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.
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 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.
