Dines Out for January...Celebrating New Year's Eve at Perry's Steakhouse and Grille

Michael and I normally celebrate New Year's by going out to an early dinner. Then we come home, put on our PJs and enjoy a midnight champagne toast while we watch the Times Square ball drop on television. Not this year, though. This year, we got dressed up and headed to Perry's Steakhouse & Grille at La Cantera here in San Antonio. They invited us to welcome 2013 with them and enjoy their special three-course New Year's Eve dinner and midnight champagne toast. We arrived for our 1000 reservation and were immediately greeted by General Manager Jeremiah Garcia. The place was packed with couples and families enjoying a nice meal while they said goodbye to 2013 and hello to 2013! We were quickly seated and brought water and the night's special menu to review.

Our servers were absolutely wonderful. Despite being extremely busy that night, they were friendly and helpful and kept our meal coming to our table at a perfect pace. The three-course New Year's Eve dinner menu included soup or salad, an entree, and dessert...and a glass of champagne for the midnight toast. The price for all this food was $74.95 per person. Select appetizers were also available for an additional charge to round out your meal. One of our servers highly recommended their Cherry Pepper Calamari appetizer, so we decided to give it a try based on his glowing reviews. We don't normally enjoy calamari, but his recommendation was spot on: this calamari was fantastic! It was lightly fried in a spicy breading and not the least bit greasy. It was topped with flavorful pickled peppers. The tender calamari was so spicy and full of flavor that no dipping sauce was needed. I would definitely order this appetizer again.

For our first course, Michael opted for the Signature Wedge Salad. It is topped with their house-made blue cheese dressing, blue cheese crumbles, red onion, and bacon. It's big enough to share, so I had a few bites. It was a chilly night, so I decided to have the Lobster Bisque. It was rich and creamy, with pieces of lobster meat. The portion size was perfect for me: just enough to get my appetite going and leave room for our entrees.

Just as we were wrapping up our first course and appetizer, our entrees arrived. Michael is a purist, so he decided to have the 14-ounce prime ribeye. I opted for something different: Pecan-Crusted Red Snapper. Perry's is known for their fabulous steaks and signature double-cut pork chops, so we had never tried their seafood before. My fish was perfectly cooked. The fish was moist and flaky, and the pecan crust gave the fish a subtle nutty flavor. It was topped with a lemon-butter sauce and a few pieces of lump crab. Both entrees were served with whipped potatoes and seasonal vegetables. 

We took our time enjoying our entrees and counting down the final 3o minutes of 2012. Just as we finished, out came dessert. I opted for the Dessert Trio, which was the perfect sweet ending for me: a Grand Marnier-infused truffle, chocolate-dipped strawberry, and mini caramel cheesecake. The portion size was just what I wanted after a somewhat rich meal. Michael selected the Cheesecake, which came topped with white chocolate and a yummy and eye-catching blueberry sauce. 

Before we knew it, our waiter came by our table with small glasses of champagne for the midnight toast. We were getting excited...the anticipation of the last couple of minutes before midnight on New Year's Eve always makes me so excited! We could hear the guests in the adjoining Bar 79 counting down the last 10 seconds of 2012! At the stroke of midnight, everyone jumped up from their chairs and began hugging and kissing..and toasting...us included! It was so fun to ring in the new year with a room full of people acting so festive and celebrating. Michael and I toasted to 2013 and drank our champagne. Afterward, we did a quick Facetime with my in-laws from our table to wish them a Happy New Year, then it was time to head home. But...not before I took a few minutes to snap a few pictures of Perry's gorgeous holiday decor in the dining room.

Shortly after midnight, we thanked Jeremiah for his amazing hospitality and made our way out to our car. We were feeling festive after a fabulous, festive evening and a wonderful meal. When we arrived home, we changed into our PJs...and promptly watched the Times Square ball drop on television via  DVR delay before bed. Some things never change!

Disclosure: Perry's Steakhouse & Grille provided us with a complimentary meal to facilitate this post. The opinions expressed are my own. All photographs are copyright of Michael K. Garcia.