The Great Christmas 2011 Guide: Dining Out (And Win Christmas Eve Dinner At The St. Regis!)

Thirteen days 'til Christmas, folks! If you don't have your act together - no presents bought, no decorating done and no recipes Googled, you ought to get on that. On that last front, we can help you out. Today's post is the first of three Christmas-themed posts, with a focus on Dining Out during Christmas. We've rounded up the jolliest Christmas Eve dinners for you to sink your merry little teeth into, and we've even got a free dinner to give away. For your chance to win a Christmas Eve dinner for two to the St. Regis, read on.

Aria
Chef Matthew McCool & sommelier Eric Wu create a wine-paired five-course Christmas set menu bound to dazzle. RMB 1,288 (includes door gift). 6-10pm. Aria, China World Hotel (6505 2266 ext 36)

Astor Grill
Astor Grill's signature and classic dishes in a set menu. RMB 888+15%. 6-10pm. Astor Grill, the St. Regis (6460 6688)

Bene
Italian chef Francesco brings Sardinian flavor to your Christmas dinner. RMB 588+15%, RMB 478+15% (kids). 6-10pm. Bene, Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng (5798 8888)

CBD
An amazing buffet of holiday delicacies: honey-glazed ham, roasted turkey, lamb leg and Christmas cake. RMB 1,288. 6-10pm. CBD, Grand Millennium Beijing (8587 6888 ext 3012)

Daneli's
The chef's Italian Christmas set menu, at RMB 988+15%. 6-10pm. Daneli's, the St. Regis (6460 6688)

East 33
An opulent buffet with turkey carving, live oysters and a glorious Yule log. 4RMB 888 (includes free-flow wine, beer and soft drink). 6-10pm. East 33, Raffles Beijing Hotel (8500 4331)

Elements
A seafood dinner buffet including free flow soft drinks, sour plum juice, local beer, house red and white wine, Chinese baijiu, coffee and tea. RMB 558+15%. Elements, Hilton Beijing (5865 5020)

Garden Court
The St. Regis' famous seafood buffet, with a traditional roast turkey, roast beef and a lucky draw. RMB 988+15% 6-10pm. Garden Court, the St. Regis (6460 6688

Modo
Four courses from Daniel Urdaneta’s great new winter menu RMB 390. Modo (6415 7207)

Prego & Senses
Prego and Senses open up together for a bountiful buffet on a big scale. RMB 1,688 (includes a glass of bubbly and free-flow wine, beer, juice and soft drink), RMB 888 (kids 12 and under). 6-10pm. Senses & Prego, Westin Beijing Financial Street (6629 7777)

Renaissance Café
Glorious seafood buffet, lucky draws and a live band ushers in Christmas at Renaissance Café. RMB 788 (includes free flow house wine, glühwein, local beer and soft drinks). 5.30-10pm. Renaissance Café, Renaissance Beijing Chaoyang Hotel (6468 9999 ext 3121)

Sureño
Six courses of Chef Mariano's Italian-influenced Mediterranean fare, with offerings such as Australian beef tenderloin, lobster and traditional Panettone. RMB 688+15%. 6-10.30pm. Sureno, the Opposite House (6410 5240)

Trattoria La Gondola
A five-course Italian menu featuring traditional panettone cake and a live Italian performance. RMB 1,188 (includes free-flow Prosecco, select wine, beer and soft drink), kids half price. 6-11pm. Trattoria La Gondola, Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center (6465 3388 ext 4200)

Vasco's
A festive buffet for the entire family, with plenty of seafood, turkey and indulgent delights. RMB 688+15% (includes free-flow champagne, Glϋhwein, selected fine wines, local beer, soft drinks and juices), kids under 12 half price, kids under 5 free. 6pm-late. Vasco’s, Hilton Wangfujing (5812 8888 ext 8411)

For your chance to win dinner for two at the St. Regis Beijing, just tell us this in the comments: what's your favorite holiday tradition? We'll pick a winner by Thursday 6PM, so get those entries in sharpish. Good luck!

Photos: Courtesy of St. Regis Beijing

This post was edited on Dec 13 after receiving notification that Lunar 8 has canceled their Christmas eve event. Apologies for any confusion caused.

This post was altered on Dec 14 for the following correction regarding the prize.

To everyone who has entered the contest so far, we regret to let you know that we'll be unable to offer the St. Regis Christmas Eve voucher as the prize for this contest, as was originally advertised.

Before this article was posted, the St. Regis informed us that they would be unable to offer the Christmas Eve dinner voucher as originally planned - but kindly offered offer a New Year's Eve dinner voucher as an alternative prize.

Regrettably, due to a breakdown in communications on our part, the article appeared before the change in circumstances could be verified and the post appropriately corrected.

To our readers and the St. Regis, we deeply regret any confusion or disappointment caused.

As stated above, in place of a voucher for Christmas Eve, the St. Regis has offered a voucher for two for their New Year's Eve dinner. The competition will conclude as originally planned on Thursday, December 15 at 6pm, and the winner will be notified in due course.

Comments

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I gotta say, I'm diggin' on everyone's Christmas traditions. So much so that we had to resort to picking a number - congratulations to beautifulmachine, who has won a voucher to the St. Regis' New Years Eve Supper. Please check your private messages.

+ SNACK SAFELY +

Susan Sheng
Assistant Dining Editor

A walk in the snow on Christmas Eve is a very pleasant experiences itself.
But the radiated atmosphere of inner calm and joy from the houses do give one just the same feeling as those around the Christmas tree are having.
Helping other to have this expirience and seeing them having this joy is even more joyful and in the sirit of christmas.

