The Walkthrough Archive in Chicago includes past coverage for Event Planners of updates on Planned Projects, Renovations, Newest Spaces and Development at Exhibit Halls, Conference Centers, Galleries and Lofts in Chicago by BizBash

Chicago Walkthrough Archive is an archive of projects, renovations and development at Hotels, Lofts, Houses, Museums, Terraces, Bars, Clubs and Lounges

Chicago event planning resource directory

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NEW NIGHT SPOTS Old Oak Tap The Pony Angels & Kings Club Royale Spybar Eno at the Fairmont Chicago Religion   UNIQUE SPACES Horseshoe Casino Bottom Lounge The Pavilions at Brookfield Zoo Phaiz S.P.A.C.E./Union Pizzeria Blo.Dri   NEW SPAS Trump Hotel's Spa Guestrooms MySpa at the Fairmont Chicago Allyu Spa   NEW RESTAURANTS Duchamp C-House, C-View Madame Tartine Hub 51 Perennial Graham Elliott L2O   NEW HOTELS InterContinental Chicago O'Hare Dana Hotel and Spa Residence Inn and Springhill Suites Trump International Hotel & Tower     The Walkthrough Archive 10.29.09 10:41 AM LM Le Restaurant Offers Enclosed Three-Season Garden, French Canapés Lincoln Square's LM Le Restaurant Photo: Courtesy of LM Le Restaurant LM Le Restaurant opened earlier this month in Lincoln Square. Named after Luc and Mary, the children of husband-and-wife co-owners Stephan and Nicole Outrequin Quassier, the venue offers contemporary French cuisine. Signature dishes include a torchon of foie gras with fig jam and sea salt, grilled wild sturgeon with hearts of palm, and sautéed veal shortbreads with caramelized onion ravioli. For private events, chef Bradford Phillips, formerly of Blackbird, can prepare canapés, set menus, or buffet stations. MORE >> 10.22.09 4:29 PM Gold Class Cinemas Stocks Movie Seats With Champagne Bottles, Hosts Private Screenings for 288 Gold Class Cinemas' at the Promenade Bolingbrook Photo: Courtesy of Gold Class Cinemas Gold Class Cinemas will open a new location at the Promenade Bolingbrook on November 6. The venue offers a dinner-and-a-movie experience and houses eight theaters, which can be rented out individually for groups of 40 or combined to host larger crowds. The entire theater, which also houses a fireplace-equipped lounge, is available for buyout and can hold 288. Within each theater, hosts can opt to present current feature films or corporate videos. Servers deliver restaurant-style entrees to recliners with built-in tabletops, and menu options include sushi platters, duck tacos, and Wagyu beef burgers. Passed appetizers and bottles of wine or champagne are also available. MORE >> 10.09.09 12:50 PM Cuvée Offers Bubbly Decor, Event Space for 400 The interior of Cuvée Photo: Courtesy of Cuvée Cuvée, a 5,000-square-foot lounge in River North, opened in late September. With an unmarked alleyway entrance, the lounge has decor inspired by the inside of a champagne bottle. Trappings include light boxes filled with golden and brown marbles, and colorful mirrored discs hang from the ceiling to evoke bubble clusters. The venue can be bought out for groups of 400; there are also semiprivate areas available for smaller groups. To the right of the space, a raised, banquette-lined area can hold 20. Throughout the venue, lounge areas that are typically reserved for bottle service can seat eight. MORE >> 08.27.09 4:26 PM Spa La La Offers In-House Chef, Reception Space for 100 Spa La La Photo: Courtesy of Spa La La Spa La La, a 4,000-square-foot space in Bucktown, opened in July. With five treatment rooms, the spa doles out massages, manicures, pedicures, facials, and waxing services; technicians can also travel to offices to provide foot massages complete with hot towels and foot scrub. At the front of the spa, a reception area can hold 100. Owner Lizzie Harris wrangled her boyfriend, Ben Walanka—a former Rhapsody chef and a Hell's Kitchen alum—to be the spa's in-house chef. Ranging from $20 to $50 per head, catering pacakages include everything from fruit and sandwiches to hot entrées and sparkling wine. MORE >> 08.20.09 10:52 AM Vintage Costumes, Fare From Jewell Events Catering On Tap at Lyric Opera's New Restaurants Florian Opera Bistro Photo: Mark Ballogg/ Lyric Opera of Chicago Two new restaurants are slated to open in the Civic Opera House on September 30. On the ground floor, a former bank will house the Sarah and Peer Pedersen Room. Spruced up with Art Deco flourishes, the 72-seat venue—named after Peer Pedersen, a member of the opera's board of directors— will offer a menu of fare from Jewell Events Catering. Selections will include Fontina-cheese-and-spinach-stuffed chicken breast, sliced bistro steak with chive mashed potatoes and Cabernet sauce, and salmon with Asian rice noodles. With a video monitor on its north wall, the venue will accommodate receptions for 100. