The final day of 2015 was a time for revelry and resolutions, and many Mobilians planned to spend it at the city’s independent businesses, whether in search of food or a toast at midnight. Here is a quick guide to some of the best options.
Fine Dining
The Noble South offered a special New Year’s Eve menu of five courses with champagne for $75 per person. The upscale restaurant, with options such as speckled trout with hominy and dry-aged NY strip with turnips and black truffle sauce, was a fitting spot for fine dining with good company.
Live Music Downtown
Alchemy Tavern featured Gregg Fells downstairs at 7:30 p.m. and Black Irish Texas upstairs at 11 p.m. The bar offered multiple areas including pool tables and a spacious back porch, plus karaoke and a midnight New Year’s toast. Entry was free before 9 p.m., then a $5 cover.
The Blind Mule hosted an 18-and-up show on its Attic stage. Doors opened at 9 p.m., with a $5 cover for those 21 and older and $10 for everyone else. Jaguarundi, Satan and the Sunbeams and Commodus provided the music, and the venue also served as an inexpensive dining option.
Hayley’s Bar held its annual New Year’s Eve party with free champagne at midnight. Known as one of the last bars to close each night, the celebration was expected to run into the early hours.
Organizers reminded residents that all of these businesses are independently run and rely on local support, encouraging everyone ringing in 2016 to “buy local.”