Jay-Z, Beyoncé Do New Year's In Brooklyn

As we've noted in the past, Beyoncé—and by extension, her husband Jay-Z—have immaculate restaurant taste. So it's really no surprise that on our way out the door from celebrating New Year's at one of our favorite Brooklyn restaurants, Buttermilk Channel, that we heard whispers that the couple was on their way. Damn, really?

And sure enough, we soon could confirm that Jay, B and unborn child were seated in a cozy table in the back. So, no, she did not check into the hospital to have her baby.

And speaking of dinner, it was a tour de force from the talented chef Ryan Angulo. The 3-course tasting menu had all the luxury razzle-dazzle you would expect: a rich foie gras terrine with pickled grapes, butter-poached lobster from the Red Hook Lobster Pound. The chef took his Food Network-famous duck meatloaf and updated it (it was called duck meatloaf 2.0) with more seared foie gras and a bittersweet chocolate and duck jus.

I went with the halibut. Don't know why. Maybe because I was about to drink my weight in rum negroni. It was a wise move—and a late breaker for dish of the year with a creamy cauliflower purée that was more cream, butter and magic than vegetable. A perfectly fried oyster topped the dish.

And if Jay and B's New Year's plans means anything—to build the night around a trip to an exiting American bistro and not drinking Champagne in some private hotel suite—it's that 2012 is the year food (and the culture of food) really heads in a whole new direction.

Let's look at the scorecard...

Spending your night drinking Champagne in a dark club: cool.

Spending your night drinking Keuka Lake Vignoles paired with fried oysters and grilled lamb saddle: much cooler.