The Daily Meal Hosts Exclusive Holiday Party

The most wonderful time of year has rolled around again and The Daily Meal kicked off the holiday celebration last Wednesday, Dec. 4, with a bang! The party took place at the Residences at Time Warner Center in New York City's Columbus Circle, an already festive location, with lights lining the trees and holiday cheer in full swing.

Click here to See The Daily Meal Exclusive Holiday Party Slideshow

Guests were led to a 51st-floor venue with breathtaking views of the city skyline and an undeniable aroma of the evening's delicious menu to come. A distinguished former host of The Daily Meal's Celebrity Chef Event Series, chef Nick Anderer of Maialino was welcomed back to prepare a wide range of Italian dishes.

As one of the highlights, Anderer featured a surprise pasta dish, cavatelli with lamb sausage and rapini, specially created for the holiday party. Some of the other mouthwatering hits of the evening included:

• Panino al Fiasco: Braised broccoli rabe, white beans, sage, and parmigiano
• Spada Affumicato: Smoked swordfish, robiolina, pickled onions, and arugula
• Porchetta: Roasted heritage pork middles, baby mustard greens, and broccolo romanesco
• Antipasto Misto: Country pâté, sliced finocchiona, marinated vegetables, grissini, pecorino, and ,mixed pickles

Some renowned guests from the celebrity chef community also joined The Daily Meal to celebrate the holidays, including Alain Allegretti, executive chef of Bistro La Promenade, and Cesare Casella, executive chef and partner of Salumeria Rosi. 

The Daily Meal also partnered with some incredible sponsors, who lavished the party with their distinct contributions:

• Petrossian: Featured as the caviar sponsor of the evening, Petrossian provided guests with a unique and satisfying way of experiencing caviar. Knowledgeable in the importance of freshness and allowing caviar to undergo a specific salting process, Petrossian takes fine dining to a new level with its infused dish creations. Two unique caviar dishes were featured for guests to enjoy. The "Petrossian Fleur de Vers" was offered as one of the evening's specialty cocktails, as well as the caviar chocolate squares, consisting of silken white chocolate embedded with crunchy, salty caviar.

• Four Roses Bourbon: A carefully curated combination of five trademarked yeast strains with two separate mash bills, Four Roses Bourbon consists of a distinctive spiciness and rich fruity flavor. Featured as The Daily Meal's bourbon sponsor of the holiday event, a specialty drink, the Bourbon Honey Lemon Campari, was offered.

• Arizona: A classic choice, the well-known and always loved beverage company provided The Daily Meal with bottled, Vapor water for the evening.

• Tequila Aviόn: This unique tequila flavor was voted as the "World's Best Tasting Tequila" at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, which is the highest honor in the spirits industry. The Daily Meal featured the brand as the evening's tequila sponsor.

• LeSUTRA: The sparkling liqueur sponsor of the evening, LeSUTRA offered guests four flavors to choose from — grape, strawberry, blueberry, and peach. Infused with premium vodka and white wine, LeSUTRA was a delicious addition to any guest's cocktail of choice.

• Templeton Rye: "The Good Stuff," as it has been called, and Al Capone's drink of choice during the Prohibition era, was enjoyed by guests as the whiskey sponsor of the evening. 

• TY KU: Brewed in the birthplace of sake, TY KU is a Japanese spirit favorite. Used to create cocktails or sip casually, the world's best-tasting sake was featured as the sake sponsor at the holiday party.

• VOGA Italia: With a unique and innovative redesign of the wine bottle, VOGA Italia was featured as The Daily Meal's Italian wine sponsor of the evening. 

• Le Grand Courtâge France: Featured as the sparkling wine sponsor of the evening, Le Grand Courtâge offered guests a sweet and crisp French choice of bubbly.

• QSquared NYC: With its high-quality yet trendy combination of aesthetics, QSquared NYC was featured as the dinnerware sponsor of the evening, providing flatware, plates, platters, and trays for the evening's décor. 

• Driscoll's: Committed to growing and producing the finest berries, Driscoll's provided The Daily Meal with beautiful strawberry trees as decorative and delicious pieces placed throughout the event, for guests to take as they pleased.

• Alter Eco Black & Velvet Truffles: These enticing delicacies were featured at the door of the event for guests to take at their leisure. Made with pure coconut oil and cacao beans from Peru and Ecuador, the dark chocolate provided for a delicious souvenir.