Juffle's Bal Mitzvie

Balena, a new spot from the Boka Restaurant Group, opened in Lincoln Park in March. The Wine Cellar can host meetings for 40 and has two flat-screen TVs that can connect to laptops; hosts can also plug their own iPods into the venue's music system. Serving Italian-inspired fare, Balena has dedicated event menus with appetizers such as goat's-milk ricotta with honey and black pepper, platters of meatballs with gravy and aged provolone, and family-style dinners with options such as whole-roasted market fish and kale Caesar salad.

Untitled opened in June in River North. Inspired by speakeasies and old-time supper clubs, the ornate venue has several areas that can host private events. With tufted leather walls and velvet booths, the library has seating for 48 or can hold 110 for cocktails. The dining room, featuring a raw bar and booths, seats 100 or holds 120 for receptions. The parlor seats 36 or holds 50 for cocktails; a sliding door leads to the lounge, which seats 80 or hosts receptions for 150. The lounge is decked with vintage factory carts and steamer trunks. An area known as Backstage can host 140 for cocktails, while smaller groups can reserve the Stage Right section, which holds 36 for receptions. Menu items include bison burgers and selections from the raw bar, and the drink menu includes throwback cocktails and champagne.

BellyQ—a new spot from chef Bill Kim, Cornerstone Restaurant Group, and basketball star Michael Jordan—opened in August and can host business meetings, karaoke parties, and more. The largest event space, the Ogden room, is separated from the main dining room with sliding panel walls and can host dinners for 48. The more intimate Chef's Quarters has a drop-down projection screen and can seat 16. Inspired by a minimalist garden, the interior of the Karaoke Den is decked with a series of moving translucent panels decorated with galloping horses. Guests sit in custom wingback chairs, and the waitstaff wears handmade leather aprons. The venue focuses on Asian barbecue, with menu items including goat's milk feta cheese and rice-noodle pancakes from a wood-burning oven; chilled soba noodles; and tofu hot pots. Staffers can prepare custom menus for groups.

The Swissôtel Chicago wrapped its $10 million renovation this spring. Updates to the lobby include a new earth-tone color palette and check-in pods in place of a central front desk. All front-desk agents are now equipped with laptops that allow them to roam and check in guests. Amuse is a new eatery with small and large plates, specialty cocktails, and wine. It has a soundtrack of DJ beats, TVs, and multimedia plug-ins; a semiprivate reception space holds 15 to 20 guests. The Classic meeting space, which comprises a grand ballroom, a large salon, and private suites, has new wall coverings, carpeting, and technology, along with a new color palette that blends monochromatic hues with tones of red and gold. The updates were intended to make the meeting rooms more consistent with the feel of the event center, which opened in 2009 as an extension of the hotel and offers 38,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel is the first Chicago property to offer Nervana's Bonfire Events Management app for meeting planners and attendees. The tool allows users to track schedules, flights, and presentations and connects meeting participants through a social media site.

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