Venues

On January 25, Fireman Hospitality Group, which operates seven restaurants in New York, opened the 7,500-square-foot, 275-seat Italian steak and seafood house Bond 45 on the waterfront at National Harbor.

 

Packed with Old World decor (paintings, tile, and marble) and done up in the earth tones of Tuscany, the L-shaped restaurant and bar was designed by F.H.G. and Tony award-winning Broadway set designer John Lee Beatty, whose credits include The Color Purple and the revival of Chicago.

Packing plenty of steam power and modern in design, Ping Pong Dim Sum opened December 11 in Penn Quarter, one block from the Washington Convention Center. The 6,100-square-foot, 238-seat bar and restaurant is the first U.S. outpost for the British chain, which has 14 locations in the U.K. as well as one each in Dubai and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Celebrating with a December 16 party, event promoters Fisayo Esconsay and Brandon Howard opened the 1,100-square-foot lounge Recess, which is located on the lower level of an office building, one block from the White House. The cozy space, dominated by a DJ booth constructed from a massive walnut slab, has dark wood floors and rod-scheme panels on the walls, backed by hemp paper.

Following a year of steady openings, 2010 has a slew of bigger and better venues on the horizon, suitable for every type of event. Here are 10 to watch for, listed in the order of their scheduled debuts.

 

1. For its first venue outside New York, the Fireman Hospitality Group will open Bond 45 at National Harbor later this month. In addition to a sweeping Potomac River view, the 215-seat Italian steak and seafood house gets a 1930s patina from its tin ceiling, mosaic tile floors, and smoked mirrors. There are four semiprivate glass-enclosed rooms and a 60-seat patio.