Keep Kids Swag Fresh Event Venue

Happy’s Bar & Kitchen, which opened in May near Fenway Park, offers private dining with a newly revamped menu. In September, the menu was redesigned to highlight small plates such as grilled calamari with chorizo and boneless fried chicken with spicy honey-mango sauce. A private dining room holds 236 guests, while a semiprivate lounge holds 100 for drinks or 80 for dinner. Televisions are HDMI-capable, and the restaurant has audiovisual hookups for DJ microphones. The restaurant also offers Wi-Fi. Notable chef Michael Schlow oversees the restaurant, and his team can coordinate tailored wine or beer dinners, casino nights, and live music events.

Noted Boston chef Chris Parsons will open Steel & Rye in Boston’s Lower Mills neighborhood, close to the Milton border, in mid-October.  The restaurant, in a former loft warehouse with exposed ceilings, has a private dining room that seats 40 or holds 65 for cocktails. A glass wall offers views of a wine cellar. The restaurant will spotlight seafood and regional specialties. The cocktail list offers a large selection of rye as a homage to the restaurant’s name.

The Reserve at Boston’s Langham Hotel, in the financial district, debuted in September. The champagne and tea lounge, with custom-made banquettes and tailored high-back chairs, seats 60 guests. Additionally, 30 seats can be roped off for semiprivate functions. A fully revamped lounge menu, designed to pair with champagne, includes lobster salad sliders and house-smoked maple-cured salmon. The Reserve also offers Boston’s first traditional British tea service throughout the day, served on Wedgewood fine bone china tea sets.

Gem, a gastro-lounge and supper club in Downtown Crossing, opened in March and is now available for private events. A private dining room holds 32 people, while another private room holds 75 standing or 60 seated. Additionally, a bar area can be sectioned off for semiprivate groups of 55. The menu showcases creative brasserie fare; tater tots with Russian dressing are a house specialty. The space is outfitted with a sound system and a DJ booth.

Giulia, an Umbrian restaurant helmed by chef Michael Pagliarini, will open near Cambridge’s Harvard Square in October. The space will offer seating for 70 people, as well as a private chef’s table for 10, which will be adjacent to an open kitchen. The restaurant will be decorated with Italian porcelain tile and exposed brick. The menu will spotlight handmade pastas in addition to simply prepared meats and seafood, and several gluten-free options will be available.

Max & Dylan’s, a popular Boston restaurant and bar, opened a third branch in suburban Bedford in September. A private dining room holds 40 guests for dinner or 60 for cocktails. Additionally, a semiprivate room can be reserved for seated groups of 25 or 40 for cocktails. Popular menu items include New Orleans barbecued shrimp, Philly cheesesteak spring rolls, Buffalo chicken mac and cheese, and several types of sliders. The restaurant has eight flat-screen televisions, and the private dining room offers laptop hookups. Legendary Restaurant Group, which operates Max & Dylan’s, will also work with groups to arrange for flowers and music.

The Boston Harbor Hotel now offers a private pavilion with waterfront views for events. The pavilion can be used as a private dining room for 60 people or for receptions of 150. Custom and themed menus, such as clambakes, are available. The hotel employs an on-site audiovisual team, while an event team can coordinate custom decor and floral arrangements.

The Harbor View Hotel’s Water Street restaurant in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard is now available for private events. The restaurant opened in 2008 and offers views of the Edgartown Lighthouse and Harbor, as well as Chappaquiddick Island. The private dining room, separated from the main dining room by a glass accordion door, seats 30 or holds 50 for cocktails. A seafood-centric menu offers lemon-poached lobster with heirloom tomatoes, line-caught swordfish with lemon hollandaise, and grilled diver scallops with sweet corn relish. Additionally, iPod hookups, a flat-screen television with laptop hookups, and a DVD player are available. The restaurant and hotel can assist in arranging entertainment and flowers.

The Violet Thorn opened in March at the Verve – Crowne Plaza Natick. The lounge is now available for semiprivate, roped-off functions. Two banquets and a private table accommodate 15 seated or 25 standing. The lounge offers handcrafted cocktails and specializes in small plates and flat breads, with signature dishes that include sesame tuna nachos and baked oysters. The space is decorated with a water wall and a fireplace. The hotel is also equipped with a Bose sound system and has a custom soundtrack with 1960s and 1970s pop. The hotel has an event planning team to coordinate special decor and audiovisual requests.

John Harvard’s Brewery & Ale House reopened in September in Harvard Square after a series of renovations. A private dining room can accommodate 40 people for seated events or 50 for cocktails. Additionally, a main dining room can be sectioned off for seated groups of 130, and a pub area can be sectioned off for 120 seated. The private dining room has a 70-inch flat-screen television, and there are 11 flat-screen televisions in the pub section. There is now a small stage in the pub area that can accommodate a DJ or band. Signature menu items include classic New England dishes like Harvard Ale steamed clams and Yankee pot roast.