What are you doing New Year’s Eve?

Young Chang

Newport-Mesa may not be the most festive of cities on New Year’s Eve --

we are, after all, a quieter crew than the revelers on Sunset Boulevard

-- but those looking for anything but a cozy evening at home can still

party into 2002.

Local restaurants, hotels, cruise services and theaters will gladly play

host for the evening. Some of them, including a few picked here, will

even send you home with party favors.

Skosh Monahan’s Irish pub and steakhouse in Costa Mesa will offer a

special menu on the 31st in addition to its regular fare. New Year’s

features will include a fillet and lobster tail and rack of lamb.

A champagne toast and countdown will ring in the new year, and the bar

will stay open until 2 a.m., said owner Gary Monahan, who is also a Costa

Mesa councilman.

Maggiano’s Little Italy in Costa Mesa will offer three dinner seatings --

at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. The Grammy-nominated Doc Anello and his band will

perform at 1 a.m. after a midnight toast and countdown.

In Newport Beach, the Four Season’s Hotel will present festivities at

three restaurants: the Pavilion, the Grill at Pelican Hill and the

Gardens Lounge.

Pavilion restaurant will offer two dinner seatings -- 5:30 and 9 p.m. --

with entrees including a poached Dover sole fillet with white asparagus

and caviar sauce, and a sauteed medallion of beef with baby artichokes

and a winter truffle sauce.

A balloon drop, champagne toast and a scattering of party favors will be

given out at midnight, and a pianist will perform throughout the evening.

The Gardens Lounge will also offer a musical act -- a jazz trio.

Festivities there will include dancing, party favors, a champagne toast

and a balloon drop.

Finally, the Grill at Pelican Hill will have its own balloon drop,

midnight toast and two seatings -- a four-course fixed price meal at 5:30

p.m. and a six-course fixed price meal at 9 p.m.

If you’re looking for a less-caloric, more recreational way to ring in

the new year, local cruise and charter companies will offer rides on New

Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. One of these businesses is the Balboa

Pavilion in Newport Beach. Harbor cruises leave every hour, on the hour,

and cruises to Catalina leave every morning at 9 a.m.

Employee Betsy Sturgeon expects business to start strong with the new

year.

“We’ll have several hundred [passengers], maybe more,” she said. “People

do it to get away and see something different. We have a lot of guests

from out of town also.”

If you’d rather not deal with the glitz of getting fancy at a hotel or

getting seasick on a boat, the Oasis Senior Center will present a

year-end celebration from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the 31st with champagne,

wine, food and music by a variety band.

Finally, if you’ve already planned your home-cooked meal for that evening

and are looking for something cultural to do afterward, the Orange County

Performing Arts Center will present the just-opened show “Blast!” The

Tony Award-winning production of drum corps-driven outdoor pageantry will

feature musicians, dancers and other performers taking what resembles a

halftime show to new heights. Their drumming will make noisemakers seem

paltry by comparison.

FYI

* Skosh Monahan’s: (949) 548-0099

* Maggiano’s Little Italy: (714) 546-9550

* Four Season’s Hotel: (949) 759-0808

* Balboa Pavilion: (949) 673-5245

* Oasis Senior Center: (949) 644-3244

* Orange County Performing Arts Center: (714) 556-2787