Venues

The 1.6 million-square-foot, LEED-certified Anaheim Convention Center is nearing completion on its 100,000-square-foot open-air Grand Plaza, right for alfresco meetings and events. It's slated for a grand opening ceremony on January 24, to correspond with the opening of the music industry's NAMM Show.

Chef David Myers and Milo Garcia of MAI Studio are creating a new signature restaurant, Hinoki & the Bird, for the Century, Related Companies’ luxury condominium tower. The menu is meant to capture the essence of California cooking with inspiration from Japanese and Southeast Asian cuisines. The restaurant, slated to open this month, will take cues from Myers’s explorations of the Silk Road, most notably in Japan, where he has established multiple locations of his high-end SOLA pastry shop brand.

The Pub at Golden Road Brewery has just opened a new section for private events. The Parlour holds 75 seated and has a fireplace, piano, and 120-inch drop-down screen. The Snug room holds 12 seated with a TV with HDMI and DVD hookups. The game room holds 10 for a reception and has a pool table and TV. The banquet room holds 32 seated, as does the View room.

Crowne Plaza Costa Mesa Orange County opened December 10. Following a conversion from an independent brand, the Hotel Hanford, the new property has modern design touches by CRDS Inc. meant to reflect a relaxed Southern California vibe. The 224-room property is located adjacent to South Coast Plaza and in close proximity to John Wayne Airport and Disneyland. The hotel has a pool, terrace, lounge, wine salon, and 9,000 square feet of meeting space.

Barton G. Weiss is slated to open an outpost of Barton G. the Restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard in February. The 1,900-square-foot space in West Hollywood will reflect his signature flair for dramatic presentation. Helming the kitchen will be executive chef Jeff O’Neill of the Dining Room at the Villa by Barton G., Weiss’s restaurant within the former Versace Mansion on Miami’s Ocean Drive.

Southern California-based Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar opened its newest location in Beverly Hills in December, offering steak house fare and a wine list with more than 100 wines served by the glass. The 7,200-square-foot restaurant seats 250 and has a two-story all-glass wine room, a second-story mezzanine dining room, and a patio marked by a soaring floor-to-ceiling glass window. Design Development Group of Agoura Hills oversaw the buildout and interior design.

Chef Suzanne Goin and business partner Caroline Styne, owners of Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern, and the Larder at Maple Drive restaurants in Los Angeles, have signed a lease to move their small-plates restaurant A.O.C. to 8700 West 3rd Street, the existing location of Il Covo (pictured). The opening is planned for early in the new year.

RivaBella, the fine-dining Italian restaurant from Innovative Dining Group in partnership with chef and restaurateur Gino Angelini, is slated to open this month. The 8,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor space was designed by Studio Collective, and it's meant to evoke the mood of a rustic Tuscan farmhouse.

Downtown Long Beach’s oldest remaining building is now an event space. Choura Events reached an exclusive agreement with the city of Long Beach to transform the historic former Masonic lodge at 230 Pine Avenue into a private event space that will be available in January. Known by its address, 230 Pine, the multilevel venue holds 400 guests. The building was constructed in 1903 and is one of the last remaining examples of local architect Henry Starbuck. Its exterior is highlighted by three peaked gables, which accent its historic brick façade.

Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Palm Desert is undergoing a $5 million renovation. Having previously finished a meeting space renovation, the property wrapped its plaza and fitness center renovations in December. Overall, the venue will have redesigned suites, a revitalized spa and expanded fitness center, a revamp of the plaza incorporating additional outdoor seating with fire pits, a new look and feel to R Bar (creating a larger lobby space), and the upgraded meeting and convention space, which includes an all-new executive meeting space.

Storefront Company opened in Chicago's 100-year-old Flat Iron building in March. From the team behind Debonair Social Club, the venue specializes in what owners call "farm cuisine and modern cooking." At a four-seat area known as the Kitchen Counter, which is available by reservation only, chef Bryan Moscatello serves personalized four-course menus that incorporate the day's freshest ingredients or special dishes that aren't available for non-Kitchen Counter patrons. During the meal, the chef interacts with guests and describes his culinary process. Offerings may include quinoa fries with sheep's milk cheese, foie gras with brioche crisps and pickled peaches, or quail with pistachio sausage. Courses come paired with wine. Classic and seasonal cocktails, champagnes, and specialty craft beers are also available.

Chef Scott Conant helms Scarpetta Beverly Hills, a modern Italian restaurant that opened inside Montage Beverly Hills in 2010. Groups of five can reserve the chef's counter, where the culinary team prepares dishes as guests look on. The chef offers detailed descriptions of each menu item; sample offerings include creamy polenta with truffled mushrooms or tagliatelle with duck ragu. The restaurant offers eight-, 10-, and 12-course tasting menus, and sommeliers can provide wine pairings.

Matthais Merges, who was executive chef at Charlie Trotter's for some 14 years, opened Yusho in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood in late 2011; this year, the restaurant was included in Bon Appetit's list of 50 Best New Restaurants. Inspired by a Japanese yakitori, the restaurant has a chef's counter that can hold private groups of four. The entire Cooking Counter can also be reserved to seat 14. All menus are customized "around the guests' likes and dislikes, beverages being consumed, and length of experience a guest would like to have," says Merges. Pairings may include hama hama oysters with English peas and caviar; mackerel with Japanese vinaigrette and sushi rice; and a "Gin Rickey" made with lime and DH Krahn gin.

Brooklyn Fare, a neighborhood grocer that's been open since 2009, has a restaurant within it called Chef's Table. The venue—billed as Brooklyn's only restaurant with three Michelin stars—has an 18 seat kitchen counter that can be reserved for private events. Chef Cesar Ramirez prepares market-driven tasting menus that he develops on the day of the event. The prix-fixe dinner offers more than 20 small-plate courses. There's a heavy focus on seafood, with dishes containing both shellfish and raw fish; there's also a wine program.

In Boston, Stir is a demonstration kitchen and cookbook store owned by prominent chef Barbara Lynch. The venue has a cook-top island with seating for 10 and can host private cooking classes and dinners. Options include a $200-a-head demonstration dinner that lets guests look on as a chef prepares a three-course meal and demonstrates techniques. The menu is customized to reflect clients' tastes and seasonal ingredients, and guests leave with a collection of recipes.