Amazing venue ideas for all types of social occasions

January can be the cruelest month of the year with its post-holiday blues and rapidly dropping temperatures. To avoid being chilled to the bone, descend into the warmth and charm of a wine cellar for your next gathering.  These private rooms range from infamous to elegant and each promise to…
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August may be a slow and sweltering month to be in the city, but, in the evening hours when temperatures drop, dining al fresco can be quite enjoyable, especially with a cool cocktail in hand. Stay away from the trendy spots, which will no doubt have a very long wait,…
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In Italian culture, everything social seems to revolve around food or la famiglia or both.  And, at the newly opened Scuderia, a modern-day, Italian trattoria, nothing could be closer to the truth.  Created by the energetic Silvano Marchetto, the restaurant is co-owned with his daughter Leyla Marchetto and his partners …
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If there’s something that the Italians know how to do really, really, well, it’s eat. So, if you’re in for that classic Italian conviviality, look no further than L’Artusi, the rustic Italian follow-up to acclaimed West Village restaurant Dell’anima. The new eatery is even named after Pellegrino L’Artusi, the author…
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The late 1990s ushered in the unlikely combo of haute cocktails and comfort food, and Cafeteria restaurant was the place to see and be seen while noshing on mac ‘n cheese. And while culinary fads often fluctuate by the week, this one has stayed put. Now New York’s beautiful people…
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Just because the warm weather has fled doesn’t mean that al fresco dining is gone, too. Well, at least not entirely. Tucked in the back of chef Anita Lo’s West Village restaurant, bar Q, is a striking, enclosed atrium designed by Hiromi Tsuruta that seats up to 40 diners. Lo…
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AvroKO, the innovative design team of Adam Farmerie, Kristina O’Neal, William Harris and Greg Bradshaw, are known as the brains behind the gorgeous designs of many of the city’s top restaurants, including The Stanton Social, Quality Meats, and The E.U., not to mention Public, which they own along with partner…
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Chinatown is no longer just a destination for dim sum and designer knock-offs. In fact, it’s becoming a bona fide nightlife mecca, due in large part to Apothéke, the recently opened boîte from esteemed mixologist Albert Trummer and brother-sister duo Heather and Christopher Tierney. Inspired by ancient apothecary traditions, the…
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When Deborah Williamson and Bryan Calvert, owners of the successful events and catering company Williamson Calvert, decided to expand their horizons and open a restaurant, they opted for something a little bit closer to home. Literally. James, the eatery the husband-wife duo opened this past summer, is located in the…
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“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare once asked. Sam Martinez and Jeff Mancini, the owners of recently-opened Elizabeth, would say everything. Their restaurant, located in the former Rialto space in NoLIta evokes the charm of its predecessor (also owned by Martinez), but was designed to better reflect the vibrant atmosphere of…
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Next time you’re out dining and you reach for the wine list, you may want to think again and opt for a beer. That’s right, beer. Many foods are actually overpowered by wines while beers and ales possess the subtleness required for marrying food and drink. Spitzer’s Corner, a European-influenced…
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Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it. Napoleon may have been referring to war, but the same may be said of love. Emmanuelle Chiche, Managing Director of the Bubble Lounge, has observed many romances begin over a glass of champagne. First dates, anniversaries and engagement parties…
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