THE LA HOTEL
We spent Friday evening last weekend traversing through 2 hours of traffic from Orange County to the LA Hotel on 3rd and Fig. It used to be the old Marriott Los Angeles and I don’t know if the change had anything to do with the JW opening over at LA Live, but the property was looking tired and desperately needed the refresh. The new lobby is modern – tasteful for a city hotel catering to the business crowd.
Unfortunately, the upstairs didn’t quite align with the design of the lobby. I guess was expecting something more boutique-y and urban, instead, the guest room looked like I could have walked into any Marriott/Hyatt/Sheraton/Hilton in any city, anywhere. It’s not much to complain about, though because the rooms have been remodeled and the bathrooms were clean and new – a solid 4 stars.
The Hotel Restaurant – Ziran
We were meeting a party of 14 for dinner at 7pm on Friday at the only restaurant inside the hotel. It was strategically was chosen for its convenience as everyone was staying at the LA Hotel for the wedding the following evening. They also were able to accommodate as getting a large party reservation on a Friday night can be difficult. Turns out, the restaurant was completely empty, with the exception of us, a business trio, and a couple enjoying a romantic dinner.
Whenever I see Miso Sea Bass on a menu, I get excited because I think it’s going to be like Roy’s. I’ve had that dish at least 15 times at different Roy’s locations and it is consistently phenomenal. However, anytime I order it somewhere else, I’m slightly disappointed (exceptions: AnQi and Wildfish). I don’t learn because this was by far the biggest let down. The fish was dry and bland, with no detectable miso flavor. Luckily, my twist martini was good and I was able to steal a few bites of Joel’s overcooked filet mignon (ordered MR, came nearly MW) but sauce was tasty.
The breakfast buffet must be maintaining Ziran’s 4 stars on Yelp because that was good. The selection was meager, just the usual suspects, but the smoothie shots, fresh fruit selection full of berries/perfectly ripe pineapple, and the fresh squeezed orange juice won me over. Poor Joel, ordered the eggs Benedict from the menu, eggs weren’t runny. I was happy with my custom omelet and fruity things.
Evolving DTLA
The LA Hotel is in what I consider to be old Downtown LA, reminiscent of movies I watched growing up in Oregon in the 90s of what the financial district in LA looked like, with busy people wearing wide-legged suits going into concrete buildings. It kind of still looks like that, except with tighter fitting clothes and eerily quiet on a weekend. Moving further up the numbered streets and just one block over to Flower, the scenery drastically changes. All the work that the city has done over the last decade to breathe new life into DTLA with new lofts and condos, a Whole Foods/city Target, and an increase in safety has attracted an upwardly mobile crowd. These are the young professionals wanting to replicate that walkable city life Chicago and San Francisco offer. And with it comes innovative restaurant and bar concepts, one of which is Clifton’s on 7th and Grand.
Clifton’s is a massive four story complex that has been iconic in LA since the 1930s as a forest themed cafeteria serving both visitors and the community. It was purchased by the restaurateur and developer of the Edison, which for me was the first to put the edge of downtown on the nightlife map some years ago. This will be the new go to spot for those looking for what the Edison offered – a unique chill vibe, room to dance if you want, and places to sit and talk if you don’t.
UPDATE: Went back to Clifton’s November 5th for the opening weekend of the Pacific Sea, a.k.a. the Tiki Bar. We entered through a secret mirror door on the third floor and were met with hostess stand at the bottom of a stairwell. The stairwell leads up to an expansive maze of themed rooms where you feel like you been transported into some parallel Polynesian universe that is authentically kitschy (an oxymoron, I know, but I don’t know how else to describe it other than if everything Polynesian you’d ever seen in real life or on a fake TV set was vomitted out into various dimly lit rooms). My lame photo below as nothing else turned out but you can get a better idea of what I mean here: https://www.thrillist.com/drink/los-angeles/the-pacific-seas-tiki-bar-cliftons-cafeteria-los-angeles-california
