December 2007
Easy Endings
WHERE TO START THE NEW YEAR IN AND AROUND MUNICH
Though there’s always plenty of notice, planning New Year’s cele-brations is an annual difficulty. Some of us just end up watching the clock until the inevitable occurs. Others collapse into sleep after stressful last minute shopping and warm prosecco on a cold Munich street. The savviest, however, let professionals manage the year’s exit: Delectable dining and exciting entertainment are on offer throughout the area on the night of 31st.
The
Ratskeller, for example, will prepare an appetizer buffet with smoked salmon and halibut, cooked fingerling, Mediterranean vegetables, a terrine of guinea fowl and a selection of cheeses. For the main course, one may choose between meats, fish or a vegetarian platter. The dessert buffet will feature pina colada mousse, hazelnut crepes and a “Strudel Potpourri” with everything from curd cheese strudel to poppy seed strudel. The Ratskeller’s € 150 special menu includes not only the above dishes cooked with organic ingredients, but also free drinks and Moët & Chandon or Veuve Clicquot for the New Year’s countdown. The dance and show band “Aristocats” will play your favorite pop melodies into the wee hours of the morning. Near the dance floor,
Weisswürste, Nuremberger sausages with sauerkraut and goulash soup will fuel the jamming. The New Year’s gala starts at 6:30 pm. Evening dress is desired. If you are looking for a more informal way to start 2008, the Ratskeller has also planned a cold gourmet buffet for € 75, to open at 10:30 pm. Beer and wine will be on offer nonstop, and champagne will be served at midnight. Hefty Bavarian delicacies round up the party in the old vaults of the Ratskeller. Reservations for both events can be made at 21 99 89 32 or
info@ratskeller.com.
The five-star
Le Méridien will host an open house party with a “Casino Royal” theme. Party guests may entertain themselves with black jack, roulette or poker, while chef Rainer Förnzler and his team create a New Year’s buffet of Mediterranean cuisine at the hotel’s restaurant Le potager. A selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and a midnight snack are also included in the € 250 package. For reservations call 24 22 20 02 or write to
michaela.fiedler@lemeridien.com.
A fantastic night of vaudeville, artistry and music awaits you at
Alfons Schuhbeck’s Palazzo. Among an array of performances, the Skating Willers from England will present a daredevil show of roller-skating acrobatics, and comedian Marco Carolei will mesmerize the audience with a charming pantomime. Classical music, jazz and film music by the Palazzo Orchestra accompanies all performances. The finest highlight, though, will be the four-course menu, which will be served throughout the show. Acclaimed cook Alfons Schuhbeck has developed culinary sensations that are a spectacle of their own. The dinner starts off with a zander and sauerkraut terrine, followed by a cream soup of Bavarian crayfish, gnocchetti, celery and fennel. Duck on aromatic red cabbage, saffron puree and frosted apple slices will be served as the main course. The grand finale of Palazzo’s New Year’s Eve gala will be a chocolate-coffee tart garnished with a pear marinated in red wine and a display of fireworks at midnight. Tables for the gala can be reserved at 01805-38 88 83 or online at
www.palazzo.cc. Tickets range from € 249.90 to € 225.90.
In the late 16th century, the
Ballhaus (Ball House) was the latest vogue at royal courts, constructed to play
Jeu de Paume, a forerunner of modern tennis. After the fashion’s decline the structures were often converted to theaters and in the 19th century became a synonym for dance halls. In 1880, under the aegis of Johann Kilian Stützel, a Ballhaus was built in Munich’s city center to entertain King Ludwig and the Munich nobility. Today the Neo-Renaissance edifice houses the exclusive
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which will host a nostalgic Ballhaus gala for the turn of the year. At
Mark’s restaurant, chef Mario Corti will serve a five-course menu featuring lobster steak tartare, Périgord truffles and Atlantic halibut, to name just a few highlights. After indulging in 19th-century nostalgia, greet 2008 on the Mandarin Oriental’s roof deck and enjoy the spectacular view of the city lightened up by fireworks. Reservations for this € 325 event can be made at 29 09 80 or by writing to
momuc-reservations@mohg.com.
Hotel Schloss Berg at Starnberg Lake offers a more peaceful retreat, remote from the city’s party mayhem. Starting at 7 pm, a four-course dinner will be served at the hotel’s restaurant. The menu commences with a terrine of salmon and horseradish. A bowl of lime-lemongrass soup with lobster precedes herb-crusted lamb, Mediterranean vegetables and mashed potatoes with celery. Shortly before midnight, the dinner ends with a mango and chocolate dessert creation. Aside from this € 52 exclusive offer, a la carte orders will also be possible. For reservations simply call 08151 96 30, or email,
info@hotelschlossberg.de. Soon, you will be gazing at fireworks over Starnberg Lake, glad that you finally left your New Year’s plans to the professionals. <<<
