Smoke 'Em Out

This time of year, my inbox is flooded with New Year's Eve restaurant specials, often some number of courses for some inflated price with maybe a free glass of champagne. But every once in a while, a promotion jumps out from the crowd. Like this one:

Smoking in restaurants and bars will go down in a haze of ... well, what else ... smoke at The Jefferson Hotel. The hotel's New Year's Eve celebration will fete the impending Jan. 2 ban of public smoking with a massive smoke-out, complete with free cigarettes, a Moroccan inspired hookah bar, and complimentary Courvoisier cigars and Maker's Mark cigars (with hand-rollers on hand for the evening) courtesy of Emprise Cigars.

"The Jefferson Lounge has been coined a notorious cigar and smoking lounge throughout the years," said Franck Arnold, the hotel's general manager. "This New Year's Eve event is a great way to honor our nostalgic past while welcoming the new rules of 2007."

The $200 ticket for the evening includes an eight-course tasting menu, champagne, cognac tasting, cigar, hookah and cigarettes all night long (in the lounge) and a commemorative cigar/cutter giveaway. Tax and gratuity are not included. Click here for menu details and reservations.

*cough cough*