Where to dine out this Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
If you want to take a break from cooking at home, check out this list of where to enjoy a holiday feast this Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24, or Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25. Some local eateries are also featuring their own specialty meals in the days leading up to the holiday.
Special meals
• A Feast of the Seven Fishes menu at Jamison’s (472 Route 111, Hampstead, 489-1565, jamisonsrestaurant.com) will be available from Wednesday, Dec. 16, through Saturday, Dec. 19. You can enjoy all seven dishes for $50 and wine pairings for $30, or purchase them a la carte.
• Feast of the Seven Fishes at Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will be on Thursday, Dec. 17, from 6 to 10 p.m. In addition to a chef-attended pasta station and an Italian dessert station, the dinner will feature several house fish dishes, like haddock puttanesca with roasted Yukon potatoes; oysters on the half shell with cocktail sauce, citrus mignonette, horseradish and lemon; grilled calamari salad with pickled vegetables, radicchio and arugula; and lobster- and crab-stuffed sole with shaved fennel salad and blood orange butter. Tickets are $85 per person and reservations are required (dinner is 21+ only and tables are limited to a maximum of six guests each).
• Enjoy a Polar Express family brunch at LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewinerynh.com) on either Sunday, Dec. 20, or Thursday, Dec. 24, from 10 a.m. to noon. Each meal will feature items like assorted muffins, scones and rolls, salads, fruit, specialty casseroles and more, plus a full cash bar, live readings of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, and a screening of the family holiday film The Polar Express. Ticket price breakdowns are $22.99 per person (tickets are sold by the table only, with a maximum of six guests per table).
• At The Grazing Room at the Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) a Christmas Cheer menu is available for takeout, as well as limited in-house dining, now through Dec. 20 (except for Dec. 14 and Dec. 15), and then again on Dec. 21, Dec. 22 and Dec. 26. Seatings are between 4 and 8:30 p.m. The three-course prix fixe menu features your choice of a first course, an entree and a dessert, plus additional appetizers to share (see website for the full menu). The cost is $65 per person.
• Feast of the Seven Fishes at Tuscan Kitchen (67 Main St., Salem, 952-4875, tuscanbrands.com) is on Thursday, Dec. 24, featuring items like baccala soup, grilled octopus and calamari, lobster and shrimp tagliatelle and herb-crusted cod. The cost is $65 per person, or $85 with wine pairings.
• Christmas Eve Dinner at Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) is happening on Thursday, Dec. 24, with seatings from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the dining room. The three-course prix fixe menu will be followed by a dessert buffet and a cash bar in the Great Hall. Items will include lamb and potato gnocchi, black garlic French onion soup, rosemary and thyme marinated filet mignon, Jumbo shrimp and New Bedford sea scallops, savory mushroom Wellington and juniper and anise-cured Long Island duck breast. A separate children’s menu will also be served, featuring items like macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers and more. The cost is $89 for adults and $49 for kids ages 10 and under. Reservations are required.
• Christmas Eve Dinner at Copper Door Restaurant (15 Leavy Dr., Bedford, 488-2677; 41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-2033; copperdoor.com) will feature a special prix fixe menu beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 24. The cost varies ($59 for two courses, $69 for three courses and $79 for four courses). Items include coffee-crusted pork chop, garlic Parmesan salmon, truffled mushroom ravioli, barbecue pork flatbread, crispy lemon Brussels sprouts, caramel apple pie and chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Reservations will be accepted through 8 p.m.
• Christmas Dinner at Salt Kitchen & Bar (Wentworth by the Sea, 588 Wentworth Road, New Castle, 373-6566, saltkitchenandbar.com) is on Friday, Dec. 25, from 1 to 8 p.m. The four-course menu will feature mini deviled eggs, plus your choice of either winter root bisque or bitter greens salad; an entree (steak au poivre, maple-brined turkey, butternut squash ravioli or pan-seared sea scallops); and a dessert (eggnog cheesecake or gingerbread pudding). The cost is $64.95 per person ($25.95 for kids under 12).
• Christmas Dinner at The Wild Rose Restaurant (Stonehurst Manor, 3351 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, 356-3113, stonehurstmanor.com) is on Friday, Dec. 25, from 2 to 8 p.m., featuring your choice of an appetizer (grilled brie, duo of crab cakes, shrimp cocktail or bacon-wrapped scallops); a Caesar salad; an entree (maple-brined turkey, prime rib of beef, grilled rack of lamb, grilled vegetables, oven-roasted half duckling or pan-seared North Atlantic salmon); and a dessert (triple chocolate torte, bourbon pecan ice cream with caramel, or blueberry cheesecake). The cost is $68 per person.
Open on Christmas Day
• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will be open for breakfast from 8 to 10:30 a.m. in its lobby bar, and from 1 to 9 p.m. for lunch and dinner, serving its full menu with some specials. The tavern and dining room will be closed.
• Lakehouse Grille (281 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-5221, thecman.com) will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Open on Christmas Eve
• 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria (50 Dow St., Manchester, 641-0900, 900degrees.com) will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Alan’s of Boscawen (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631, alansofboscawen.com) will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Belmont Hall & Restaurant (718 Grove St., Manchester, 625-8540, belmonthall.net) will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• The Black Forest Cafe & Bakery (212 Route 101, Amherst, 672-0500, theblackforestcafe.com) will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• The Coach Stop Restaurant & Tavern (176 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 437-2022, coachstopnh.com) will likely be open until 8 p.m.
• CJ’s Great West Grill (782 S. Willow St., Manchester, 627-8600, cjsgreatwestgrill.com) will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Hart’s Turkey Farm (233 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-6212, hartsturkeyfarm.com) will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• KC’s Rib Shack (837 Second St., Manchester, 627-7427, ribshack.net) will be open from noon to 6 p.m.
• LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewinerynh.com) will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Las Olas Taqueria (356 Lafayette Road, Hampton, 967-4880; 30 Portsmouth Ave., Exeter, 418-8901; lasolastaqueria.com) will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• The Red Blazer Restaurant and Pub (72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com) will be open until 8 p.m.
• Second Brook Bar and Grill (1100 Hooksett Road, Unit 111, Hooksett, 935-7456, secondbrook.com) will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the kitchen, and until 5 p.m. in the bar.
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