Suzanne Goin & Caroline Styne Ring In The New Year At Lucques, A.o.c. And Tavern

Chef Suzanne Goin and her business partner and Sommelier Caroline Styne, have New Year's celebration on Saturday, December 31, 2011, covered in Los Angeles with three festive themed menus offered in their restaurants, Lucques, A.O.C. & Tavern.

With a diversity of dishes, and each venue showcasing the imagination and signature style of James Beard Foundation award-winning chef Suzanne Goin, Angelenos can choose the menu and the setting that fits their personal taste for ringing in 2012. Chef / Owner Goin artfully crafted the seasonal menus for each restaurant location created for the preferences of their customers.

At Lucques, the flagship restaurant opened in 1998, Goin offers a five course menu styled after Harry's Bar in Venice prepared by Chef de Cuisine Javier Espinoza. The first seating beginning at 5:30 is priced at $110; second seating starts at 8:30 and is priced at $150 per guest, including party favors and a midnight toast. Originally the rustic carriage house of the Harold Lloyd Estate, Lucques' decor of brick, wood beams, garden setting and cozy fireplace provides a warm and charming setting, perfect for celebrating.

A.O.C., the ground-breaking wine bar with a market-driven small plates menu is ideal for food sharing. Here guests will enjoy a "Carnivale" New Year's with a four course menu of Goin's Brazilian inspired dishes, prepared by Chef de Cuisine Lauren Herman. First seating at
6:30 is $90; second seating at 9:00 is $125 per guest and includes a samba floor show, dancing and champagne toast. Known for its excellent wine selection by Caroline Styne this location makes tasting and exploring wine a significant element of the experience.

Tavern, a chic space designed by Jeffrey Alan Marks, will host a Mad Men themed evening of dishes designed by Goin. The dining room, boasting a glass roofed atrium and sumptuous bar with deep cushioned seating, invites the clinking of martini and manhattans glasses, witty conversation and stylish dining in this Brentwood neighborhood. For New Year's Eve, Chef de Cuisine Dennis Kelley will prepare Goin's menu of 50's and 60's restaurant classic dishes. The dinner will feature a raw oyster bar and artisanal martini cart. The first seating, available from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m., is priced at $85 per guest; the second seating, available from 8:30 - 10:30 p.m., is $100 per guest and includes party favors, live entertainment by Swing-master Mike Hudson & The Invitations and a midnight toast.

Decadent New Year's desserts for Lucques, A.O.C. and Tavern, will be prepared by Christina Olufson, corporate pastry chef for the Lucques Restaurant Group.

Suzanne Goin was named one of Food and Wine magazine's "Best New Chefs" in 1999, within a year after opening her first restaurant. In 2005, Suzanne's cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, was published by Alfred A. Knopf. In 2006, the James Beard Foundation acknowledged Suzanne's culinary achievements with the award for Best Chef California and an award for her cookbook, Best Cookbook from a Professional Viewpoint.

Goin and Styne are among the most respected restaurateurs in California, and continue to receive praise for their food, beverage programs and service from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, L.A. Weekly, Daily News, Condenast Traveler, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Los Angeles, Angeleno, Zagat and Gayot.com. They are co-founders of L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade, their fundraiser benefiting research for childhood cancer which has raised over $700K since its inception in 2010. She has received four concurrent nominations for Outstanding Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation from 2008 - 2011.

Suzanne and Lucques Catering have been the official caterers for the annual SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards for the past two years. In April 2011, Goin & Styne were ho