The Beekman, from Thompson Hotels, is another example of Lower Manhattan’s ongoing revitalization. The 287-room hotel, scheduled to open in August, was designed by Martin Brudnizki and has a distinctive nine-story atrium and pyramidal skylight. It will feature two signature restaurants that each have the same capacity: Fowler & Wells from chef Tom Colicchio is a modern American eatery that seats 90 or holds 100 for receptions, and Augustine from restaurateur Keith McNally is a brasserie-style restaurant with a combination of lighter dishes as well as French classics. Colicchio’s Crafted Hospitality is the hotel’s exclusive partner for catering and in-room dining. Temple Court, a second-floor meeting space, holds 145 theater-style or 100 for banquets and can be combined with a 12-seat boardroom. Lower-level meeting space, which the hotel calls the Cellar, can be combined to span 3,100 square feet and hold 300 for receptions.
Union Fare is a 25,000-square-foot restaurant and market in Manhattan's Union Square that includes a gastrohall, a bakery, and two bars. Housed in the complex is a contemporary American restaurant, which opened in May, and has a capacity of 185 seated or 450 for receptions. The restaurant has a raw bar and a charcuterie station. The venue has two spaces for rent for private use, as of September: one that seats 15 people and another suited for receptions of as many as 70 guests.
Avra Madison, scheduled to open in August on the Upper East Side, is a spinoff of the midtown Greek eatery Avra Estiatorio. Serving a mix of Mediterranean dishes and authentic Greek fare (with an emphasis on seafood), the eatery is a bi-level, 17,000-square-foot restaurant that seats 395 or holds 600 for receptions. During warm weather, large bay windows at the entrance of the eatery can open to a 22-seat sidewalk cafe. On the upper level, which holds 220 seated or 400 for receptions, trees in the center of the room stretch up to a skylight. The restaurant's entire lower level, which is available for private events, can hold 175 seated or 225 standing guests. On the lower level, a private dining room seats 30 or holds 40 for cocktails, and a wine cellar seats 12 people. The lower level also has a large, shallow reflecting pool in the center of the dining room.
