Here's a look at 10 highly anticipated venues scheduled to open in the coming months.
1. Bijou
Boston will see a new nightlife addition at the end of January with the opening of Bijou, a theater district restaurant and nightclub named after the first theater to use an electric-lit sign in 1882. With more than 9,000 square feet of space and capacity for 650, the Stephen Chung-designed venue features three floors of distinctive experiences: the first-floor, ivy -and-slate-covered foyer; a second-floor dining space; and a third-floor, full-service nightclub with LED-illuminated bars and a DJ booth. The menu consists of utensil-free small plates from executive chef Michael Navarette, who comes to the Bijou kitchen after stints at Sorellina, Cafeteria, and South End Buttery.
2. Cure Lounge
Taking over the former home of Aria beneath the Wilbur Theater and officially opening to the public this month, Cure Lounge is a subterranean nightclub with a private, V.I.P. lounge. The design mixes old and new, with the building's original, fully restored ceilings from the 1800s, and a 15-foot projection screen behind the main bar. The main room's decor includes zebra-print carpet and black couches alongside white King Louis-style chairs; the private lounge has an Asian-inspired theme with cherry-blossom wallpaper and round, overhead lanterns. The two spaces each have their own separate sound systems to allow for multiple, simultaneous events. The entire venue, with capacity for 380, is available for buyout and is booking private events prior to its official opening.
3. Tico
Michael Schlow, who's behind Radius, Via Matta, and Alta Strada, is taking over the former Cottonwood Cafe space on Berkeley Street to open Tico, a casual restaurant serving lunch and dinner menus that will include salads, tacos, sandwiches, and tapas influenced by Spanish, Mexican, and South American flavors. Boston's Elkus Manfredi Architects is designing the space, which is expected to open early in the year.
4. Poe's Pub
Chef Brian Poe, who brought an upgraded, bona fide dinner menu to Back Bay watering hole the Rattlesnake, has partnered with Gordon Wilcox of the Parish Cafes to open Poe's Pub this spring near the corner of Tremont Street and Massachusetts Avenue in the South End. The menu will feature food inspired by pubs around the world. The 100-seat restaurant will include a full bar and will be available for private events.
5. Red Lantern
Ed Kane, Joe Kane, and Randy Greenstein of Big Night Entertainment (the Estate, Shrine, High Rollers) are planning a late-winter opening for their Back Bay restaurant, Red Lantern. The latest venture will be an Asian-themed, full-service restaurant in the former home of Bertucci's on Stanhope Street. Details are still limited, but the space will likely open in March.
6. Legal Harborside
Boston-based seafood chain Legal Seafoods is further expanding its 33-restaurant empire with a waterfront flagship location in the seaport district. The 20,000-square-foot Legal Harborside will have three levels comprised of a ground-floor marketplace, casual oyster bar, and fish counter selling prepared foods, paying homage to Legal's beginnings selling casual fare; a formal main dining room with private event space; and a 4,000-square-foot roof deck for cocktails, small bites, and harbor views. The sprawling space will open this spring.
7. A Fort Port Boutique Hotel
The still-evolving Fort Point Channel will see further development this year, when renovation and restoration begins on the six-story Stillings Building at 368 Congress Street for a yet-to-be-named boutique hotel. The 120-room hotel, a Norwich Partners L.L.C. venture, will offer moderately priced lodging near the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and will have two ground-floor retail and restaurant spaces. The redevelopment project, estimated at $45 million, is slated to begin in April.
8. Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar
A subterranean tequila bar and restaurant with a Mexican-influenced menu, Lolita opened in December 2010 in the Back Bay. The second Lolita location and first in Boston, the space offers a bordello-like feel with red-velvet-flocked wallpaper, tufted leather seating, red lighting, tin ceilings, mismatched antique wooden chairs, and dark wood flooring. For events, three distinct spaces are available: the dining room with capacity for 110, the main bar with seating for 12, and the tequila bar with space for 35. Lolita is available for private events for four to 250 guests; the entire space is also available for buyout.
9. Bondir
Chef Jason Bond's solo venture, Bondir, opened at the end of 2010 outside Central Square and serves American cuisine with evidence of French techniques (like the Tamworth ham au brin, for example) with a focus on farm-fresh ingredients, most of which are locally sourced. The 24-seat spot has a four-seat bar and small fireplace, lending a family-kitchen sensibility to the space. Open every day except Tuesdays for dinner, Bondir offers full buyouts during the daytime and any time on Tuesdays.
10. Descent
Making its second appearance on this list in as many years, the much-awaited Descent at W Boston is anticipated to finally open before 2011 is out. The subterranean cocktail lounge, a bar by master mixologist Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey in New York and London, is expected to be a modern take on a 1920s speakeasy, with an inspired cocktail list to match.
