Nightlife

Partying Glances

The Hot List: 2013 Holiday Parties

Throwing a holiday party in some winter wonderland: kind of expected. Throwing a holiday party on a hot dog balcony or in a sour-beer basement: suddenly you’re feeling so festive. Here’s your guide to the finest holiday party venues around.

THE WOODSY LIBRARY

Marianne’s Room at the Cavalier

You Require: A full-on huntsman’s-library vibe. There’s something so festive about old books and taxidermy.
You’ll Receive: The speakeasy-ish back room at the Cavalier—you don’t have to be a member to rent it out and fill it with a Henry VIII–style feast. But if anybody’s reading, they’re doing this wrong.

THE REC ROOM

The Playroom at Hotel Zetta

You Require: Nothing less than a 30-foot Plinko board. Charades has been done.
You’ll Receive: A cross between your uncle’s rec room and the Price Is Right stage. Before your party is over, there could be billiards, Plinko, Connect Four and Super Mario Bros. 2. Okay, and maybe charades.

THE HOLIDAY HOT DOG PARTY

The Mezzanine at Trick Dog

You Require: A mezzanine stocked with hot dogs. Everyone celebrates the holidays a little differently.
You’ll Receive: Platters of the famous Trick Dogs. Which calls for thrice-cooked fries. Which calls for punch bowls. Which calls for... this all getting a little out of hand. In a beautiful hot-dogs-and-punch kind of way.

THE DISCREET SOUR-BEER BASEMENT

Tivoli Sour Room

You Require: A white-oak table covered in lambic beers. And maybe some tinsel or something. But mostly lambic beer.
You’ll Receive: The private room underneath Mikkeller Bar, with small windows looking into the keg rooms—the sour-beer equivalent of Santa’s workshop.

THE HOLLYWOOD LEGEND

The Back Room at Tosca

You Require: A truly historic back room. If Sean Penn hasn’t ruffled feathers there, you’re not interested.
You’ll Receive: What’s now a private dining room behind the reborn Tosca. If you don’t want a full dinner, the “Antipasti Party” package includes all the meats and cheeses you could need. Which is a lot.