As an alternative to serving unhealthy snacks such as muffins and doughnuts, Chicago company SnackItToMe customizes healthy snack boxes for meetings and events. “Our mission is to rework the corporate snack culture,” says founder Todd Barancik. Packs include whole-food goods such as pumpkin seeds and organic snack bars from small manufacturers. Items are all-natural, calorie-conscious, and preservative-free.
Billed as an "on-demand beauty service," Stylisted is an online platform that lets users or event hosts book on-location hairstyling or makeup services including airbrushing and lash application. Stylists can come to offices or hotels in Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles, and the service is available for private events.
Soothe is another on-demand beauty service that can be booked for meetings or private events in cities including Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and Austin, Texas. This spring, the service will launch in San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, and New York. Individuals can use the service to book 60- to 120-minute massages at hotels or offices, while chair massages are available for groups. Bookings can be made online or via phone.
Headquarters Beercade opened a second location in River North in August. With two floors and three bars, the venue holds 1,000 guests for receptions. There is also seating for 200, with additional standing room for 600 guests; additional standing space can be created by removing some furniture. The large space has arcade games and pinball machines, and serves craft beers, specialty cocktails, and nostalgic fare with a twist. Menu items include kimchee deviled eggs, Alaskan cod fish sticks, and a TV-dinner-inspired Salisbury steak with sweet corn succotash.
After opening a New York location in 2012, Offsite will debut its Chicago outpost the week of September 22. The West Loop venue will offer turnkey meeting packages. Its main room will seat 100 guests at rounds or classroom-style and will divide easily into four breakout spaces. It will holds two 3-D LED televisions, a dining area and kitchenette, restrooms, a reception desk, and a coat check. On the mezzanine, a meeting room will have a 26-seat conference table, floor-to-ceiling whiteboard walls, a kitchenette, and two additional 3-D LED televisions.
Bohemian House opened in River North in July. The 5,000-square-foot restaurant is available for buyout. It seats 102 in the main dining room and 14 at the bar; it holds 132 for receptions. Chef Jimmy Papadopoulos prepares Eastern European fare with a modern twist. Menu items change seasonally and have included potato pancakes with cured salmon, deviled eggs with smoked whitefish, and grilled chicken paprikash.
The Library at 190 South LaSalle, formerly an executive business club, completed a renovation in July. Now available for weddings, receptions, and corporate events, the 40th-floor venue overlooks the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan. With vaulted ceilings and dark wood accents, the space seats 130 or holds 250 for receptions. The venue has a list of six preferred caterers, which includes Entertaining Company and Boutique Bites.
Celeste opened in River North in May. On its third floor, the restaurant and lounge seats 60 or holds 100 for receptions. A rooftop cocktail lounge, called the Garden, holds 75 for receptions. The menu offers items such as baby octopus, jidori chicken, and beets with homemade yogurt. The venue is known for its handcrafted cocktails, which include the "Golden Filigree" milk punch.
Beermiscuous, a craft beer café, opened in Lakeview in June. Serving 300 beers in a coffee-shop-style atmosphere, the venue seats 65 or holds 79 for receptions in the main room. Downstairs, a private space for 20 hosts beer tastings, teambuilding events, and parties. Buyouts are available.
In the downtown Loop, the Silversmith Hotel completed a major renovation in March. Its new lounge and restaurant, Adamus, seats 200 or holds 350 for receptions. The eatery serves specialty cocktails and contemporary American fare, including yellow-tomato gazpacho, a vegan avocado "Reuben," and short-rib tortellini. Elsewhere, the property offers 2,100 square feet of flexible meeting space.
The Presidential Suite at the InterContinental Chicago Hotel completed a renovation in April. The two-story space, housed on the 35th and 36th floors, holds 50 guests for receptions. At 1,700 square feet, the space was designed to feel like a luxury home. It has has a media lounge, a library, a dining room, a living room, and a residential-style kitchen.
Hotel Allegro, a Kimpton property, completed a renovation of two event spaces in July. The Crescendo Room has new artwork and decorative feathers on its ceiling. The space can be enclosed to host private dinners or cocktail receptions for 18 guests. The Green Room, located just above the Crescendo Room, also has a new design. At 2,884 square feet, the space holds 170 for meetings or 250 for receptions. On the room's left-hand side, a small area with a rectangular wood table and a modern light fixture can be sectioned off to host small meetings for eight. The Green Room's cozy prefunction area has a fireplace, hardwood floors, and French doors. The hotel will start a second phase of renovations in early 2015, which will include an update to its "living room" lobby.
A Baker's Tale opened in Wicker Park in March. The Alice in Wonderland-theme space, suited to family-friendly functions, tea parties, or creative corporate luncheons, seats 42 inside; a patio seats an additional 24 guests. Decor includes bowler-hat pendant lights, teacup light fixtures, and a custom-made tree with leaves made from book pages. Menu items include sandwiches and baked goods; a signature treat is the honey cupcake with blueberry compote and basil buttercream frosting.
