Among the holiday greetings and other assorted messages dropped in our inbox over the past week were two interesting and related items having to with New Year's Eve dinner specials. Here's the first:

Hi,

I have been such a fan of your blog ever since planning our New Year's trip to Budapest. We will be celebrating my fiancé's 30th birthday and were thinking of splurging, although we noticed Gundel's NYE might be slightly over budget (Ft 59,500). Would you be able to recommend us something nice and Hungarian for such a special occasion? We were thinking around Ft 30,000 per head including wines.

Thanks so much in advance. Kind regards from London!

Hester

First of all, we checked the homepage of Gundel and discovered that the very lavish-looking Szilveszter dinner they are putting on isn't Ft 59,500, but Ft 53,500 including service. Still, expensive - especially given our suspicion that the food might not be good enough for a night that is commemorating both the end of a decade and a 30th birthday.

While no competing offer comes to mind that is "nice and Hungarian," Hester's enquiry was followed by a note from our friends over at Baraka, asking if we might spread the word about their own New Year's Eve offering. Here's the menu:

How about that for Ft 15,500 per head? While this price doesn't include wine or service (add 12%), it does include a champagne toast and a CD of the music that will be played during dinner.

Meanwhile, if you can't make it on NYE, until the 30th Baraka will be serving a set holiday menu for around Ft 10,000 that includes Salmon sashimi, foie gras roasted in Tokaj, and rosé roasted duck breast with chestnut and porcini. And to think people seem excited to say goodbye to 2009...