenTable.com.

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