Washington D.C.’s Top Ten New and Anticipated Venues in 2011

1. The Hay-Adams Hotel Rooftop: with a panoramic view of the White House and downtown Washington, the new space opened in January after undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation. It features floor-to-ceiling windows, a wraparound terrace and has five additional separate rooms to for customized events for groups of 15 to 300.

2. Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel: Less than one mile from Reagan National, this space opened in March in the Arlington section of Crystal City. It features 15 meeting rooms with more than 17,000 square feet of meeting space.

3. Graffiato: A two-level restaurant seating 150 people will be Top Chef Contestant Mike Isabella’s first restaurant coming in the spring and offering an Italian-inspired menu. Groups can reserve the second level for events.

4. Lincoln: Recently opened this spring, this 210-seat space includes private dining, a main dining room and a bar area.

5. Todd Gray’s Watershed: this 6,500-square-foot restaurant space on the second floor of the Hilton garden Inn in Washington, D.C. will feature a seafood menu. Initial plans are for the dining room to sit 80 people including a 20-seat bar, a patio, and several banquet rooms to seat 165 people.

6. Fiola: Slated to open this Spring in the Penn Quarter, the 140-seat restaurant will offer what Chef Fabio Trabocchi calls "gourmet but accessible" menu that will a huge difference from what he offered at his previous restaurant, Maestro.

7. The Virtue Feed and Grain: Coming to the Town of Alexandria in the spring of 2011 will boast a two-level, 316-seat Irish-American pub with views of the Potomac River, Waterfront Park, Wales Ally, and Union Street with an additional 60 seats on the elevated deck on Wales Alley.

8. The Hirshhorn Bubble Museum: Designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro of New York, is scheduled to open its new space on the mall sometime in 2011 but the 145-foot tall inflatable auditorium is scheduled to be inflated during the summer of 2012. Within the bubble, the courtyard will accommodate 500 to 800 seats for an array of public events.

9. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial: Designed by the Roma Design Group, the new $120 million is scheduled to open on August 28 featuring a 30-foot statue of Dr. King called the "Stone of Hope" created by sculptor Lei Yixin of China.

10. Italian Cinema/Italian Shirt Laundry: Mark Weiss, the restaurateur collaborating with ABDO Development will open two new Italian-themed restaurants in the 14th Street Corridor in late 2011, Italian Cinema and Italian Shirt Laundry. Stay tuned!

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