When I'm with my family, the best tradition is definitely getting to eat my daddy's food. He's a professional chef so when my family emmigrated to the US waayyyy back in 1993, he'd always make dim sum (his egg tarts are AWESOME!) for my mom and I during Christmas. It definitely made us feel like we were back in Guangzhou when we got too homesick at the time. The tradition still goes on today...if I'm at home...

What can I say? My favorite holiday tradition is the simple joy of visiting my relatives in New York. Every Christmas Eve, my family would make the 5 hour drive down to New York where we would always be greeted by my aunt, uncle and cousins with lots of food, brightly lit Christmas tree, soft holiday music in the background and the chatter of Mǐn yǔ (Fujian Chinese dialect) from my relatives. It was always a time of year that I enjoyed and felt at peace. The holidays would be filled with good old-fashion traditional Christmas fare mixed with some southern Chinese cuisines, not to mention a family competition of poker and mahjong.

My favorite tradition was actually my worst tradition. However, I really miss it and suddenly it has become my favorite one since I came to China. (You realize what is really precious in your life once you are away from home.)

It is from Lunar New Year's Day event. In Korea, we have rice cake soup that represents that we become one more year older. After having it, the younger family members should bow down to the elderly. And you might know how this story ends happily. Our grandparents, other older relatives, and even my parents give pocket money to us. (It is my real favorite part of the day! haha)

Well, it may sound like a cliché but I do miss the moment that we shared special meals and had a lot of laughter back home.

Snuggling under a Slanket or Snuggie or similarly named fuzzy blanket, sipping out of Starbucks holiday red cups, and watching A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Lucy Van Pelt: You think you're so smart with that blanket. What are you going to do with it when you grow up?

Linus Van Pelt: Maybe I'll make it into a sport coat.

To everyone who has entered the contest so far, we regret to let you know that we'll be unable to offer the St. Regis Christmas Eve voucher as the prize for this contest, as was originally advertised.

Before this article was posted, the St. Regis informed us that they would be unable to offer the Christmas Eve dinner voucher as originally planned - but kindly offered offer a New Year's Eve dinner voucher as an alternative prize.

Regrettably, due to a breakdown in communications on our part, the article appeared before the change in circumstances could be verified and the post appropriately corrected.

To our readers and the St. Regis, we deeply regret any confusion or disappointment caused.

As stated above, in place of a voucher for Christmas Eve, the St. Regis has offered a voucher for two for their New Year's Eve dinner. The competition will conclude as originally planned on Thursday, December 15 at 6pm, and the winner will be notified in due course.

Jonathan White, Managing Editor the Beijinger/TheBeijinger.com

I've never spent Christmas home for 3years now. My favorite holiday traditions are Company Christmas Party which everyone dresses beautifully. Seeing neighbors decorating Christmas stuffs as early as October. Children doing caroling at night outside home. Saving up money to give away gifts for your godchildren ( I have 12 of them). And what I've missed most are Ham and Queso de Bola on the table during Christmas eve. Seeing fireworks outside our house with my family, relatives and neighbors and at 12:30am everyone can go to anyone's houses to greet Merry Christmas and they should eat too.

My favorite is making and exchanging Advent calendars with family members. After that everyone starts counting down the days to Christmas while discovering what's hidden behind each window. I love it when I find my favorite candy item or a cute poem.

Mine is seeing my mother open her Christmas presents then in the rest of the day sitting next to the Christmas tree with a glass of Baileys watching crappy TV repeats and The Wizard of Oz. Shame I can't do that anymore now I live in Beijing. I have no oven to make a lovely dinner either Sad

“Simbang Gabi” celebrates the advent of the Christmas celebration in the Philippines. It is a 400-year old Filipino tradition that composes 10 successive early morning masses starting on December 16 and will be culminated by “Misa De Gallo” at Christmas Eve. Filipino families gather and celebrate as they eagerly anticipate the “coming of the Lord”. After the mass, they will get together and indulge with different Filipino delicacies such as "bibingka", "puto-bumbong" and "suman" which are being sold nearby.

my favourite holiday tradition is the way how Spaniard celebrate the last 12 seconds in a year.

Listening to the bell, eating a grape at each of last 12 seconds and drinking the cava. People dancing together afterwards and greeting to each other. Personally, I think that is the best way to welcome the the New Year's coming!

Best holiday tradition?
The Burning of the Devil in Guatemala. Because nothing says "Happy holidays" more than a 50 foot burning effigy of Satan...?
Well, okay, maybe it doesn't have the usual Christmas vibe to it, but once you see it, who cares about mistletoe? No other tradition will even come close.

Nothing beats a jolly fire in the fireplace and 12 months worth of City Weekend magazines are just enough to ensure the chestnuts are perfectly roasted.

When I get to spend Christmas with my family, my favorite tradition is how we spend Christmas morning. We wake up, open our stockings, then read the Christmas story out of the Bible. After that, we start warming up breakfast (traditional foods that we have every year) and eat while we open presents. The rest of the day is spent hanging out and watching the little ones play with all their new toys.

Stay with all the family, eat Panettone and Torrone playing Tombola!! Angel

ciao .
i am an italian girl that live in beijing... usually in italy i teach italian to chinese people... i am free to teach to this great language, or just to improve it....
fell free to contact me !!!
i am glad to help you .
bacio
marta

So these promo's are only for 24th Dec?

What about whats happening on 25th December?