5 Great Spots for Dining Out on Christmas Eve and Day

Ann & Michael Martini, GoLocalProv Food Editors

5 Great Spots for Dining Out on Christmas Eve and Day

Everyone's idea of the perfect Christmas celebration is different. Some people prefer family at home while others let the trained professionals make the holiday perfect. We set out to find 5 spots for you and yours to enjoy this Christmas Eve and Day...

The White Horse Tavern, Newport

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We begin with a couple of options for Christmas Eve. Why not spend it where Rhode Island dining began, at the White Horse Tavern? Chef Rich Silvia and team will seat you in a historic, candle lit dining room and pamper you with food and drink. Highlights include a salad of Rhody mushrooms; a selection of house made charcuterie; classic beef Wellington; butter poached local fluke and seared scallops with gnocchi. All local...all tasty!

26 Marlborough St.(401) 849-3600, http://www.whitehorsenewport.com/

 

Camille's, Providence

If the Italian in you is looking to enjoy seven fishes on Christmas Eve, head over to Camille's. The Italian American tradition of "La Vigilia" commemorates the anticipation for the baby Jesus' birth. Typically, the wait was accompanied by seven courses of fish dishes. Your best bet for re-creating this event is heading to Camille's and checking out John Granata's fish laden menu. You should loosen the belt and maybe the buttons and begin ordering seven courses of modern twists on Italian classics. There aren't many days that we crave snail salad, but Christmas Eve is one of those days and this version is usually dynamite.

71 Bradford St. (401) 751-4812, http://www.camillesonthehill.com/

 

Castle Hill Inn, Newport

As we move to Christmas Day, there is no more beautiful spot to enjoy the day than at Castle Hill. Every day of the year is beautiful here, but there is something special on Christmas Day. Imagine overlooking the water as you dine on the award winning cuisine of Chef Karsten Hart. On Christmas Day, Hart is serving "The Five Courses of Christmas." The menu features four choices of appetizer, entrée and dessert and two intermezzo courses for all. The sophisticated menu tempts on many levels. The scallops with pumpkin veloute sounds like Christmas comfort at its finest.

590 Ocean Ave. (401) 849-3800, http://www.castlehillinn.com/

 

The Ocean House, Watch Hill

We said above that there is no more beautiful place than Castle Hill, but there may be AS beautiful and that spot is the Ocean House. This Watch Hill classic features sweeping ocean views, a historic feel and some of the best accommodations in Rhode Island. In and around all this is some of the best food around. Their menu is also five courses and features a delectable pan-seared halibut with Swiss chard, heirloom beans, lemon and garlic. The liquid chocolate cognac truffle sounds like the right finish to this meal.

1 Bluff Ave. (401) 315-0579, www.oceanhouseri.com

 

Asian Palace, Providence

The long standing tradition of Jewish Americans enjoying Chinese food on Christmas dates back to New York City and the two ethnicities sharing a border in the city. Most of the Christian restaurants were closed, so it was a natural for the two cultures to get together on Christmas. Our favorite spot for such a meal is Asian Palace on North Main Street in Providence. The food is always fresh and tasty and the cocktails are fun. Just about everything we've tried has been top notch!

1184 North Main St. (401) 228-7805, www.asianpalacedining.com

The 12 Best Pizzas In New England 2013

#12 Galleria Umberto Rosticceria (Boston)

Cheese Pizza
 
Overall Rank: #85
 
A North End staple, Galleria Umberto is a by-the-slice pizza place that often features lines extending around the block.  The interior features no frills, the menu is quite simple, but their cheese pizza has long been been considered to be Boston's best.  

#11 Picco (Boston)

Margherita Pizza
 
Overall Rank: 76
 
Located next to Boston Center for the Arts, Picco is a full-service restaurant featuring a wide selection of Mediterranean cuisine. Though the margherita pizza is the reason they made the list, they also have several inventive pie options such as Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash & Fontina, or Roasted Eggplant & Cauliflower. 

#10 Al Forno (Old Saybrook, CT)

Margherita Pizza
 
Overall Rank: 68
 
Established in 1992, Al Forno (Not the one in Providence) uses a brick oven heated to over 600 degrees to create some of the best pizzas on the New Haven shoreline. They have received favorable reviews in the New York Times and Hartford Courant, and were named as one of Zagat's "Top 1000 Italian Restauants in America" in 2008. 

#9 Coppa (Boston)

Salsiccia Pizza
 
Overall Rank: 54
 
The wood-fired pizza at Coppa compliments a full menu of traditional italian dishes crafted by owner-chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette.  Early in his culinary career, Oringer worked as pastry chef at Providence's Al Forno, which also made this list. 

#8 Scampo (Boston)

Lamb Pizza
 
Overall Rank: 41
 
Scampo, the first-floor restaurant within the famous prison-turned-hotel, Liberty Hotel, features a full menu of inventive italian-inspired cuisine, which also draws on Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern flavors.  The Lamb pizza, which makes the list, is only one of several unique pie options on their menu.

#7 Santarpio's (East Boston)

Mozzarella, Sausage, and Garlic Pizza
 
Overall Rank: 29
 
Established in 1903, the East Boston-based Santarpio's is the three-time defending award winner of "Best Traditional Pizza" by Boston Magazine.  The family-owned features New York-style pizza and has become a landmark in the Boston area. 

#6 Colony Grill (Stamford, CT)

Sausage Pizza
 
Overall Rank:27
 
Colony Grill, established in Stamford's largest Irish neighborhood in 1935, features thin-crust style pizza.  Their menu is very simple, including only the staple pizza ingredients, allowing the restaurant to offer "a one-of-a-kind thin-crust pizza that is served simply."

#5 Regina Pizzeria (Boston)

Melanzane Pizza
 
Overall Rank: 22
 
Though they have more than a dozen locations, Regina Pizzeria's original location in Boston's North End serves as a neighborhood staple and landmark.  Many of the pizzeria's menu items are old family recipes dating back to its establishment in 1926. 

#4 Modern Apizza (New Haven, CT)

Italian Bomb Pizza
 
Overall Rank: 11
 
Founded in 1934, Modern Apizza features brick oven-style pizzas.  Their traditional Italian menu features many great pies and specialty items, but are on this list due to the "Italian Bomb," a pizza covered in bacon, sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, pepper, and garlic. 

#3 Al Forno (Providence, RI)

Margarita Pizza
 
Overall Rank: 10
 
Chef-owners Johanne Killeen and George Germon established Al Forno in 1980 to bring simple renditions of food rooted in various Italian regions to Providence. Their signature margarita pizza has been named to several "best pizza" lists in recent years, such as Food and Wine magazine. 

#2 Sally's Apizza (New Haven, CT)

Tomato Pie
 
Overall Rank: 7
 
Sally's, established in 1938 by Salvatore Consiglio, is renown for its thin crust pizza which has been made in the same coal-fired oven for more than 60 years. Salvatore was the nephew of Frank Pepe, whose pizza also made the list.  

#1 Frank Pepe's (New Haven, CT)

White Clam Pizza
 
Overall Rank:1
 
Established in 1925, Frank Pepe's Pizzeria's white clam pizza is rated as not only the best pizza in New England, but also best in all of America.  The pizzeria uses coal-fired brick ovens, and uses only fresh clams in their most famous pie. Frank Pepe's has been a favorite for many celebrities over the years, including Ronald Regan and Frank Sinatra. 
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