Destination dining certainly isn’t recession-proof, but the best opportunities to break the cycle of Trader Joe’s stir-fries and microwaveable meals are finally here: Christmas and New Year’s. And swooping in to sweep you and your stomach off your feet are two of the city’s best restaurants—Tracht’s and Michael’s on Naples. First is the Christmas dinner at Tracht’s, during which the downtown chophouse will plate up some of its famously modern Americana. The menu is set at three courses (with two choices per course), offering everything from cauliflower soup with roasted hazelnuts to turkey pot pie and cinnamon bread pudding. Meanwhile, Michael’s on Naples is planning a two-pronged New Year’s celebration, with one party sent up to the rooftop deck and the other warmed up inside by the fireplace. There will even be separate menus for each seating, with buffet-style service upstairs featuring cured meats, stuffed guinea hen, a gelato bar and more, and a prix-fixe meal downstairs serving fresh fish, pumpkin and butternut squash lasagna, and a fig and honey panna cotta. If this is the season of giving, it seems about time to sock away a few bucks and give yourself the gift of a good dinner.

TRACHT’S 111 E OCEAN BLVD | LONG BEACH 90802 | TRACHTS.COM AND MICHAEL’S ON NAPLES 5620 E SECOND ST | LONG BEACH 90803 | MICHAELSONNAPLES.COM

Tags: Food, Long Beach, michael's on naples, Restaurants, tracht's