We savored every morsel of our meal at Alila Ventana Big Sur’s The Sur House along California’s Central Coast. We loved the meal so much we would consider coming back the next time we pass through the area.

View other posts in this series:

• Simply Spectacular: The Immaculate Alila Ventana Big Sur
• Enjoying Breakfast at the Alila Ventana Big Sur
• Satisfying Lunch at the Alila Ventana Big Sur
• Delicious Dinner at the Alila Ventana Big Sur
• Alila Ventana’s NYE Dinner at The Sur House: Absolutely Delicious (this post)
• The Paid and Free Activities at Ventana Big Sur
• Comparing Miraval Berkshires With Alila Ventana: Which Is Better?

For New Year’s entering 2025, we decided to spend some quality one-on-one time at the legendary Alila Ventana resort as part of a very delayed attempt at celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary (which was over two years ago). While I’ll share our thoughts on the overall experience later, I wanted to at least highlight the meal on offer for the special holiday as the hotel gets booked up well in advance. I ended up booking my stay here nearly a year in advance.

For those wondering, the dress code was fairly relaxed–no one seemed to mind our tennis shoes and jeans in the evening, but I wouldn’t push it with anything less than that. Children are not allowed in The Sur House during dinner (only during lunch service).

The Menu

Alila Ventana resort guests get complimentary dining included in their stay, which is part of the reason it ends up being so popular with Hyatt guests looking to use points to stay here. Note that alcoholic beverages (including the wine pairing and special holiday drinks) will incur a separate charge but that non-alcoholic beverages (such as a latte) are included. Non-resort guests will end up paying $150 for the dinner, which is a price I actually find justifiable.

Typical dinners at Alila Ventana were of the three-course variety but for New Year’s Eve, everyone received a five-course meal.

Amuse-Bouche

Described on the menu as “Chef’s Tasting Bite”, we received some champagne that was thickened with some apple fruit de glace and an almond crumble. The dish itself was a bit on the sweeter side, which seemed a bit unique as the start to the meal. It bordered more on being a dessert, bookending the experience with sweetness.

Starters

We received our drinks around when our starters appeared. Jenn ordered the Mistletoe Mimosa, which tasted like your typical mimosa. It was advertised as having some pomegranate in it but the blood orange taste was a bit more pronounced, hence why it wasn’t too different from a regular mimosa. I went with the Alabastor Eggnog and admittedly I never had eggnog before this. The drink itself reminded me of an alcoholic horchata, and I love horchata, so I was quite satisfied with my choice.

For the starter course, Jenn chose the dungeness crab bisque, which had bits of crab and excellent flavor, but the soup itself could stand to be a bit warmer in temperature for our tastes.

I ordered the Half Dozen Oysters on Half Shell, which were very fresh and tasty. There were not many shell bits hiding in the oysters and it came with a vinegar sauce, though I prefer my oysters without anything but a small squeeze of lemon.

Mid Course

For the next course, Jenn ordered the Mussels dish, which came with lots of mussels covered in a tomato sauce with some sausage and bread to accompany it. We found this dish to be quite delicious, with the mussels expertly prepared and ranks among some of the better cooked mussels we’ve had. The sausage pairs well with the mussels and adds a bit of extra substance to the course. As you might guess, the bread is there mainly to collect the sauce in the bowl.

I went with my inner child and ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese, made with freshly-made pasta and a very rich and hearty meat sauce. This dish was obviously a bit heavier than the mussels were, which might have been a poor choice given how much food we were eating this evening, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. If this were the last course, I would have gladly stolen Jenn’s bread to soak up the sauce.

Entrees

For our last savory course, Jenn selected the Scallops. These scallops were cooked well, but had just a bit too much salt on them. The ancient grains that supplemented the dish were delicious and the grapefruit added a little citrusy freshness to the meal.

I ordered the Lamb Rack, which was thankfully only two lollipops of lamb given how much I already stuffed myself by this point (both for this meal and also for this whole trip). The lamb was cooked perfectly with a mild but delicious taste and I loved the salsa verde that covered the top of the meat. The polenta was absolutely divine and offered the perfect pairing to the dish.

Desserts

For the sweet course, Jenn wanted the Almond Financier with Rose Poached Pear. We found the dish had plenty of natural sweetness from the pear, but it begged for a fork and knife rather than the spoon we were provided. The pear, though poached, was a bit on the tough side and needed some effort to reduce it into bite-sized pieces with a spoon.

My final selection was the Citrus Olive Oil Parfait. The taste was reminiscent of a less-sweet ice cream and the pistachios on top with the crunchies underneath added some much-needed texture. After a few heavier course selections, I think this was an ideal end to the evening with its simple taste.

Recommendation: Yes, if you’re in the area

Obviously, eating here is a guaranteed must-do if you’re a resort guest because it’s complimentary (with the only other included option being room service). It goes without saying that you should stop by The Sur House for dinner here and the recommendation becomes somewhat silly.

But what about if you’re in the area? I’d still recommend stopping by for dinner. Reservations are highly recommended (and I’d say necessary if you are not a resort guest), but thankfully they are easy to make on Open Table. I think many others had the same idea, as the dining room was completely full when we were there while it was perhaps half-full other nights. It’s not worth going out of your way if you are up in the Bay Area, but if you’re staying at the Ventana Campground, happen to be passing by on Highway 1 (more relevant when the road is fully open), charging your Tesla at the hotel’s Superchargers, or staying in a nearby motel, The Sur House offers a quality meal at a not-unreasonable price.

Have you been to Alila Ventana Big Sur for a special dining event?