It's not too early to reserve a table for an extravagant New Year's Eve dinner.

Check out newcomer Cast & Cru — the beauty that's part of the remake of the venerable Old Log Theatre. The evening includes chef Patrick Scot Moore's four-course dinner (chicken-fried lobster, charred Kobe beef belly), a performance of "Life Could Be a Dream," a Champagne toast and live music and dancing. Cost is $125 per person, tax and gratuity included.

5185 Meadville St., Greenwood, 952-474-5951, www.castandcru.com

Ring in the new year in the handsome new home of Corner Table and put yourself in the gifted hands of chef/co-owner Thomas Boemer. A five-course dinner ($75, tax and gratuity additional) also includes a $40 wine pairing option.

4537 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., 612-823-0011, www.cornertablerestaurant.com

At hyper-seasonal Heartland Restaurant, chef/co-owner Lenny Russo is finding year-end inspiration in his battered copy of "Modern French Culinary Art," the 1966 English reprint of Henri-Paul Pellaprat's 1936 classic "L'Art Culinaire Moderne." That means dishes along the lines of a steelhead trout coulibiac, grass-fed veal Marsala and vegetarian cassoulet, all sprinkled among a trio of three-course options (meat, fish or vegetarian). Cost is $75 per person, tax and gratuity additional.

289 E. 5th St., St. Paul, 651-699-3536, www.heartlandrestaurant.com