Festivities for Foodies in the Tri-Valley

In this special holiday edition of our biweekly Sprouts & Shutters column, we're covering Christmas and New Year's Eve holiday meals and other festive deals. Whether you're looking for a restaurant for the family meal on Christmas Eve or need to brush up on your holiday cooking skills, we have you covered.

Several local restaurants have special Christmas-eve menus: Bridges Restaurant and Patrick David's in Danville, for example, offer prix-fixe three-course Christmas Eve dinners. Prices typically range from $35 to $55 per person (with a specially priced kids' menu).

If you prefer a large Christmas Eve holiday buffet, opt for Faz Restaurant in Pleasanton and Danville (Faz is also open for dinner on Christmas day). Many Tri-Valley restaurants, including Izzy's in San Ramon, McNamara's in Dublin, and Terra Mia in Livermore are also open Christmas Eve, offering their regular menu plus a few holiday specials.

Click on the restaurant links above to view holiday menu options, which range from traditional holiday fixings like turkey and mashed potatoes to festive twists on gourmet winter dishes like grilled duck breast with gingered cranberry chutney at and honey roasted ham with a brandy dijon mustard sauce and candied yam mashed potatoes at .

Tip: Restaurants fill up quickly on Christmas Eve. Call now for reservations at your favorite spot.

If you're searching for a festive food event to celebrate New Year's Eve, try Eddie Papas in Pleasanton. The restaurant transforms into a Speakeasy at 9 p.m., when guests decked out in 20s-style costumes cruise the appetizer bar, play at the casino tables, dance to DJ music and drink complimentary champagne under a midnight balloon drop. Livermore's Eddie Papas will have a similar, scaled-down "Roaring Twenties" event. The event costs $25 and sells out fast, so move quickly.

Several other Tri-Valley restaurants are ringing in the new year with dinners, live music and tasty treats. The Farmer Restaurant in Pleasanton offers an a la carte New Year's Eve dinner event featuring seasonal specials, noise makers and live music. For $69 per person, you can enjoy a four-course dinner and midnight champagne toast at The Peasant and the Pear in Danville. Faz restaurants in Pleasanton and Danville offer an a la carte New Year's Eve dinner plus live entertainment and midnight complimentary champagne toast. Simply Fondue in Livermore has a $65 four-course dinner package and discounted cover charge for the neighboring Sapphire nightclub's New Year's Eve celebration. For a calmer, sophisticated New Year's Eve dinner, book reservations at the Restaurant at Wente in Livermore for its four-course dinner accompanied by live violin and cello music ($99 per person).

And for the ever-popular New Year's Day brunch? You have a lot of choices in the Tri-Valley. The Farmer Restaurant and Eddie Papas in Pleasanton,  and Max's Diner in San Ramon, and Mimi's Café in Dublin, and Piatti in Danville, and Porter's Restaurant are just a few of the many restaurants open for brunch on New Year's Day. We don't have space to list all the New Year's Day breakfast spots, but you can browse the our restaurant directories for more options.

Prefer to dine at home but don't want to cook? In addition to holiday catering by grocery stores like San Ramon's Whole Foods, Pleasanton's Gene's Fine Foods and Danville's Draeger's Market,  several local restaurants and small catering companies offer customized take-home Christmas dinners.

Wente is closed on Christmas but the winery's catering service offers a Christmas "Wente Take Home Holiday" family-style meal that serves six for $239. Thyme to Eat in San Ramon has a holiday package for $18.95 per person that includes turkey or ham with traditional sides and pumpkin pie. GourMade Cookery in Pleasanton has a Winter Holiday menu with a variety of holiday packages. For your main course, Main Street Meat & Fish Market sells spiral sliced hams, prime rib roasts, and lobster. And Livermore's A Tasteful Affair has an expansive holiday menu.

If you'd like some tips for baking Christmas cookies or planning a New Year's Eve dinner, sign up for a local holiday cooking class. Pleasanton's Pans on Fire offers a "Mom & Me: Christmas Cookies" class on Dec. 20 and sends you home with cookies to exchange. After Christmas, on Dec. 28, you can prepare for New Year's Eve by attending the cooking store's "Dinner for 8 – Ringing in the New Year," demonstration cooking class where you can watch the chef while learning tips and techniques. Finally, get the whole family cooking at the store's Winter Cooking Camp for kids age 8 to 11 on Dec. 27, 28 and 29.

What wine should you serve with Christmas or dinner? What's the best wine and bubbly to toast the new year? Find out at local holiday wine-tasting events. Sample local wines at "Holiday Happy Hour," Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. at Livermore wineries at Blacksmith Square. Livermore's Swirl on the Square showcases festive wines in a "Pinot Celebration" on Dec. 30. The Wine Steward in Pleasanton will host a "Big Rich Reds" holiday wine tasting on Dec. 23 and a New Year's themed event featuring sparkling wines on Dec. 30 in its upstairs wine loft.

Need something sweet other than stale candy canes and fruit cake? The Tri-Valley's many bakeries and confectioneries can set you up with holiday desserts ranging from traditional holiday pies to elaborately decorated Christmas candies. Click on these links to review holiday dessert options at Katrina Rozelle in Alamo, Danville Chocolates, Old Towne Danville Bakery and Miglet's in Danville, Brown Betty Bakery, City D'Lights and Marie Callender's in San Ramon, Nothing Bunt Cakes, Hip 2 Be Squared and Denica's in Dublin, Nolands Cakes, Primrose Bakery, Bibiane Bakery, Filigree and Sweet & Savory in Pleasanton and Dolce, Cake Delight, Tiffane's and Let 'em Eat Cake in Livermore.

To enjoy more local holiday festivities, head to one of the Tri-Valley's many holiday events listed in our roundup.

Finally as you plan your own celebrations, take a moment to make someone else's holiday special by volunteering or donating to one of the many nonprofits helping those less fortunate. See our for a list of several organizations that need help.

Get the latest retail and restaurant news in our next Sprouts & Shutters column in early January.