Boston Venues

Chef Patricia Yeo will open Moksa in Cambridge’s Central Square this month. The space has two private dining rooms, one of which accommodates 22 guests. The izakaya, a casual Japanese saloon, spotlights pan-Asian small plates such as foie-gras skewers, stuffed roti, and dumplings. A cocktail list draws from Asian ingredients and offers specialties from local brewers and vintners.

JM Curley, a regional American bar and restaurant in Downtown Crossing, opened in January. A front dining room accommodates 90, while a lounge with couches toward the back holds 22. The space is available for buyout. A 70-inch television hangs above the 14-seat bar, and an air hockey table is available for games. Signature menu items include pork chops and burgers, plus canned and draft beers.

Noted chef Jody Adams, who helms Rialto at Cambridge’s Charles Hotel, opened Trade at Atlantic Wharf in the waterfront area in October. The casual neighborhood restaurant, with a focus on local ingredients, is available for buyout, seating as many as 150 guests, or 250 for cocktails. A private dining room, with soaring ceilings, exposed brick walls, round tables, and floor-to-ceiling windows, seats 32. The private dining room offers full audio capabilities. Signature menu items are inspired by Adams’s global travels; popular options include pomegranate-glazed eggplant and an array of flatbreads.

Saloon opened in Somerville’s Davis Square in December. At the bottom of a narrow stairwell, the subterranean speakeasy is adjacent to popular bistro Foundry on Elm. A semiprivate mirrored dining room with views of the horseshoe-shaped bar holds 35 guests for a seated reception or 50 for cocktails. The wood-paneled alcove has leather banquettes and turn-of-the-century-style chandeliers. The menu highlights brown liquors such as whiskey; signature entrees include steak-and-kidney pie and maple-braised pork belly. Thematic cocktails are available by request. Hookups for iPods are available.

The Hawthorne, a cocktail lounge from the owners of Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar, opened in November after much anticipation. Decorated with 50 pieces of artwork and meant to channel a sleek, urban residence, the space has a back room with its own bar that can host events for 30. Smaller, semiprivate areas can host gatherings for groups of two, five, and 15. Menu items include deviled eggs, soft pretzels with bourbon mustard, and Reuben toast. For the beverage list, mixologist and proprietor Jackson Cannon created specials such as the Belle de Jour, made with pink cognac, benedictine, pomegranate, and champagne.

Sweet Cheeks Q, a barbecue restaurant from Top Chef contestant Tiffani Faison, opened on Boylston Street, close to Fenway Park, in November. The space is available for buyout and holds 130 guests. It also has a semiprivate area known as the Pit, with views of the open kitchen as well as the in-house smoker, called Tootsie. Tables are fashioned from refurbished church doors. The semiprivate space seats 25 and can hold 50 for cocktails. The restaurant is outfitted with six suspended flat-screen televisions, which are DVD- and laptop-compatible. Flowers and DJs can be brought in for events. Signature menu items include short ribs, pork belly, brisket, and mac-and-cheese.

Legal Harborside, the Legal Sea Foods flagship that opened in Boston’s Waterfront section in July, offers a second-floor private dining room known as the Board Room. It can hold 30 people for a seated or cocktail reception. A semiprivate Deck Room, meanwhile, holds 24 seated or 30 for cocktails. Signature menu items include butter-poached lobster with corn, mussels, and chorizo and crab-stuffed lemon sole with roasted cauliflower and black truffle butter. Built-in microphones, a projector screen, and an LCD monitor are available. The venue allows for live entertainment and arrangements for flowers, ice sculptures, and hosted valet; other amenities are available by arrangement.

Mare Oyster Bar will open in February. The space is a re-concepted version of Mare Natural, which opened in the North End in 2005. The remodeled space will house an oyster bar and floor-to-ceiling windows, and seat 50 guests. As before, the menu will focus on organic items including artisan pasta, free-range beef, and hormone-free chicken. The oyster bar will offer locally sourced oysters as well as a diverse selection of raw fish, a hot or cold lobster roll, octopus salad, and shrimp dishes. Staffers can arrange decor, including flowers and linens.

Damiano's reopened as Carmelina's North End in January, focusing on hearty portions of Italian comfort food with Mediterranean and Sicilian influences. Signature menu items include baked meatballs, fettuccine tartufo, and spaghetti carbonara. The intimate venue, available for buyout, seats 40 guests or holds 60 for a cocktail reception. It offers WiFi and television hookups, and floral arrangements can be brought in with prior arrangement.

Backbar, affiliated with Journeyman restaurant, opened in Somerville’s Union Square in December. Guests enter the craft cocktail lounge through an unmarked door and a narrow hallway. The lounge is helmed by Sam Treadway, formerly of Drink. It is available for buyout for parties of 20 and 50, with the exception of Friday and Saturday evenings. Cocktails focus on fresh, homemade ingredients, such as house-made ginger beer, syrups, and smoked ice; popular menu items include a charcuterie plate and spiced caramel popcorn. Guests can coordinate decor and music with staffers in advance, and hosts are also welcome to bring in desserts.