After one of the wettest winters ever, Oscar weekend arrives in Los Angeles.
So much is happening in the city right now, as years of promise in
Hollywood and DTLA (Downtown LA) finally come to fruition. Recently,
from the rooftop of Mama Shelter, we marveled at the glassy, Neutra-inspired silhouette of the Dream Hotel Hollywood
- opening its doors March 1st with rooftop pool, Rockwell-designed
interiors and outpost of Tao nightclub. The skyline of Downtown LA has
changed with the new Wilshire Grand Center and new InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown which boasts a 70th floor sky lobby and conventioneer-minded guest rooms that make us happy the slightly hipper Hotel Indigo and forthcoming Nomad LA aren't far behind.
Our readers, however, will more likely gravitate to three other
hotel openings this year. In June, look for the opening of Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
The 12-story, 170-room property (pictured) hopes to alas put a
Hilton-property in 5-star status with interiors by Pierre-Yves Rochon,
the first-ever LA eatery by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, La Prairie
spa and rooftop pool, all with a 310 area code. In April, our long
recommended Nobu Malibu will get a hotel-component with
Nobu Ryokan.
Malibu's second waterfront hotel ever built and certain to be a
favorite, the Japanese-inspired inn will house eleven suites and five
oceanfront bungalows designed by Montalba Architects featuring teak
floors, walls of glass and Japanese soaking tubs. And in May comes The James
West Hollywood. A decadal revival of the Sunset Strip results in a new
architectural compound with hotel that feels like a 2017 version of the
nearby 1990s Mondrian, complete with rooftop pool and new FI'LIA eatery
by Miami's Michael Schwartz.
In terms of new LA dining, the focus once more goes downtown and on projects like the new City Market South
in the Fashion District that is wooing chefs like Steve Samson for
upcoming Rossobulu and SF's Charles Phan that’s bringing an LA chapter
of The Slanted Door. It joins acclaimed downtown restaurants like Otium, Bestia and P.Y.T. that are currently defining modern LA restaurant trends. In Hollywood, established New Yorker Beauty & Essex
hopes to do what Catch has done in West Hollywood - namely becoming the
latest TV celeb dinner crawl. More ambitious however is Rosaliné
coming to West Hollywood’s former Comme Ca space. Peruvian chef Ricardo
Zarate builds on his work at nearby Picca in a playful, indoor-outdoor
space that brings the ‘French food’ of Latin American cuisine to the
forefront of LA dining. And afterwards, hit up new Delilah that alas puts a polished nightclub spin on Hollywood nightlife.
