Keeping It Local! 10 Places to Dine on New Year’s Eve in West Michigan

This 2016 New Year’s Eve, keep your plans local and journey out to some excellent places to dine in West Michigan. Great food, libations, music and maybe even a little dancing if you desire!  Get out your Google maps and plan ahead as to where you are going to spend your last night to remember in 2016. Many places are taking reservations in advance.  Bring in the new year with a big appetite and the desire to keep your celebrations local!

10 West Michigan New Year’s Eve Celebrations:

Belvedere Inn & Restaurant - 3656 63rd Ave, Saugatuck, MI 269-857-5777  Come for dinner and stay for breakfast in Saugatuck’s beautiful bed and breakfast.  You will find the amenities of a mini Versailles European style boutique inn with the warmth of coming home at Belvedere.  Two sittings; 5:30pm (5 course meal - $65pp) and 8:00pm (6 course meal- $75pp) are being offered New Years Eve.  After dinner stroll down to Saugatuck’s beautiful waterfront and bring in 2017 with the city’s midnight fireworks display!  Oysters Rockerfeller, Paupiettes of Sole, Molten Lava Chocolate Cake spark your interest? Reservations are required and there is limited seating for both sitting times.  Book your quaint room and enjoy the elegant New Year’s Eve dinner without having to drive!

Butch’s Dry Dock - 44 E 8th Street, Holland, MI  616-396-8227    Enjoy an elegant 4 course meal and wine pairing at a place where people can celebrate the marriage of food and wine in Holland. Today, Butch’s Dry Dock is one of fewer than 800 restaurants worldwide (and one of 10 in Michigan) to hold the Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence.  Doesn’t caviar w/ melon foam, a plate of tempura lobster with lemongrass aioli and mango followed by your main entree of Chilean seabass and ending with a piece of freshly baked chocolate ganache cake with chestnut icing sound simply divine? $75pp (wine pairing with each dish $25 extra).  Make your reservations soon.

Walldorff BrewPub & Bistro - 105 E State St., Hastings, MI  269-945-4400   If you want live music by Thornapple Jazz Orchestra, ballroom dancing, a Prime Rib dinner buffet and a midnight ball drop with fireworks as the finale then you can’t miss Walldorff Brew Pub’s 8th Annual Uptown Ball this New Year’s Eve. Located in downtown Hastings on State Street.  9 craft beers on tap - brewed daily, using only the best ingredients!  Tickets are limited and can be purchased online. Check out this quaint little town south of Grand Rapids and party with the locals.  Your bellies will be stuffed, your feet will be sore and your eyes will be tired by the end of 2016, but don’t pass up this wonderful evening celebrating food, music and dancing!

Salt of The Earth - 114 E Main St., Fennville, MI  269-561-7258  If you are looking for a locally sourced farm to table dinner experience while listening to live music by the Michigan band; The Hired Hands (9pm to midnight) along with a champagne toast at midnight, look no further than Salt of the Earth.  Maybe you would want to experience Chef Matthew’s braised octopus w/apple cider brine, roasted pumpkin, shaved fennel, pickled garden fennel and smoked honey? Unlimited possibilities while knowing your ingredients are being sourced from within a 50 mile radius from Fennville. A dining experience and celebration of the year behind you and one to come you won’t ever forget. RSVP soon!

Reserve Wine & Food - 201 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI  616-855-9463    In the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, there is a place where two executive chefs creative minds collide and as a result you will find a menu that features modern day takes on classic dishes made from the best ingredients at their peak and when possible, sourced locally. Join Reserve on NYE for a thoughtfully curated dining experience! Enjoy a four course tasting menu complimented by an optional wine pairing.  The second course alone should have you picking up your phone and reserving your table; Scarpinocc pasta with chestnut filling, trumpet royale & lobster mushrooms, thyme oil and orchid! If you are a tough sell then just imagine treating yourself to a piece of pecan pie with honey seafoam, pea shoots and a scoop of caramelized date gelato!  Yep….sounds amazingly good! Dinner reservations are required.

Cork Wine & Grille - 5500 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids, MI  616-949-0570  Off the beaten path and located in Cascade Township, Cork offers the freshest food and an impressive wine list to its repeating patrons. On New Year’s Eve, Cork will be offering an amazing buffet of food prepared by their dedicated kitchen team and Executive Chef Mary Hunter.  Their Blistered Bacon Mac & Cheese in a traditional white sauce, bacon, blistered tomatoes, baked with an herb crust is noteworthy along with their hand cut sixteen ounce choice Ribeye accompanied with mashed potatoes, green beans & red wine demi-glace.  You won’t leave the new year with an empty belly.  Live music and a free champagne toast at midnight! Cork that!

Wheelhouse Kitchen & Cocktails - 67 Ottawa Ave SW, MI  616-226-3319  The Wheelhouse features a contemporary twist on classic American bistro fare with seasonal recipes inspired by Chef Andrew Alcid’s ongoing partnership with local suppliers. The distinctive menu is complemented by a list of artisan cocktails, select wines and Michigan craft brews.  To get your wheels turning (no pun intended) why not experience New Year’s Eve with a special menu, live music and a free champagne toast when the clock strikes twelve?  Share a plate of their Three Little Pigs Tartine with candied bacon as one of their special ingredients (Yes, please!) and sip on one or two Satin Descent specialty cocktails as you bring in the new year together and keep those big wheels a burnin’!

JD Reardon’s Bar & Grill - 940 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI  616-454-8590  Ring in the New Year the right way! Join Reardon’s for their annual masquerade ball and enjoy a night of drinking, eating, dancing and fun! Put on your masks and dress to impress! Offering 24 taps of only the best craft beers from celebrated breweries all over Michigan and the U.S.  Their food menu offers pub-style food crafted by hand and elevated to something that surpasses “pub grub” while holding to their pub food roots. Dance music and karaoke provided by DJ Ru from Absolute Entertainment! She will be playing all of the best dance music from 2016 to close out the year in style! Request a song, sign up to sing, or just enjoy the show!  Bonus - Mug Club Members will be able to get their discount all night! Complimentary toast at midnight for you and all of your friends!

Amore Trattoria Italiana - 5080D Alpine Ave NW, Comstock Park, MI  616-785-5344  It will be like celebrating New Year’s Eve with la tua famiglia when you join owners Jenna and Maurizio Arcidiacono for their 4th Annual Venetian Carnivale NYE night.  Authentic Italian entrees (special menu), desserts to keep your bellies full, washed down with some Italian wines and drink specials all while taking in a guest magician and live music. Get out the your best Venetian mask - the best costume will receive a $100 gift card! Sounds like a fun and delicious way to bring in 2017!

The Hearthstone Bistro - 3350 Glade Street, Muskegon, MI  231-733-1056   You want a quiet, peaceful

setting with sumptuous cuisine, friendly atmosphere with gracious service but no noisemakers, bands or dancing to bring in your new year? Award winning cuisine since 1975, The Hearthstone features the Lakeshore’s most innovative entrees including seafood, steaks, fish & house specialties.  Grab your fork and knife along with a napkin on your lap and dive into Executive Chef Sandberg’s main entree of Maryland Style Lump Crab Cakes with a savory mustard cream along with a layered potato, onion & cheese gratin and freshly grilled asparagus.  Nicely paired with a glass or two of a Cabernet Sauvignon perhaps?  End your evening with a piece of Hearthstone’s decadent dessert and a couple glasses of a sparkling champagne or cider to toast each other’s 2016 and clink to the new year!  Reservations are recommended.