As we ramp up for fall, these are some of the most important new event and meeting venues slated to open (or reopen) in Washington, with options for everything from cocktail receptions and conferences to business dinners and corporate meetings. Here's a preview of the hotels, restaurants, bars, lounges, and other spaces the city will be buzzing about this season.
3. Del Frisco's at City Center DC
![3. Del Frisco's at City Center DC](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/dc_del_friscos_grille_pdr.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Del Frisco’s Grille opened its first Washington location in July. Under executive chef Rob Klink, the restaurant can seat 150 or host 300 for receptions, and has a private dining room for 25. It also features a patio for outdoor dining.
Photo: Greg Powers
1. Angelika Film Center & Café
![1. Angelika Film Center & Café](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/lounge.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
The Angelika Film Center & Café opens September 21 in Fairfax, Virginia. The eight-screen cinema has stadium-style seating and theater capacities ranging from 100 to 300 people. The space also will have a 100-person lounge offering small plates and hors d’oeuvres from a menu by chef Lee Anne Wong.
Rendering: Courtesy of Angelika Film Center Mosaic
2. Lebanese Taverna
![2. Lebanese Taverna](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/private_room.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Lebanese Taverna's Woodley Park location is undergoing a $1.5 million renovation slated to finish in October. The 4,200-square-foot restaurant will include a lounge that seats 25, including a counter-height communal table, a 100-person main dining room, and a private dining room called the Cedar Room that will seat 50. Buyouts will be available.
Rendering: Courtesy of Design Republica
4. Crystal City Marriott
![4. Crystal City Marriott](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/ballroom_potomac_theatre_1665.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
The 343-room Crystal City Marriott recently unveiled a $7 million redesign, which included a reinvented "Greatroom" featuring seating with LCD televisions, semiprivate seating nooks for working or socializing, social communal tables—including some with Apple desktop computers—and the Bell20 restaurant and bar. The renovation also added two 504-square-foot breakout rooms, which are part of more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space at the hotel.
Rendering: Courtesy of Potomac Theater
5. Farmers Fishers Bakers
![5. Farmers Fishers Bakers](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/x_ffb_dining_room_booths_rendering.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Farmers Fishers Bakers in Georgetown, set to open in late October at the Georgetown waterfront, is the latest venture from the Founding Farmers group. The new space will be 9,800 square feet and seat 320 guests. Spaces include the 45-person bar, 165-person main dining room, 80-person patio, and the larder area, which offers semiprivate dining at three large communal tables for 10 guests each.
Rendering: Ginzform Design Studios
6. Promenade Ballroom, Mayflower Renaissance
![6. Promenade Ballroom, Mayflower Renaissance](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/social_wedding_setup_cafe_promenade_1521.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
The Mayflower Renaissance hotel closed its Café Promenade and will reopen it this month as the Promenade Ballroom, adding more than 3,000 square feet of event space. The ballroom will accommodate a reception for 350, seated affair for 220, or large events for 8,000 guests when combined with the other rooms in the promenade hallway.
Photo: Courtesy of Mayflower Renaissance Hotel
7. The Caucus Room Brasserie-Steakhouse, Westin Georgetown
![7. The Caucus Room Brasserie-Steakhouse, Westin Georgetown](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/picture1_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
The Caucus Room Brasserie-Steakhouse from Longboard Hospitality Group is an American interpretation of a French brasserie. It opens onto a European courtyard through French glass doors. The restaurant, which seats 90 and is available for full buyout, is scheduled to open this fall.
Rendering: Courtesy of Design Republica
8. Boveda, Westin Georgetown
![8. Boveda, Westin Georgetown](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/boveda_rendering_bar.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Also coming to the Westin Georgetown this fall is Boveda, a Latin speakeasy whose name means "vault" in Spanish. The space features raised booths, banquettes, communal tables, a lounge, a neighborhood bar, and a tavern-esque private area. It seats 72 and is available for full buyout.
Rendering: Courtesy of Design Republica
9. Baltimore Museum of Art
![9. Baltimore Museum of Art](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/0166_bma_andywarholcocktail_mindybest.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Further north, the Baltimore Museum of Art will reopen its Contemporary Art Wing on November 18. The space includes 16 renovated galleries that display work from artists such as Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as emerging artists. The wing has improved lighting and new wall and floor finishes, all part of the museum's $24.5 million, three-year renovation. It can be rented in conjunction with Schaefer Court, which holds 300 people for a cocktail reception.
Photo: Ron Solomon
10. T-Square
![10. T-Square](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/08/tsquarephoto5.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
T-Square, a new independent event space, has opened in Georgetown. The 2,800-square-foot space can accommodate as many as 250 guests for a cocktail reception or 120 seated. T-Square is split into thirds, with the middle section an open-air courtyard, and also features a full kitchen.
Photo: Courtesy of T-Square