NYE Classy Bar (and Restaurant) Crawl

Still trying to square away your plans for New Years Eve this year? It happens to the best of us; you try avoiding the over-priced open-bar option at one of the typical downtown Boston bars and now you find yourself flustered and scrambling to find the ideal event to help ring in the new year.

Why not a classy bar crawl of sorts? Including indulgent noshes of course! It just so happens that some of our favorite spots are offering up signature champagne cocktails and special food samples to help you celebrate the new year in style. And because one stop wouldn't be enough, why not try a handful of them.

Start your night at...

Area Four: From 4pm - 6pm you can dine on dollar oysters, then stick around for designer pizza inspired by some of Boston's most well-known chefs -- think lobster toppings a'la Lydia Shire and Wolfgang Puck with house smoked salmon. There will also be a whole roasted local heritage pig on the premise, with niblings available by the pile.

Russel House Tavern: If you're looking for a sit down dinner on the Cambridge-side of the river, check out Russel House Tavern, where Chef Michael Schelfo has created a unique three-course dinner tasting for just $59 (or you can take advantage of the early-bird special by showing up between 5pm - 6:30pm for a discounted price of $49). The appetizer and entree selections include favorites like lobster cream soup, braised American lamb belly, beef tongue terrine, stuffed pork loin, gingered duck confit ravioli and more. Finish your meal off with some chocolate and cherries, the perfect dessert pre-midnight make-out.

BiNa Osteria: If you're looking to ring in the new year in a more relaxed setting then look no further than BiNa Osteria which will be serving up a hearty home-style Italian supper in the form of a three and five-course tasting menu. For $65 per person and $85 per person (respectively), offerings include options like Housemade Cotechino Sausage with Umbrian Lentils, Chicken Liver Panna & Pickled Root Vegetables and Orata with Salsa Rossa, Winter Citrus, Baby Fennel & Alba Hazelnuts.

If you're more focused on boozing and aren't in the mood to travel very far from one place to the next, then stick with the Kenmore Square trifecta.

Island Creek Oyster Bar: Deemed as one of the best bars in America by Food & Wine magazine, stop by Kenmore's ICOB for bubbles & bivalves. Their decadent offerings for the evening include dishes laced with caviar, truffles, lobster and oysters (of course!)

The Hawthorne: The newest addition to the Commonwealth Hotel, courtesy of mix-master Jackson Cannon, The Hawthorne will be celebrating its first new years with champagne all the way! Serving up over a dozen champagne specialties including a few original cocktails like the Belle du Jour (champagne, cognac, benedictine, pomegranate and lemon) and the Sealbach (champagne, bourbon and compounded bitters).

Eastern Standard: Finish off the night at Eastern Standard, where sparkling wines will be a-flowing and Chef Jeremy Sewall’s special over-the-top late night snacks will undoubtedly be more impressive than the late-night chinese you planned on ordering. Don't worry, you have plenty of time in January to start the weight lose resolution, but for now, we party like its 2012, because in a matter of days, it will be!