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Lyric Opera of Chicago 07.17.09 8:00 AM Renew Spa Offers Facials, Massages, Snacks From Spiaggia Renew Spa's reception area Photo: BizBash In May, Renew Spa opened in the Gold Coast. In the same building that houses Italian restaurant Spiaggia—which recently gained national attention following a visit from Barack and Michelle Obama—the spa is available for buyout, and can host receptions, catered by its neighbor, for as many as 30 guests. Referred to as a "green spa" by owner Victor Aggarwal, the design incorporates low-volatile and nontoxic paints, low-voltage lighting, and fixtures made from reclaimed forest wood. With seven treatment rooms devoted to massages and facials, as well as a tiled nail room, the space can provide services for 15 guests at a time. MORE >> 07.10.09 11:48 AM Little Bucharest Bistro Offers Beer Garden, Limo Service The interior of Little Bucharest Bistro Photo: Alex Tita Irving Park's Little Bucharest Bistro, which originally opened in 1970, closed temporarily in 2004. On June 30, the Romanian restaurant reopened in a fresh location with a new chef, Andre Christopher, formerly of Japonais and Pops for Champagne. The entire space can host receptions for 120; several smaller areas are also available for rental. At the front of the venue, high-top tables and leather armchairs fill an area known as the social room, which can hold 40 for cocktails. Behind the social room, the main dining area seats 69 amid Romanian trappings such as tapestries and stained-glass panels. A beer garden accented with a fountain, flowers, and white fairy lights extends from the sidewalk to the side of the building and can seat 40. MORE >> 07.07.09 12:10 PM Loft on Lake Offers 65-Foot Skylight, Post-Event Recycling Program The interior of Loft on Lake Photo: Stephen Garrett Quietly open for events since January, Loft on Lake is a 60- by 40-foot photography studio in the West Loop. With exposed brick walls and a 65-foot skylight, the venue can seat 150 guests or host 200 for cocktail receptions. Ford recently used the studio to unveil one of its new vehicles. At the back of the space, an open kitchen with granite counters provides a prep area for caterers—the venue works with a preferred list that includes Taste America and Catered by Design—and there's also a large island for buffet spreads. MORE >> 06.29.09 12:59 PM Fred's at Barneys Hosts Alfresco Wine Tastings for 30—and Parties for White House Staffers Fred's at Barneys New York Photo: Rick Barroso/Courtesy of Barneys New York Open since late April, Fred's at Barneys New York occupies the top floor of the Gold Coast department store. The 5,000-square-foot penthouse-style restaurant—which recently hosted a private 50th birthday celebration for White House social secretary Desiree Rogers—seats 120 in its main dining room; certain areas of the room can be sectioned off to host cocktail receptions for 100. Tucked into a corner of the main dining room, a semiprivate space seats 24 and offers a drop-down projection screen and its own phone line. At the  back of the restaurant, a terrace provides seating for 22 and can host cocktail receptions or alfresco wine tastings for 30. MORE >> 06.23.09 1:43 PM Polycom Introduces High-Tech Linked Conference Centers in 26 Cities Polycom's Solutions Center Photo: Courtesy of Polycom FROM NEW YORK For companies looking to cut travel costs for large corporate meetings, telepresence manufacturer Polycom is now offering its 26 business centers around the world for daily rental. Intended to be more immersive than video conferencing, Polycom telepresence facilities include high-definition visual and audio gear designed to make users feel as if they're communicating with people in the same room—even if they're actually in another facility across the country. Polycom's West Coast flagship is located in Santa Clara, California, and last week the company showed off its new 8,900-square-foot East Coast flagship in New York. In addition to facilities near Boston, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and in Toronto, it also has venues in Brazil, England, France, Germany, Israel, China, Australia, and Japan. 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