Winter Break: 4 Venues Perfect for Hibernation During Cold Winter Days
The coldest season of the year is the best time to get to know the restaurants and venues in your neighborhood. Gathering with a group, sampling food and drinks, and enjoying the atmosphere of a favorite spot or a new location is a satisfying way to escape the long winter days and nights.
We’d be happy to cozy up at any of these four venues featured in our winter edition of Seated magazine, which offer something for everyone: a meeting place for those who seek a cold brew, bright lights and games with friends, elegant private rooms to enjoy food and wine, and sophisticated spaces for city-dwellers.
Democracy Brewing, Boston
This Boston worker-owned brewery — which opened its doors on Independence Day in 2018 — is on a mission to re-create the traditional public house, offering multiple beers brewed on-site, a full kitchen, and an old-world event space with a modern touch. Whether you’re spending time at Democracy Brewing’s room-spanning bar, indulging in a beer flight under the mural in their semi-private lounge, or tucked away in the cozy red-wallpapered private room, you’ll feel that every minute spent there is not wasted time.
Electric Shuffle, Texas
Shuffleboard is the newest game to make a comeback, and there’s no better place to play it than Electric Shuffle. The tabletop version has been upgraded to allow groups of up to 24 people to play together. Rescuing shuffleboard from the back of the bar, Electric Shuffle combines craft cocktails, brunch, and high-tech shuffleboard, bringing large groups of friends together as well as corporate gatherings for up to 500 people. Housed in a spectacular setting, the venue’s spaces create an atmosphere you won’t soon forget. Electric Shuffle started in London and recently made its American debut. Its Austin venue opened in November, and its Dallas location celebrated its 1-year anniversary this fall.
PRESS, St. Helena, Calif.
Napa Valley is known for excellent wines and gourmet menus. PRESS Restaurant, located in St Helena, Calif., takes those expectations and raises them with legendary Bay Area purveyors and new culinary talents. Their venue includes three impressive private spaces for intimate parties with a VIP feel. The Harvest Room’s natural lighting and view of the front courtyard provide guests with an authentic wine-country chic experience. The Wine Cellar is an exclusive and luxurious private room with prime seating next to the restaurant’s 10,000-bottle wine collection and an 18-seat table placed under chandelier lighting. Last but not least, the Rudd Cellar puts guests right next to the action: it’s an eight-seat table adjacent to PRESS Restaurant’s main wine cellar, and it’s chilled for optimum wine storage.
The Kitchen American Bistro, Colorado and Illinois
The busiest cities always need spaces where you can lounge, taste, and forget about the outside world for a while. The Kitchen American Bistro’s locations are making it happen in Denver, Boulder, and Chicago. Their event spaces are stylish and chic, with high-quality food and beverages. Denver offers a minimalist, industrial decor in the historic Sugar Building. In Boulder, guests have their choice of sophisticated private spaces with warm lighting and detailed design. The Chicago venue, located in the historic Reid Murdoch Building along the Chicago River, next to city landmarks in the vibrant River North neighborhood, with a spectacular view of the city skyline and a design that honors the building’s history while incorporating a fresh interior and warm, reclaimed woods.