Best of 2012: 10 Most Notable Event Venue Openings in Boston

Boston Marriott Long Wharf underwent a full renovation in January, and it included the addition of the Harbor View ballroom, which has floor-to-ceiling windows and a seasonal patio. The new room holds 200 for receptions, and the terrace can host events for 140. The hotel is within walking distance of Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall.

Oak Long Bar + Kitchen, a centerpiece of the Fairmont Copley Plaza's extensive renovation program, was unveiled in July and is now available for semiprivate dinners for as many as 28. The regal Back Bay space was formerly the Oak Room, one of Boston’s most historic venues. Semiprivate dinners are held in the restaurant’s St. James section, decorated with red leather director’s chairs and feather-filled dining sofas. It is separated from the restaurant by a glass-and-bronze detailed partition and white granite uplit pillars. Signature menu items include oysters Rockefeller, hand-cut tagliatelle, and Nova Scotia halibut. Custom cocktails can be created for groups.

Revere Hotel Boston Common opened this spring. The independent luxury hotel has 356 rooms, a nightlife venue called Emerald lounge, and more than 35,000 square feet of meeting and event space including Theatre1 and Space 57. Theatre1 has 225 seats, each with its own workspace and power source. The room also has ambient lighting and new projection and audiovisual equipment; its lobby has a full bar and serves as a pre-function space. Opposite Theatre1, Space 57 is a raw 6,700-square-foot room with 25-foot-high ceilings and a built-in 30- by 12-foot screen. The space accommodates 1,000 guests. The sixth floor is broken into a 4,900-square-foot function space and four smaller breakout areas. Inspired by an artist's loft, the floor has an industrial look with exposed brick walls and fixtures made from metal and reclaimed wood.

Brazilian churrascaria Fogo de Chão opened its first Boston location in the Back Bay in November on the first floor of the Westin Hotel. The restaurant features views of the Boston Public Library and Trinity Plaza and has six private dining rooms that seat groups ranging from eight to 130. Each private dining space has full audiovisual capabilities including projection screens, Wi-Fi access, a separate phone line, and advanced sound systems. A 3,000-bottle wine cellar encased by glass anchors the dining room, and three-panel stained-glass windows are visible from some of the private dining areas. The menu showcases 16 different cuts of slow-roasted meats and a 40-item salad and sides bar.

The Sinclair, an American kitchen and live-music venue, opened in Cambridge’s Harvard Square in November. The space is available for buyout. A downstairs bar seats 35, while an upstairs dining room seats 50. The entire venue holds 300 seated or 525 for cocktails, and semiprivate banquettes in the upstairs dining room seat 15. Noted Boston chef Michael Schlow oversees the menu, which focuses on shareable American plates. DJs and live bands can be coordinated with staff.

Lincoln Tavern and Restaurant, a classic American eatery located near the Convention Center in South Boston, opened in October. The restaurant, with its own brick-oven pizza bar and high tin ceilings, is available for buyout. It seats 230 or holds 300 for cocktails, and a semiprivate dining room seats 70 or holds 100 for receptions. Popular menu items include wood-grilled salmon and braised short ribs; pasta is hand-rolled and made in-house. Special event menus can be coordinated. The space is outfitted with two projection screens available for laptop hookup, and an event coordinator can arrange entertainment, shuttle companies, and flowers.

Nix’s Mate opened in April at the Boston Hilton in the financial district. The bar, lounge, and restaurant is available for buyout and accommodates groups of 200 for receptions and 130 seated. Additionally, two private rooms, outfitted with plasma TVs, seat up to 18 each. The restaurant offers full-course private dining menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. DJs are welcome, and floral arrangements can be coordinated.

The new 70,000-square-foot wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum opened to the public in January. Spaces within the $114 million addition, designed by noted Italian architect Renzo Piano, will be available for rental starting in February. The new wing includes the glassed-in Café G, which specializes in classic American fare. The 90-seat eatery holds 115 for receptions and can be configured for meetings and theater-style presentations. A landscaped terrace seats 60 or holds receptions for 100. Also included in the new wing is Calderwood Hall, a dramatic round theater with a retractable screen, visual projector, and theater-quality lighting. The 300-seat space can accommodate meetings for 50. Modeled after a 15th-century Venetian palace, the original museum was the residence of the famous art patron for whom it is named. It houses paintings, tapestries, sculptures, furniture, manuscripts, decorative arts, and rare books from artists that include Botticelli, Degas, and Michelangelo. In the venue, a drawing room that was once Gardner's private parlor is now available for events and holds 30 for receptions or 25 for seated dinners. The entire museum can be rented out for events with as many as 425 guests. Rental fees include use of the Cloisters and two levels of galleries in the original building, plus the first floor of the new wing.

Empire, a lounge and event space from nightlife company Big Night Entertainment Group, opened in June at Fan Pier on the Boston waterfront. The Asian-inspired, 14,000-square-foot space holds 350 and has three dining rooms that seat 40 people each; the rooms can also be booked together to host cocktail receptions for 150 or meetings for 120. Peter Niemitz oversaw the space’s design, which incorporates imperial Chinese and contemporary Asian elements. Signature dishes underscore the Asian theme with plates such as hamachi tartare and lobster-scallion pancakes prepared in an open kitchen. There is also a DJ booth.

The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, a historic waterfront destination that immortalizes Boston’s Revolutionary War history, opened in June. The space, with 360-degree views of Boston Harbor, houses several authentically restored tall ships, as well as the Robinson tea crate, one of two surviving tea crates from the original Boston Tea Party. The space is available for buyout, accommodating 120 for meetings and hosting roaming receptions for 300. Abigail’s Tea Room, which serves colonial-era ales, wines, and classic New England fare, seats 120 and holds 140 for cocktails. Additionally, the museum’s theater offers a 15-foot screen with seating for 75.