With planning for corporate and office holiday parties underway, these new and recently renovated New York venues provide suitable options for company celebrations. The venues, which include bars, lounges, nightclubs, restaurants, private rooms, cultural spaces, and hotels, can accommodate small and large groups for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, or holiday parties of any type.
From its opening in 1969 until its closure in 2016, the Ziegfeld Theatre in Midtown Manhattan showed more world premieres of Hollywood blockbuster films than any movie theater in the United States outside of Los Angeles. Building on that rich history, an upgraded version of the venue, renamed the Ziegfeld Ballroom, is set to open in mid-October with a color scheme of silver and grays to tie into its Art Deco heritage. Design of the column-free venue also drew inspiration from Rockefeller Center and the SS Normandie, a 1930s luxury cruise liner. The ship’s coffered ceiling, as well as the Lalique glass light pillars that flanked the dining room, are closely echoed in the Ziegfeld’s design. The space seats 900 for a reception and dinner. Additional seating for 250 may be added in the balcony, which overlooks the ballroom and has sight lines to the stage.
Chef Grant Achatz and co-owner Nick Kokonas of Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago ventured out of the Windy City to open the Aviary NYC this month. Located at the upscale Mandarin Oriental in Midtown, the space was designed by Tihani Design and seats 90. Unique cocktails on offer include the Wake and Bake with rye whiskey, coffee, and orange infused into Vermouth and served alongside an everything-bagel-scented pillow to mimmic elements of a New York City morning. Other creative cocktails include In the Rocks, which plays on New Year’s Eve in New York City before and after the ball drop at midnight. Service of the drink starts with champagne, and then a hollow shell filled with a Scotch and green Szechuan-spiked old-fashioned is opened on the table to highlight the buzz and aroma of fireworks.
Physicist-turned-storyteller Ben Lillie—who also is a former TED writer and founder of the Story Collider podcast—opened cabaret-style event space Caveat earlier this month. Calling itself “home for people who love learning, playing, and food/drink,” and boasting the feeling of a speakeasy, the 110-seat space offers beer and a dining menu curated by a rotating cast of local chefs. A technology team is on site during events, and after guests enter the space through an unmarked door, they wind through a hallway featuring questions to move guests along and a vintage map with terms such as “thrilling” and “tipsy” instead of physical destinations.
Located on the grounds of the United Nations and coming off of a $68 million renovation completed last year, the Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza debuted in August after moving from the Millennium portfolio to Hilton (though it's keeping the Millennium name). The 439-room hotel features 7,500 square feet of meeting space, including the 2,200-square-foot ballroom that holds as many as 300 reception-style or as many as 150 for seated dinners. Winter drink menus at the property will feature an apple-maple old-fashioned, a vanilla cranberry cosmopolitan, and a pumpkin-spice mojito.
Slightly west of Times Square, Asia-based hotel operator Cachet Hospitality Group has opened its first property in the United States: Cachet Boutique NYC. The 105-room and villa hotel provides two restaurants and a Playboy club, the first in the city for decades. Developed in partnership with Merchants Hospitality Group and other designers, and in collaboration with fashion designer Jay Godfrey, the space includes three gardens and a sleek, contemporary ambiance. Event venues include the Retreat, a 913-square-foot patio; a 1,748-square-foot sky deck; and the Bocce Club, a 958-square-foot outdoor space.
Following a $9 million renovation, Flushing, Queens, event venue Terrace on the Park debuted this week, just in time for the holiday party season. Initially built as a restaurant and heliport for the 1964 World's Fair, the venue's T-shaped towers stand 120 feet over the fairgrounds. Renovations include the addition of the Promenade Level into the function space inventory; it previously was used as storage space. That floor now features a pair of meeting rooms that each hold 200 for a reception, or can be combined. The venue's upgrade also included the addition of height-enhanced coffered ceilings and handcrafted plaster panels, custom-built bars, LED lighting, and carpeting in cool, contemporary colors. In addition, the rooftop has been reconfigured with two-tone stonework and new landscaping.Â
The iconic Empire Diner, a free-standing spot with an Art Deco exterior, has been completely redone and, under new ownership, opened in April. Now run by Cafeteria Group and chef/owner John DeLucie, the classic American restaurant has been decked out with wood panels along the ceiling and restored stainless steel panels by interior designer and architect Nemaworkshop. Offering seating for about 100 inside and 85 outdoors, the west Chelsea-area mainstay features a casual, booth-lined dining room and a more intimate space upstairs that seats 25. Cafeteria Group's head mixologist, Jenny Castillo, is overseeing the bar program, and pastry chef Crystal Hanks is creating twists on diner desserts.
A marriage of Indian and global flavors is served at ARoqa, a 65-seat restaurant that opened in June. Located in Hell’s Kitchen, the venue holds as many as 70 for cocktails, or seats 35 in the front—where a 15-seat bar and banquettes are available—and 30 in the back room, which is a more intimate space suited to groups. Designed by Architecture Work Office, the black and gold interior features a soaring undulating gold ceiling and black walls. Food includes traditional Indian cuisine mixed with unconventional ingredients like avocados, kale, tomatillos, bacon, goat cheese, and more. The eatery’s uniqueness is matched by the story behind the ownership: London native Monica Saxena partnered with chef Guarav Anand after he catered her wedding and she was enamored with his work.
A sophomore location of Seamore's, the seafood-focused eatery owned and designed by Michael Chernow—one half of the duo that founded the Meatball Shop chain—opened in the Chelsea neighborhood in May. Full buyouts for seated dinners with 75 guests are available, and chef Chris Cryer will create customized menus for holiday parties. In addition to menu items from the first location in Nolita, the new spot will serve new dishes such as a shroom and poblano taco, a lobster roll, and Odd Fellows ice cream's vegan coconut and pink lemonade flavors. Decor is meant to evoke the beachside seafood shacks of Montauk, New York.
After a decade of operations, Bobo, a French restaurant in the West Village, has undergone a renovation. It reopened in September with a new country look, serving a menu of home-cooked classics by Michelin-starred chef Frederic Duca. A passion for country living, and especially the French countryside, drove owner Carlos Suarez’s vision for the eatery, which holds 95 seated or 150 standing. Included in the space is a garden that seats 34 or holds 45 standing. It was designed by Dekar Design, the firm behind the design of the original Bobo as well as Rosemary's and Claudette, the other downtown spots owned by Suarez’s Casa Nela firm. The venue allows full or partial buyouts. Festive decor is planned for the holiday season, but planners are invited to bring in their own decor if they wish. Â
