Based on our recent readers poll, it looks like holiday parties might be back in season after largely disappearing in 2008. Here's where to go for end-of-year festivities.
1. Esquire recently named Westside Tavern to a "15 Places Not to Miss" list—so try one of its two private rooms (or both) for a buzz-worthy holiday party. The divisible private space has a large walnut bar, cork walls, and a wall covered in lateral slices of tree trunks—for an appropriately wintry look—and the rooms connect to hold as many as 100 people for a seated event. Westside Tavern offers American comfort food made from California ingredients.
2. Eve on Nemo is a new multi-use venue that seats 70 or holds 100 for receptions. It has a full kitchen, 1,300 square feet of indoor space, and a patio with a stone fire pit—since L.A. winter often allows for an alfresco event. Chandeliers, bird cages, and a live-succulent-framed mirror round out the decor.
3. For an opulent look and a Japanese meal, Agura West Hollywood officially opened in a former church on November 7 with room for 150 for seated events. Executive chef Yuji Nawata's menu includes an appetizer of shrimp, scallops, and sea bass in a spicy miso and ginger sauce, presented inside a roasted tomato; and an entree of curried Colorado lamb served with black pepper sauce and couscous. A giant custom-made gold Buddha nods to the religious history of the space. It also includes luxe furnishings and offers private dining rooms, with booth seating for 20 and patio seating for 45.
4. For larger holiday parties, Wolfgang Puck Catering is exclusively catering new event areas at Sony Pictures Studios, unofficially called the "Dining Room" and "the Park." The indoor space has a modern, open dining room done in warm woods and large windows; it opens to an extensive patio area and adjoins a park with a lawn and fountain. The dining room holds 300 for seated events, or 500 for a reception; with the patio, add 200 seated or 250 for receptions. The park area holds 500 for seated events or 2,000 for a reception. Amenities include outdoor lighting, a large parking structure, built-in exterior power connections, and existing furnishings including wooden patio tables, high cocktail tables, and rounds.
5. For Orange County celebrations, try the new Chateaux in Irvine, expected to open in mid-December in the former I Lounge space, which is being remodeled and upgraded, and given a revamped menu. (The space is still open as I Lounge for now.) Decor includes white couches and chairs, chocolate brown walls and tables with bronze accents, seven chandeliers, and six fireplaces for a holiday feel. The space is booking holiday parties, whose guests will get a first look at the new look. Chateaux supplies decor, entertainment, and parking, so groups only incur food and beverage costs. The whole venue holds more than 800, and has seven different areas within to reserve for private events.
6. While not exactly a new space, here's a new deal: Paramount is offering packages for two of its popular spaces on the lot, the Paramount Theatre and New York Street. Packages include food and beverage, labor, site fees, sound, and lighting, and prices begin at $125 per person. To further encourage holiday party business, a portion of the lot including the Paramount Theatre lobby and a sound stage will be outfitted in holiday decor, providing an already dressed space that can help cut additional decor costs. The holiday space will be set up and ready for parties on November 30.
