The holiday season, anchored by the two-prong attack of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, is stressful enough without having to toil away in the kitchen, especially for folks who don’t achieve meditative bliss with endless chopping, folding, stirring and searing. For a more relaxing and refined Christmas Eve, check out one of these five restaurants offering meals in festive settings outside of the home, from an underground grotto offering classic Christmastime fare to a rooftop Spanish spot with Catalan-inspired holiday favorites.
Chaak: Chef Gabbi Patrick’s Yucatan-style eatery of acclaim features, among its menu of no-skip highlights, a tamal colado made of guajillo braised beef, camote pipian rojo, maitake mushrooms and pearl onions. It’s an ideal way to satitiate to your tamale craving this Christmas. Other dishes perfect for the holiday season include pork belly confit tacos; a 24-ounce prime rib steak with porcini recado, papas fritas and schug; and Codorniz a la Brasa (grilled quail) with charred cabbage, green apple and mole blanco. Open Christmas Eve. 215 El Camino Real, Tustin
The Cellar: This Fullerton staple — an underground restaurant designed by Gene White, a former Disney designer who helped create the Pirates of the Caribbean ride ∞ features semi-private banquettes, circular booth seating, arched brickwork and plush red velvet, all of which provide an ideal spot for a wintertime dinner. The 55-year-old restaurant’s three-course Christmas Eve dinner, with two seatings for the night, will offer escargot, goose terrine tart, vegetable soup with creme fraiche, ribeye with mashed potatoes, cioppino, goose breast, chocolate souffle and more. $99.95 per guest. Each seating will run roughly two hours. Located inside the Villa Del Sol, 305 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton
Marché Moderne: Florent and Amelia Marneau’s acclaimed French bistro in Newport Beach’s Crystal Cove will offer a four-course menu for Christmas Eve starting off with a…
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