Venues in LA

Meeting and event production company Extraordinary Events is now managing the new indoor-outdoor L3 event space at Santa Monica Place. L3 spans more than 42,000 square feet on the dining deck of the shopping center and bills itself as the largest and most versatile event space in Santa Monica. A blank canvas, the space is customizable for events and has accessible parking and sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

The Ace Museum, the newest contemporary art museum in town, has 100,000 square feet of space and a 250-car parking lot for events. Level one is an open-air space with a ramp leading to level two, which has 30,000 square feet of event space. The level-three rooftop has 360-degree views of the city.

The Hotel Amarano Burbank completed an $8 million expansion in March. The new facilities include 31 new guest rooms and suites, a swimming pool and spa, and an 1,800-square-foot penthouse, the Chairman’s Suite. Forchielli Glynn L.L.C. redesigned the hotel, including the giant new suite, which has a large outdoor private deck with a cabana-covered dining table for six guests, a private outdoor spa, sunning area, and exercise equipment. The suite’s entryway has hardwood floors, and the living room has a wet bar with a Viking wine cooler, L-shaped sofa, and a 50-inch television.

Italian restaurant Drago Centro has a new patio space designed by Gensler that occupies the space above the restaurant. Renovation of the area was completed in January. It holds as many as 60 for a seated event or 100 for a reception. The glass-enclosed patio has a fountain, greenery, and built-in ceiling heaters.

Il Covo opened in the fall with a private dining room for 50 guests. The restaurant is the most recent project from veteran restaurateur Sean MacPherson (of Swingers Diner, Jones, and the Roger Room). Set in a 1920s former four-plex apartment, the venue has been reinterpreted with the look and feel of a Mediterranean home and garden. It has three salvaged antique fireplaces, a long bar area with carved wood accents, and an enclosed patio. With a menu executed by Milanese-born Roberto Maggioni (formerly of Santa Monica's Locanda del Lago), Il Covo offers a mix of classic and contemporary Italian dishes. The long bar area leads to a fully enclosed outdoor patio.

This August, in the hills just east of Malibu, the Malibu Golf Club unveiled Malibu and Vine Bar & Grille, a wine-centric steak house with farm-to-table influences and a 300-seat outdoor wine bar.