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NEW TRICKS AT THE OLD TRADER VIC’S
Opening festivities featured naked sushi and Cirque du Soleil-esque
entertainment
Well,
finally. A full-on nightclub smack in the middle of the Westside. On the site
of the old Trader Vic’s at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica, Bar
210 (get it?--short for 90210 since it’s technically in the Beverly Hills city
limits) and Plush have set up shop, offering an upscale dining and drinking
alternative for those who prefer to party closer to home. A week’s worth of opening parties proved that
the velvet rope is alive and well in this part of town. You just won’t trip
over any crackheads on the way to your car in this ‘hood, but just like
anywhere else, you’ll pay dearly for the privilege of having bottle service.
Bar 210 & Plush (at the Beverly Hilton) 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills (310) 887-6000
THERE IS SOME CONSIDERATION FOR GUESTS HERE
Patrons of the Writers Bar and Jaan restaurant at Raffles L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills
get free valet parking and customers of the spa at the InterContinental
in Century City also park gratis via valet, which TAR awards the best
chill-while waiting-for-your-car spot at a hotel in LA, complete with
couches, coffee tables, heat lamps and ashtrays. But don’t get too
comfortable: they always seem to deliver the cars pronto. Jiminy!
MARTINI MADNESS ON RODEO
With the price of a few rounds of “designer” martinis requiring a C-note these days,
it’s hard to imagine five for less than $20. But that’s exactly the
deal at the Luxe Hotel’s Bar 360 Monday-Friday, 5:30-7:30 pm: $3.60
drink specials include a fresh watermelon martini, or, shades of Sex
and the City, a cool Cosmopolitan, both giving deeper meaning to “happy
hour.” Small plates like fried green tomatoes and fresh burrata,
lobster rolls and lamb lollipops add a little more joy to an after-work
respite.
Luxe Hotel Bar 360, 360 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310.273-0300
THE CONTINENTAL TOUCH
An array of Exec Chef Vincent Cachot’s tantalizing appetizers at the InterContinental’s Park Grill
So, you’re looking for some quiet luxury,
a bit off the beaten path, but still close in and a tad undiscovered.
It’s no further than a stone’s throw from the heart of Century City.
Not many people realize that InterContinental has taken over what was
formerly the Park Hyatt and for those with really long memories, the JW
Marriott property on the edge of the Fox lot. Now that the St. Regis
has gone condo, this is the hideaway hotel in the ‘hood, close to CAA,
ICM and the best shopping mall in LA. New executive chef Vincent Cachot
is wowing diners with his Cal-French seasonal organic menus. We
carnivorously recommend the Wagyu ribeye and the Black Angus
tenderloin. And unlike many places, you can actually enjoy a
conversation along with the fabulous food. The spa features completely
private cabana treatment rooms, each equipped with a shower, Jacuzzi,
locker, bathroom and treatment table for massages and facials. Tight on
time? Try the Little of Everything, an express facial, massage and
manicure (90 minutes, $175.)
InterContinental Los Angeles Century City, 2151 Avenue of the Stars, Century City 310.284-6500
THOMPSON 90210
If the still-in-progress Thompson Beverly Hills turns out to be anything like 60 Thompson in Soho,
book now, but don’t hold your breath. Not only is a rooftop bar
planned for the top of the previously non-descript hotel building (the
Best Western Beverly Pavilion) on Wilshire Blvd. at Crescent Drive, but
the hotel will boast an outpost of New York’s acclaimed hotspot, Bond
Street. Not that LA really needs another high-end sushi place, but,
well, we’ll be there. Still under construction after numerous delays,
the hotel’s now set to open in September after a July ’06 opening was
originally announced. Dodd Mitchell is designing.
TOPPING TOPPERS: THE PENTHOUSE
On top of the world at the Huntley Hotel’s 18th Floor Penthouse
Remember that kitschy Mexican dive Toppers, that
place you took out-of-towners for a couple of cheap beers, marginal
Margaritas and free nachos for happy hour? Those bad/sad memories will
be forever altered as soon as you step into the gauzy, elegant yet
beachy Penthouse atop the Huntley Hotel (designed by Thomas Schoos, of
Koi and NY Tao renown.) Open just over a month, the Penthouse is
packing them in for happy hour, dinner and partying late into the
evening with its white wood and black leather interior and killer
skyscraper view of the entire Santa Monica Bay. Dinner reservations are
a bit scarce on the weekends, so if you have to settle for simply
appetizers, the ahi tuna, cheese plate and shrimp cocktail suffice
quite nicely.
The Penthouse, 1111 2nd St., Santa Monica 310.393-8080
TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Fun and fabulous Social Hollywood hosts
its first event tonight for members of its new invitation-only private
club, Level II. Since bursting onto the scene last April in the former
Hollywood Athletic Club space with a blowout bash for Paper magazine,
Social’s Jeffrey Chodorow and Melissa Richardson have hosted countless
premiere parties, benefits, fashion events and an Emmy soiree. But you
know the downside: how painfully long it takes to get your car when
it’s time to go. That’s why one of the perks of being a Level II member
is preferred valet parking. Also included: your own private concierge,
unlimited access to the second level of the club, invitations to
special events like food and wine tastings, access to premium tickets
for concerts, games and shows and discounted rates at the Argyle salon
and spa and for limo and private jet transportation.
Social Hollywood, 6525 W Sunset Blvd, LA (323) 462-5222
Treatment room at LeSpa at Sofitel Los Angeles
BON RELAXATION
Remember when the Sofitel across
from the BevCen was Ma Maison and stodgy/French, as opposed to its
current hip/modern French? With last summer’s opening of Simon LA and
Rande Gerber’s Stone Rose, those images were banished forever from the
corner of La Cienega and Beverly.
Now it’s the spa’s turn for a complete
makeover, and it’s gorge. Officially named LeSpa at Sofitel, it JUST
opened its doors. Pampering aestheticians love using the Decléor
and Carita products for face and body, both lines from Paris. Book
Julia Palmer for a mean mani/pedi that will last twice as long as
you’re used to. She’s recovered from the days when she used to paint J.
Lo’s digits on music video shoots at all hours, but if you’re lucky,
she might tell you some war stories.
Spa Director Maureen Schumacher runs a
sleek ship. The relaxation lounge is luxuriously tranquil, a place to
kick back, have a heated-rock foot soak and drink some soothing tea
before indulging in an intense hydrating facial or an aromatherapy
massage. And why no other spa has ever thought of comfy black robes,
I’ll never know.
LeSpa at Sofitel Los Angeles, 8555 Beverly Bl., LA, 310.228-6777, 8a—9p daily.
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