Here's a look at new New York eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces to open for events this winter. The new and renovated venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
Bolstering its already substantial presence in the Seagram Building, Major Food Group is opening the Lobster Club, a Japanese eatery, in November. Marking the North American debut of Michelin-starred chef Tasuku Murakami, who will helm the kitchen, the restaurant takes over the former space of the Brasserie, a French hotspot whose heyday was in the 1980s. The new iteration of the space, designed by Peter Marino, will feaure priceless Picasso plates on floor-to-ceiling shelves behind a long-onyx bar, as well as Picasso-inspired sculptures in a nod to the decor of the space’s former tenant. The venue seats 150, including 10 in a private dining room, or holds 300 standing, and is available for buyouts. Classical Japanese fare will be served at the establishment, while cocktails are set to feature Japanese ingredients, such as tea, yuzu juice, and sudachi.
A familiar name to New York popped up again earlier this month, this time in Nomad. Mondrian Park Avenue—building on the legacy created by Mondrian Soho—features 189 Philippe Starck-designed rooms, a 120-seat restaurant called Cleo from SBE, a 1,200-square-foot rooftop lounge known as Fifteen Stories, along with an 1,800-square-foot outdoor terrace and a private dining area spanning about 400 square feet. There's also a subterranean nightclub named Yours Truly. Hotel guests will find a sense of place right when they arrive, as a New York City-inspired statement piece by Ara Starck appears by the check-in desk. Pops of color can be found throughout the guestrooms. Originally a 15-story office building constructed in 1918, five floors were added during the hotel conversion.
Following a four-month closure for a renovation, the much-lauded restaurant Eleven Madison Park reopened in early October. The upscale eatery—a frequent honoree of numerous citywide and national best restaurant lists—underwent an architectural and interior redesign led by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture. A new private dining room for 38 seated was added, while new chairs, banquettes, carpet, flooring, light fixtures, and plates were put in place. Two remaining private rooms seat 34 and 18; information on receptions in the private dining areas is available on request. Buyouts are available for 200 standing in the main dining room. New staff uniforms also were created by Todd Snyder, a C.F.D.A. Menswear Designer of the Year nominee.
Shortly after celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Beekman, a Thompson Hotel, has added a pair of penthouse suites, designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, that offer unique meeting space. Each spanning 1,200 square feet, the Turret Penthouse Suites boast 40-foot pitched ceilings accentuated by 19th century Beaux-Arts chandeliers, an antique stone fireplace in the dining area, a wet bar, and 800-square-foot terraces. Each suite accommodates 12 for a seated dinner or 25 standing inside. The terraces—with downtown views including One World Trade Center—hold 64 seated or as many as 150 standing. The downtown property has 287 rooms, 4,700 square feet of space, and two restaurants, Augustine and Temple Court, by James Beard Award-winning chef Tom Colicchio and restaurateur Keith McNally.
Providing an "urban amusement park concept," the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge opened atop the Moxy Times Square earlier this month, alongside Legasea, a 185-seat seafood restaurant helmed by executive chef Jason Hall. Magic Hour features an array of five concept areas. A small interior lounge brings an urban-industrial vibe, created in part with wire mesh panels riveted to the ceiling and walls. There are two separate outdoor areas: The east side, overlooking the Empire State Building, has elegant garden-party fixtures, while the west is carnival-inspired, with one seating area located on a rotating antique carousel. A miniature golf course, called Foreplay, replaced windmills with colossal animals arranged in compromising poses. The menu includes modern revisions of classic state fair dishes, from lobster rolls and baby back ribs to Dippin’ Dot shots and ice cream sandwiches along with decadent cocktails.
In tandem with its move in September to a larger location just two blocks from its original site, Bond 45 has added private dining to its offerings. The restaurant's new event space, a private dining room called the Villa, accommodates as many as 50 seated or 70 for cocktail receptions, while the entire downstairs dining room, called Bond Bar Below, holds as many as 200 guests and includes two lounge areas with working fireplaces, a sunken patio, and two bars. The main floor dining room also holds 200, while a full buyout of the restaurant accommodates 400 guests. The restaurant is known for its vegetable antipasto bar and features a menu that includes veal chops, seafood, pasta, and thin-crust pizza, as well as all-day breakfast. Originally housed in the former historic Bond Clothing Store, the restaurant's new location is one-third larger than its former spot.
Groups looking to minimize their carbon footprint may consider an event at P.S. Kitchen. The plant-based eatery, which opened in August, is donating 100 percent of its proceeds to charity. Providing a riff on American classic dishes are chef Tim DeAsis of Avant Garden and chef Taylor Pope of Champs Diner, while owners Craig Cochran and Jeffrey LaPadula also run Terri, a plant-based chain. The main dining room seats 32, and the venue recently opened an upstairs room that seats 40 or holds 56 for receptions. Decor in the modern space includes whitewashed brick walls, marble tabletops, and antique mirrors. Metal accents throughout the room include aged bronze beer taps and beer towers, gun-metal silverware, and an exposed steel staircase.
Local and seasonally focused Italian fare is on the menu at the newest outpost of La Pecora Bianca Midtown, which opened in October. Twice the size of the Nomad location, the new eatery features a design meant to evoke Italy, with white millwork, pale oak chevron floors, unlaquered brass, and natural light from windows that open onto the street. The main dining room has deep-blue leather booths, while the front cafe features a blue and green tiled floor. Open for dinner, and soon to offer grab-and-go breakfast and lunch, the restaurant is available for full and partial buyouts, and holds as many as 150 seated, including 32 in its private dining room.Â
For groups that want to provide their own entertainment, Frames Bowling Lounge NYCÂ added a karaoke spot in September. Accommodating 75 seated or 100 standing, the Lyric Lounge is focused on the golden age of rock-and-roll and features vintage memorabilia that honors Blondie, AC/DC, the Beatles, Kiss, Prince, and David Bowie. Decor also includes walls of rare vinyl albums and concert tees, while a selection of 50,000 songs and two professional-grade microphones are on tap. Frames features 26 lanes for approximately 200 bowlers, a V.I.P room with two lanes for as many as 25, a ping-pong and a billiards lounge, and two sports bars that each hold as many as 75 standing. For buyouts, the venue holds 250 seated or 500 standing.
Under Seamore's Chelsea, which opened in late June, a tiki bar debuted with a private dining room for 30 seated or as many as 50 standing. The menu primarily focuses on rum, including bespoke rum, rum flights, and specialty rum cocktails—including one cocktail served in a fresh coconut. The bar features a neon fishbone on a staircase wall, black walls by artist James Goldcrown, canvas beach chairs, and high-top tables.
