New Year’s Eve celebrations are usually something I avoid.  First of all, I don’t ski and I avoid cold-weather whenever possible, so sipping cider in a chalet in Gstaad might sound glam, but it does nothing for me.  Second, gay Jews aren’t looked upon in a particularly favorable light by those in the U.A.E., so while the invitations to Dubai and Bahrain continue to come in, they are met with a polite declination. 

So, about a half-dozen years ago, I decided that I’d stay in Vegas for New Year’s Eve.  Then that became a debacle.  The Strip closes to traffic, valets are full by 6pm, and it’s just an all-out organizational conflama.  Then, a few years back, I came to the conclusion that the most luxurious thing I could do on New Year’s Eve would be to stay home with the dog (and in more recent years, Jacob), have some Chinese food delivered, and watch Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper ring-in the New Year, on CNN.  No muss; no fuss.

But, since I was going to be a "Phish Widow" this year (as Jacob was going to New York with my brother, to attend Phish’s Madison Square Garden shows on the 30th and 31st), and I’d been invited to attend the Stevie Wonder concert at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, I decided to check it out.  Why?  Well, I’d never seen Stevie live AND access to The Cosmopolitan was theoretically a snap, because of the entrance on Harmon.

I joined my friend Abbie at Cosmo’s “High Roller” dinner, along with her boyfriend Jason, his very fierce sister Jennifer (wearing the evening’s coolest ensemble), and her fabu friend, Allison.  It’s a shame my knee is in such bad shape (having a second surgery, next month, btw…); because all I wanted to do that night was dance-dance-dance.  Watching my buddy Abbie very adroitly demonstrate the Bristol Stomp while we grooved to the now-sounds of Mayer Hawthorne & The County simply reinforced my desire to boogie.

I’m always impressed when large scale dinners, like these, produce reasonably tasty food.  Not too hifalutin, not rubbery, not overcooked, just good.  The Cosmopolitan’s 2012 New Year’s Eve Celebration (“New Year, New Possibilities”) featured just this sort of food, prepared very well.  There was an Amuse Bouche of White Miso Cured Sonoma Fois Gras (with red grapes, crispy chicken skin, 18kt gold, and ver jus).  The First Course consisted of Slow Cooked Wild Turbot (with salsify, leeks, lemon gel, Oscetra caviar beurre blanc), while the Second Course was a delicious In House Made Duroc Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin (with cauliflower crusted cauliflower, sweetbread & Porcini croquette, and black truffle sauce).  Finally, there was a tasty White Chocolate Mousse (with silver-dusted red currants, Champagne gelée, and chocolate Pop-rocks).

And what about the musical wonder that is Stevie?  He remains one of the greatest musicians of all-time, and did not disappoint.  His cover of The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” would’ve done the Fab Four proud, and his mega-hit “Superstition” was given an extra splash of flava when performed as a duet with singer/actor Tyrese Gibson (2 Fast 2 Furious, Transformers).

2012 – New Year, New Possibilities

Get into it!