Here are new restaurants, hotels, and a ping-pong bar suitable for off-site meetings, client entertaining, teambuilding activities, or even intimate events in and around Boston.
Alden & Harlow came to Cambridge in January 2014. The subterranean venue serves American fare such as pickled corn pancakes and kale salad with fennel and creamy pistachio. For semiprivate events, the bar area seats 29 and the Greenhouse area seats 26. The main dining room has 136 seats, and the venue is available for buyouts.
Courtyard Boston Downtown underwent a major renovation in the fall. Open since 1925, the 315-room hotel has original features such as antique crystal chandeliers; new design elements include black-and-white marble floors. The 13,000 square feet of meeting space includes the 12-seat Executive boardroom, the 450-capacity Empire Ballroom, and the oval-shaped Library Room, which holds 130 people. The new restaurant, Post No. 10, offers classic New England fare.
Blazing Paddles at Game On opened in the Fenway neighborhood in March 2014. On the lower level of Game On, the ping-pong lounge holds 300 people and a restaurant and lounge area serves casual snacks such as sandwiches and pizzas. Semiprivate “luxury boxes” house 12 ping-pong tables that are separated by red caging. The venue also has several HD TVs.
Broad Street Riot opened in the former Blue Inc. space in November. The venue is available for private and semiprivate events; the entire space holds 250 for receptions. The seafood-focused menu includes fresh oysters and honey-fried chicken and waffles.
Circa opened in a back showroom of Restoration Resources in May. Decked out with salvaged pieces including a vintage piano and an antique bar, the venue is available for seated functions of 45 guests. Culinary Breakdown, Circa’s catering partner, is available to lead cooking classes within the space.
No. 8 Kitchen and Spirits opened in Amesbury—on the site of a former mill—in May. The 94-seat restaurant is decked with metal factory chairs and leather banquettes, and it has an open kitchen and large windows. At the rear of the dining room, a chef’s table seats 10. The menu from chef Chris Jackson offers American fare inspired by the flavors of New England, and dishes include roasted cod and rabbit potpie.
Cape Cod’s 120-room Wequassett Resort completed a $5 million renovation in April, giving its meeting and event spaces updated interiors and new audiovisual equipment. The meeting rooms seat as many as 30 guests, while the Pavilion Ballroom holds 320 for receptions. The resort, about 90 miles from Boston, also has new teambuilding activities including group cranberry-bog outings.
River Bar opened in Somerville’s Assembly Row in November. Serving street-fair-inspired snacks such as corned-beef-and-cabbage dumplings and Chinese sausage subs, the 1,300-square-foot venue seats 36 and is available for buyouts. A 2,600-square-foot patio with fire pits and trees overlooks the Mystic River; it seats 123 and can be tented and heated for events.
La Brasa, named for the Spanish word for “grilled,” opened in Somerville in April. The main dining room is available for semiprivate gatherings of 10 or more guests; the entire venue can be bought out and holds 150. Menus are prepared for family-style sharing, with items such as Swiss chard pie and Korean squid pancakes.
