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

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.