The Writers Room occupies the space known in the 30's and 40's as the "back room” of Hollywood’s oldest restaurant, Musso and Frank, where the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner held court. The space reopened Thursday, led by founding partners nightlife vet Nur Khan (who is behind New York's Kenmare and Electric Room), film producer Holly Wiersma, and Abdi Manavi (principal in the neighboring Supperclub venue), with the support of other Hollywood and media personalities.
The Writers Room occupies 1,000 square feet off an alleyway behind (though not connected to) Musso and Frank on Hollywood Boulevard. Guests enter through discreet double steel doors to find a garden patio, covered by a fabric awning, and accented with palm trees and hanging chandeliers. A grand staircase curves down from the garden into the main room, which is lined with brown leather, high-back booths along one wall, opposite the bar. The total capacity is 120.
Managing partner Manavi and Gulla Jonsdottir of G+ Design intended the space to maintain the look and feel of the original room. “We wanted to respect the history of this location through our design,” said Manavi in a release. “Our goal was to bring the room back to life in a way that reflected its past, yet offered enough of a modern edge to inspire a new generation of creative types.”
A chandelier hangs from the 25-foot ceiling, and wood floors are covered with a large, decorative rug. The papered walls are lined with mirrors set in the original window frames from New York’s historic Flatiron Building. And there's a 1928 Parisian-style elevator cage sourced from a prewar-era building in New York, which has been transformed into a V.I.P. booth with heavy curtains and a daybed; a light atop the cage summons service when illuminated.
Daniel Nelson heads the cocktail program, pulling flavors and ingredients from the different ethnic neighborhoods that make up Los Angeles. Highlights include the Kaffir Rickey (vodka or gin, Kaffir lime juice, lemongrass syrup, carbonated coconut water) and Cho Sun One (corn whiskey, Korean pear, Perilla leaf, lemon, date, sesame). All cocktails are served in the bar’s private collection of antique Libbey Silver Leaf glassware, which includes nearly 600 pieces such as tumblers, wine glasses, punch bowls, and champagne flutes.
