'Tis the season to...entertain. With the holidays rapidly approaching, it's time to start organizing those corporate parties. Whether it's an informal employee get-together, an intimate dinner for a particular department or even a large-sized gathering to woo potential clients, you'll want just the right venue. You can't go wrong with a well-established restaurant, but one step further is to book that restaurant's private dining room. It's the ideal setting, because your group is guaranteed privacy, it will be quieter than in the main dining room, and since the room comes with dedicated waiters, you can expect top-notch service. So, check out the following private dining rooms—most upscale restaurants have them. Just inquire at your favorite spots to see what's available. But remember, other people have the same idea, so book early.

Oceana New York, New York
55 East 54th Street, 212-759-5941
One of Manhattan's most lauded seafood restaurants, this elegant midtown spot is helmed by executive chef Cornelius Gallagher, who has manned the kitchens at Lespinasse and Daniel. Eating in the main dining room, with its warm woods and murals of luxury ocean liners of the past, is akin to dining on a sleek yacht; while the private dining room, and also the 24-seat wine cellar, boast a more clubby look. Decked out with faux brick arched walls, terra-cotta tiled floors, wood-beamed ceilings and an antique brass-and-porcelain chandelier, the space houses 8,000 bottles of red wine (the entire collection consists of more than 20,000 bottles culled from more than 12 countries). Wine director and managing partner Paul McLaughlin can make recommendations to complement the innovative seafood and shellfish dishes, which might include tartare of yellowfin tuna and a shrimp-and-lobster cocktail, followed by pan-roasted Atlantic salmon and butter-basted Maine skate—not to mention strawberry rhubarb cobbler for dessert. Also available are special three- or six-course menus with wine pairings selected by McLaughlin.

one sixtyblue Chicago, Illinois
1400 West Randolph Street, 312-850-0303
One of the Windy City's most popular restaurants, the Adam Tihany-designed one sixtyblue has none other than former basketball great and Chicago legend Michael Jordan as one of the owners. No doubt, the design team had MJ and his friends in mind when they created the private dining room—it's spacious enough for supersize athletes, as well as, say, a group of financial honchos looking to slam dunk that business deal with prospective clients. Executive chef Martial Noguier's modern French- American cuisine impresses diners with such dishes as boneless rabbit loin and duck breast with caramelized pearl onions, and the Michigan blueberry tart is a top dessert. The room, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors, looks out onto the bustling dining room and open kitchen. It features a dining area with a round mahogany table that can accommodate up to 14 people as well as a comfy salon outfitted with plush couches and armchairs, a big-screen television and a state-of-the-art sound system—it's the ideal hangout before or after dinner (cigars are also available from the room's walk-in humidor).

Johnny's Bistro Cleveland, Ohio
1400 West Sixth Street, 216-774-0055
The sister restaurant to Johnny's Bar on Fulton Road, Johnny's Bistro (and Johnny's Downtown, right next door), located in the hip Warehouse District, has long been a favorite of visiting celebrities and those with expense accounts. The main dining room features an open kitchen, as well as tin ceilings, chandeliers and a Monet-style mural, and the French menu offers everything from escargots and fois gras (starters) to beef au poivre and baked sea bass in a white wine butter sauce (main courses). For dessert, try the scrumptious cr¸me caramel. Between the two restaurants, there are two private dining rooms available, including a 40-seat wine room in Johnny's Downtown and the elegant 36-seat Versailles Room in the Bistro, which is decorated with a marble fireplace, an ornamental plasterwork ceiling, built-in bookshelves that house an antique china collection, and an enormous crystal chandelier, all of which create the atmosphere of an elegant Parisian dining salon—you half expect Marie Antoinette to make an appearance during coffee.

Joël Atlanta, Georgia
3290 Northside Parkway, 404-233-3500
French-born chef Joël Antunes, who studied under the legendary Paul Bocuse in Lyons, wowed diners when he was at the helm of the dining room at the prestigious Ritz Carlton, Buckhead, and he continues to impress in his four-year-old eponymous restaurant on the outskirts of Buckhead. Joël, with its minimalist interiors and tailored waitstaff, has quickly become one of Atlanta's hottest restaurants, and its three beautifully decorated private dining rooms are a big draw for corporate events. There are two rooms for 18 people: One is the wine cellar, and the other is the garden room, with a plantfilled outdoor patio (maybe a little chilly for this time of the year, but ideal in warm weather), and the 42-seat chef's room, just off the kitchen. Antunes' cuisine is classified as French, with Asian and Mediterranean influences. Choose from a threeor five-course menu (dishes might include salmon sashimi or beef tenderloin with artichokes in a bordelaise sauce), with plenty of specialty cocktails to keep things lively.

Ana Mandara San Francisco, California
891 Beach Street, 415-771-6800
This luscious bi-level Vietnamese restaurant, located on Ghirardelli Square (and co-owned by actor Don Johnson), is like something out of a Hollywood movie set. The French colonial decor brims with intricately carved woods, potted ferns, Asian antiques and a trickling fountain. The cuisine from Vietnamese-born and Le Cordon Bleu-trained Khai Duong is some of the city's most innovative. His most popular dishes include striped bass ceviche, whole deep-fried New Zealand snapper with a green mango sauce, and roasted duck breast in a tamarind sauce, and the signature dessert is mango soup. There is an impressive wine list, with selections from Australia, France and Italy, as well as a Vietnamese beer called 33. The gorgeous private room on the second floor features an extra-long table that can accommodate up to 36 diners and there is also an adjacent lounge decked out with teak-and-silk couches and chairs and lacquered screens. The menus for the private dining room can be customized for the group, though a four-course tasting menu is also available.

JILL FERGUS is a freelance writer based in New York.