Bowtie, scarf, raincoat, and into the night.
- 8:00 Start out at Toulouse Petit, where Michael McSorley ignites spray of volatile oil from orange zest as he makes Negroni. Seattle Weekly's Adriana Grant and photog Peter Mumford on hand, cooking up something.
- 8:30 Pass the Mediterranean Inn on Queen Anne & Republican, spot BFFs Andrea Packe and Kimberly Rogers waiting for more friends to show up. Expecting a big night, obviously.
- 8:455 Blush is empty but searchlight trailer is in position on First Ave. Still early. /li>
- 9:00 Txori, Carolin Messier presiding from a table by the door while Joey Serquinia and his wise men prepare pintxos and more for the evening's four-course txoko dinner.
- 9:30 Pioneer Square. Mitchelli's final night. After 33 years, Dany Mitchell is shutting down.
- 9:45 Four-lamp searchlight trailer piercing the cloud cover in front of Venom. Short line at the door. Still early, right?.
- 10:00 Full house at Flying Fish. At the pass, Chris Keff doesn't exactly deny rumors that the restaurant is moving to South Lake Union. "No hard info," she says.
- 10:15 Taverna del Alabardero is full. White tablecloths, lots of Spanish accents. Biggest line of the night outside Del Rey, next door.
- 10:30 Every seat taken at Ventana. Ciroc Vodka brought giant ice cubes.
- 11:15 Back to Blush, where searchlight trailer now in operation, illuminating the underside of a First Ave tree. Inside, DJ and a few party-goers. Gatekeeper sez $15 cover; we decline.
- 11:30 La Vita รจ Bella, where Giuseppe Forte pours me a glass of excellent Chianti and the estimable Anatoliy Yegorov squeezes eastern European folk melodies from his antique, ivory-inlaid accordion.
- 11:58 Terrace on 7th floor of Seattle Heights in time for fireworks. Rain slowed to drizzle.
Happy New Year! And may the coming decade be no less healthy, happy and prosperous than the last. Shouldn't be all that hard, should it?
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