END NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH A BANG AT CONSIGLIO’S!

As 2016 runs in a race to the finish line and 2017 gets ready to rock and roll, what better way to celebrate the occasion than a trip  to New Haven’s charming Wooster Street where Consiglio’s Restaurant has been serving great Italian food for over seventy-five years, keeping the recipes clearly in the family for four generations now.  This is the place for warmth, hospitality and comfort food and lots of fun and laughs as its year round menu of inviting interactive dinner theater culminates the calendar with “Last Night Last Chance” on Saturday, December 31 from 9:30 p.m. until the champagne toast at midnight.

Once again the genial host of the evening will be Michael Sayers, the master of the mystery and magic, the man who conjures up all the machinations and motives, the writer of the plots and the solver of the dastardly deeds, in the persona of that maestro detective Chester Hadlyme.  Sayers has been penning these  clue laden tales for decades and they are always filled with twists and turns, and they all involve the wits of the guests who come for a delicious dinner and a dessert of crime solving.  This New Year’s Eve is no different.

Be on your toes as a bevy of females come to your dining table to drop subtle and not so subtle hints as to their history and motivations as the mystery unfolds.  Look for Ann Crimmons, Mara Dresner and Elizabeth Harnett to be dressed in their holiday finery, stopping by to wink and whisper about their intentions.  Are they looking for a date or a sip of your Martini?  Your job is to figure out who may be riding on the coroner’s table before the tolling of midnight.  And who is the male counterpoint all the females are seeking?  Has romance gone kaput? Get a scorecard to record your impressions and suspicions.

While you ponder the preponderance of evidence, don’t forget to enjoy the feast of Italian offerings that Consiglio’s is presenting.  Of the five appetizers, you might select the fried calamari bathed in Italian spices, ready to be dipped in a hearty marinara sauce or the crisp and crunchy Caesar salad dressed in parmesan cheese and decorated with homemade croutons.  The ten entrees include such specialities as ravioli stuffed with fresh succulent lobster meat and ricotta and dancing with jumbo shrimp in a light plum tomato sauce or chicken rosa, a short tower of eggplant, chicken cutlet, mozzarella and fresh tomatoes swimming atop linguine in a light creamy plum tomato sauce.

For dessert, flip a coin and decide between a chocolate mousse cake with an Oreo cookie crust, stuffed with yummy chocolate cream or Godiva tiramisu with Godiva liquor soaked lady fingers with a generous filling of Mascarpone and dusted with espresso.  For reservations ($65, beverages, tax and gratuity not included), call Consiglio’s Restaurant, 165 Wooster Street, New Haven at 203-865-4489 or go online for the full details at www.consigliosrestaurant.com.  The evening includes the show, the three-course dinner and the champagne toast at the stroke of twelve, as well as games and contests with prizes if time permits.  Come prepared to participate for maximum enjoyment.

Now is the time to plan for the first Dinner Theater show of 2017, “The 13th of Friday Part 1” on Friday, the 13th, of course, at 7 p.m. when you discover what happens when New Year’s resolutions take a decidedly deadly turn. Michael Sayers is preparing lots of surprises for the new year, expanding the offerings from summer on the patio, including classes in interactive acting.

This is Mystery Party Theater with an emphasis on Party. Everyone needs to end the year with laughter.  As Michael Sayers would seriously recommend: Happy, Happy. Joy. Joy. As the extended Consiglio family would definitely suggest:  Buon Appetito.