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At National Harbor, the Sunset Room by Wolfgang Puck boasts sweeping Potomac views, contemporary decor, and holiday menu options from exclusive caterer Wolfgang Puck Catering like gingerbread macaroons, mini pumpkin pies with bourbon vanilla ice cream, and brioche stuffing with wild mushrooms and fresh sage. Open since the spring, the Sunset Room includes two main event spaces: the Plaza View and the Harbor View, which both include separate outdoor terraces. The Plaza View accommodates 250 standing guests, 150 seated guests without a dance floor, and 120 guests seated with a dance floor. The Harbor View accommodates 450 standing, 350 seated without a dance floor, and 250 seated with a dance floor.

Passion Food Hospitality's newest restaurant, Fuego Cocina, opened in October, bringing Mexican cuisine and more than 100 types of tequila to Clarendon in the former Harry's Tap Room space. The restaurant is available for full buyout for parties as large as 450. Fuego's downstairs lounge accommodates 40 seated or 60 standing. The downstairs lounge combined with the bar area—highlighted by a 50-foot bar—can host 200 guests for a standing reception. Parties in the restaurant's upper level can hold 150 seated or 200 standing. For smaller parties, the semi-private dining room upstairs seats 20.

Club and lounge Capitale opened in September in the former K Street Lounge space, now transformed with massive brass columns and a glam library theme. The 4,700-square-foot venue can host 350 standing.

After flooding damage at Washington Harbour on the Georgetown waterfront in the spring of 2011, Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place closed for 17 months for a full renovation. The redesign of the restaurant offers floor-to-ceiling windows for panoramic views and expanded event options. As many as 100 guests can be seated in the restaurant’s private dining area, which can be separated with glass doors.

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.

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.

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.

Opened in late May, Quench Bar in Rockville features cocktails such as “Sex in the Suburbs,” its twist on the cosmo, and the “Kentucky Irby,” a sweet, minty drink with gin and fresh rosemary. Private events can be held in the space, which can accommodate as many as 75 guests.