Las Vegas Weekly

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Fireworks. Party favors. Silly, glittery hats. New Year’s Eve arrives every year bearing the same inevitable signs of celebration, so why not make this year less about confetti and noisemakers and more about the good things in life: lobster, Spanish ham and plenty of champagne.

Julian Serrano at Aria: Close 2010 with Serrano’s five-course tapas menu featuring dishes like Basque-style sea bass, goat cheese-stuffed peppers and a Castilian soup with a 149-degree egg. Precision is everything. $150.

Yellowtail at Bellagio: Nothing says Happy New Year like seven courses of chef-selected raw fish. At least not when that chef is Yellowtail’s Akira Back. We can’t predict what will be on the omakase (chef’s choice) menu on December 31, but trust that whatever it is, it will have recently been swimming. $225.

Top of the World at Stratosphere: You could go for the lobster bisque, the filet mignon with foie gras Cabernet sauce or the Colorado rack of lamb, but really, if you make it up to the 107th floor on New Year’s, you’ve come for the view. Drink it in. $189 from 5:30-8 p.m.; $299 from 9 p.m.-midnight, including a champagne toast, party favors and live music.

Mood at the Artisan: If avoiding the Strip is on your New Year’s to-do list, consider spending the evening at the Artisan, where a five-course dinner includes lobster cappuccino with cognac foam and s’mores bread pudding for dessert. Come for dinner; stay for the party. Seatings at 7 & 9:30 p.m., $150 per couple.