Eating, Drinking, Dancing: New Year’s Eve Options in Borderstan

From Laura Herman of LauraLikesThis. Laura is also a contributor over at Brightest Young Things and you can find her on Twitter @Lmhhabs. Email her at [email protected].

Love it or hate it, New Year’s Eve is approaching. Personally, I can’t stand the hype with this overdone “holiday,” but I can always appreciate getting dressed up in a hot sequin dress and having great plans for an evening… be they movies on the couch, a nice dinner reservation or a real end-of-year blow out bash.

So knowing that everyone’s NYE deal is a little bit different, here are all of your best Bordersan bets for plans — ranging from chill to full-on rager.

Eating and Drinking

• Try to snag tickets to ChurchKey’s (1337 14th Street NW) New Years bash with bottomless beer, snacks, DJ and photobooth.
• Cork (1805 14th Street NW) is a good spot for an early or late dinner with New Year’s specials. Call or email for a reservation.
• Hank’s Oyster Bar and Lounge (1624 Q Street NW) is taking reservations for the 31st. You get a bottle of champagne.
• El Centro (1819 14th Street NW) is offering a three-course Mexican tasting menu in the dining room, drink specials on the roof, and a DJ spinning in the basement tequileria…plus brunch the next day. What more do you need? Email for reservations and pricing.
•  Skip the open bar rip off and head to 1905 (1905 9th St. NW) for their annual New Year’s Eve dinner and party, including a three course prixe fixe menu ($55 per person) and easy cash bar all night. Email for more info and to make a rez.
• Special menu offerings at Logan Tavern and Commissary (1423 and 1443 14th Street NW).
• LivingSocial Gourmet is selling tickets to a New Year’s Eve Bash at duo Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and Black Jack bar (1612 14th St). There will be oysters, passed snacks, an open bar and, of course, bocce. Tickets here.
•  The Capitol Deal is offering various packages for a dinner menu and/or open bar at Ulah Bistro for the night.

Dancing

• Cobalt (17th and R NW) will host its RAW NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY with w/ DJs Bil Todd & Shea Van Horn plus Guest DJs Rich Morel & Matt Bailer. Time is 10 pm to 4 am ($10). More details in the comment section below.
  New Year’s Eve Ball at Black Cat featuring Peaches O’Dell & Her Orchestra plus Tony Anthony & His Malvivants (great band names, huh?)
•  Downtown Countdown at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave. NW) featuring Third Eye Blind, lots of food and open bars.
•  BYT PRESENTS: DJs & Beer & Books at the old Borders store at the corner of 18th and L streets NW. $75 pre sale tix including an open bar are still available.
•  NYE Liberation Dance Party at DC9 (1940 9th Street NW). $60 tickets for open bar, confetti cannons, and lots of dancing on each floor of the venue.
• Vegas Lounge (1415 P Street NW) featuring live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, party favors and a champagne toast. Doors open at 9:45 pm.

Something Different

•  Beat City is hosting a New Year’s Eve EVE party (so that’s Friday night, folks) with drink specials and an invitation to dance off the excess candy canes and latkes you ate all week.
• The Spanking Station at Colbalt (17th and R NW) with porn start Colby Keller. (Yes, that’s correct.) Starting at 11:30 pm, you can get spanked by porn star-art-scholar and big-shoe-scriber Colby Keller! ” He’ll be parting his curtains for any boy (or girl) that needs a good whack to “ring” in the New Year,” says Colbalt. “Spanks are free, but be sure to drop a couple bills in Colby’s red hand as you limp out of his station.” (We just report the news here, people.)

What are YOU doing for NYE? Let us know what we missed. Also, don’t forget to check out our Borderstan brunch guide for New Year’s Day plans. Have fun, be safe, and see you in 2012!