The beauty of the Speakeasy
Speakeasy bars have been taking over Los Angeles (after re-originating in New York), and I couldn’t be happier. There’s something so fabulous about sealing yourself off in a wood-paneled hideaway while savoring hair-raisingly stiff concoctions. Twirl those pearls, pucker your glossy lips and flip that bob, baby, because you’ve been transported to another world–one where the dames are fierce and the men are as likely to kiss you as kill you. Life may have its daily struggles, the economy might be crashing and war raging seemingly endlessly (ah, historical parallels), but at least you’re tippling the meanest sloe gin fizz this side of Chicago…
Old glamour goes hand-in-hand with the enjoyment of Prohibition-era cocktails: sure, you can wander in looking like a college sophomore, but where’s the sophistication or enjoyment in that? Make like 1929, spend a little quality time with the curling iron, paint Vamp on your nails, and darken your pout with MAC lipstick in Dubonnet. We’re going drinking, darlings.
Roger Room (370 N. La Cienega Blvd.): Hands down my favorite bar in Los Angeles. Roger Room is what nightlife should be all about: delicious drinks, sexy ambiance, gracious doormen, and an intimate, playful atmosphere. (Circus murals adorn the walls, and it’s “Roger” as in “yes.”) The fact that I’m here 3 times a week either means I’m a complete alcoholic or this has simply become my living room. I choose to go with the latter! Check out the Old Sport (a frothy gin and cucumber delight) or the Thug (whiskey with honey liquor and habanero bitters), but do come early. While there’s zero pretention here, it fills up quickly.
Bar Marmont (8221 W. Sunset Blvd.): A native Angeleno escorted me into Bar Marmont my first weekend in Hollywood, and I instantly fell in love. Like Roger Room, it’s chic and seductive, with low-lighting, endless expanses of wood, old fashioned red decorations that always remind me of Moulin Rouge, and a ceiling absolutely covered in butterflies. Carolyn Spence, formerly of the Spotted Pig, ensures the menu is no joke, drinks both innovative and classic are on offer (I always get the French Martini, except for when a VeeV and Ginger is calling my name), and on more than one occasion, I’ve been impressed by the eclectic DJ mix. Want to spot Jason Segal, Christina Aguilera, Rosario Dawson, or an endless parade of CW-starlets and British pop icons? Enjoy. It hasn’t been an official “hot spot” for years, and yet you still can’t take a sip without tripping over an incognito celebrity on the DL. Here, I once hung with the members of Take That, which is highly exciting–but only to those who were English teenagers during the 90’s.
The Hall at Palihouse (8465 Holloway Dr.): This is where Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson briefly holed up last year while trying to escape the paparazzi. It’s exceedingly popular with Brits, especially on Sundays for the British Brunch, features a trippy mad-chic decor that resembles your eccentric uncle’s study, and specializes in straighforward (but strong!) champagne cocktails, as well as a vodka, lime and cucumber drink called the Writer’s Block. Upstairs is a to-die-for SW3-inspired hotel/residence popular with actors and glamour-types, and the food–French brasserie cuisine–is damn good, too. Even better: this place still seems to be (mostly) a secret.
The Varnish (118 E. 6th St.): Okay, even people who know about The Varnish still can’t figure out where to find it! Here’s the trick: enter Cole’s restaurant, ignore the diversionary Cole’s bar, walk to the back, and find the random door past the bathrooms that appears to lead nowhere. Voila! Inside, you’ll find a tiny gem of a space, only a couple of bartenders, and drinkers who mean serious business. The menu itself features very few items, so your best bet is to clear your schedule for a few hours on a weeknight (this place is simply too small to sustain a weekend crowd), ask for a Bartender’s Choice, wait for them to painstakingly whip up something so beautiful and divine that you feel guilty drinking it…and then enjoy.
Tags: Bar Marmont, Chanel Vamp, Jason Segal, Kristen Stewart, MAC lipstick in Dubonnet, Rob Pattinson, Roger Room, speakeasy beauty, The Hall at Palihouse, The Varnish
December 1st, 2009 at 1:48 am
The only one we have not frequented together is The Hall, so let’s get on that asap!