The Reserve Cocktail Club, so named because it's on the site of a former Bank of America downtown, combines vintage and modern style with exposed wood ceilings, ornate chandeliers and draperies, walls lined with security boxes, silver- or brown-leather banquettes and ottomans, and a dramatic bank vault. The 6,500-square-foot space holds 550 people in all three of its three rooms: the main room, which holds 125 people; the narrow entrance room with a bar and bathroom, which accommodates 75; and a private room for 65 guests. There's also a dance floor big enough for 160 revelers. It opened this summer.
Sound Nightclub in Hollywood underwent a renovation that added a customizable vintage-style marquee that accommodates custom branding, a moveable modular DJ booth, a state-of-the-art sound system by Pioneer and redesigned railings around the venue for staging and live music. The 8,000-square-foot space, which holds 650, has an open-air back patio, an on-site kitchen, and Wi-Fi and customizable 3-D mapping throughout the interior.
DoubleTree by Hilton took over an existing Marina del Rey hotel and transformed it into a stylish property geared toward business travelers. Hotel MdR opened in June with sleek public spaces designed by Indidesign's Beatrice Girelli, who created a SoCal ambiance with sculptural furniture and lighting and natural materials including textured wood, stone, rattan, and leather. The pet-friendly hotel, next to the Marina Marketplace's 40 shops and restaurants, has 283 guest rooms and suites as well as 5,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, from a 400-square-foot boardroom to the 3,000-square-foot Panache Ballroom, which holds 275 theater-style, 250 for receptions, or 200 for banquets. Chef Lawrence Monaco presides over a Napa-meets-northern-Italian menu at the hotel's Barbianca Local Kitchen, which features a photographic mural of a Santa Monica Bay beach at sunset commissioned from Murals Your Way.
Oue Skyspace, which opened in May downtown as a private event venue, offers panoramic views from the tallest building in California: the US Bank Tower, owned by Singapore-based OUE Ltd. Two floors from the top, the circular 10,000-square-foot space is a blank canvas, with 18-foot-high floor-to-ceiling windows, valet, bar service, audiovisual equipment, wireless Internet, and access to a prep kitchen one floor below. Skyspace holds 400 guests for receptions or seats 300.
The Pasadena restaurant Meat District Co.—with a mantra of "ribs, burger, beer"—opened in late August. The industrial space has black leather banquettes and artwork of oversize gears. Edison lightbulbs, subway tile, and rows of beer growlers round out the look. The bar and grill measures 3,500 square feet and seats 120. A private dining room seats 40, and a patio is available for evening events and seats 40.
The former El Torito space in Beverly Hills is going upscale with the announced October arrival of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants' 11th Ocean Prime location, the first in Southern California. Described as “a modern American supper club,” Ocean Prime promises prime seafood and steaks in a contemporary space that spans 11,400 square feet and seats 350. The venue is divided into a main dining area, three private dining rooms, a piano lounge, and a covered terrace. Design elements by New York-based Icrave include exterior walls built from steel, wood and glass cubes, oak floors, exposed brick, leather seating, floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to the terrace, and an internally illuminated bar that morphs into a sushi bar as one travels deeper into the restaurant. For the private dining rooms, the designer commissioned three L.A. artists to create artworks inspired by classic Hollywood.
Terrazza opened inside the chic seaside Hotel del Mar in May with 180-degree ocean views and beachy decor by interior designer Michael S. Smith, who famously decorated the White House for the Obamas. The look here is rattan chairs, marble tables with ironwork pedestals, and window shades, fabrics, and handmade Spanish ceramic tile floors in aquamarine and green. Decorative accents include a large photograph of a Portuguese beach—Christian Chaize's “Praia Piquinia”—and Murano glass pendant lights and sconces. When the two-story-high windows are open, the restaurant approximates a breezy outdoor space, while the heated floor tiles keep temperatures comfortable. The restaurant seats 114. The hotel has a 400-square-foot private dining room that accommodates 16. Chef Sven Mede's menu melds Spanish and Italian influences with local California ingredients.
Marriott International is expanding its meeting business with the July opening of Courtyard Irvine Spectrum, one of 10 new select service and extended stay properties scheduled to open in the region this year. The eight-story hotel has 210 guest rooms and more than 8,800 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, including a 5,000-square-foot ballroom that seats 600 theater-style, a 2,300-square-foot lawn, and a 446-square-foot boardroom. The public areas' decor borrows from nature, using earth tones and natural materials and imagery. Amenities include large work desks with ergonomic chairs, a 1,600-square-foot fitness center, a putting green, the Bistro restaurant, and the self-serve Market.
The second location of Joan's on Third, Joan McNamara's popular casual restaurant in central L.A., has a foodie vibe with antique community dining tables flanked by vittles as decor—tall wire shelving with colorful packages of European gourmet items, an open kitchen, and marble counters accented with McNamara's signature black-and-white Holstein cows. The airy 4,000-square-foot venue sits on the site of a former Studio City post office. McNamara describes her menu, which includes such specialties as turkey meatloaf and Chinese chicken salad, as gourmet comfort food. The venue is scheduled to open later this month.
The Gadarene Swine is Scratch Bar chef Phillip Frankland Lee's second restaurant. It features high-end new vegan cuisine and a beer and wine menu that includes homemade mead. The eatery has rustic decor, with exposed wood beams, an old bicycle, marble tables, a picnic table by a window, and bare bulbs. The cozy dining room seats 50 people or holds 100 for receptions; the outdoor patio seats 60. It opened this month.
