The Beat

Perch

October 28, 2011 Campaign Champagne, The Beat, Yummy

There is something smoldering about the downtown of Los Angeles. It’s vacant at first sight, with uplit buildings and quiet streets. It looks like it was built for a population three times its size. But it’s raucous with history, and spread beautifully thin. Loft parties, basement speakeasies, and rooftops frosted with city lights. And something new that we’d like to share.

In the heart of Pershing Square, a beat shy of the Biltmore, is a gorgeous building from the early 20th that is home to Perch, a sprawling French bistro on the top two levels. Summer was as far from our memory as a dip in the Parker Palm Springs pool, but we toasted a warm fall evening on the patio with a bottle (or two) of bubbly. We ordered a post-concert supper of Beef Bourgignon Deconstruit and an apple tart (dessert is a mandatory component of HotelCrush).

But mostly we fell for the view:

photo of the view from perch restaurant of downtown los angeles

The Beef Bourgignon Deconstruit and Apple Tart:

photo of the beef bourgignon deconstruit at perch restaurant in downtown los angeles photo of the apple tart at perch restaurant in downtown los angeles

Tipsy at Neiman Marcus

October 23, 2011 Campaign Champagne, The Beat

In addition to the iconic hotel bar, there are certain lounges that scream low-key glamour and off-the-clock indulgence. Usually positioned in well-trafficked retail neighborhoods, these spots are just as much journey as destination.

Cipriani Dolci – Grand Central Station: We’re deeply smitten with Grand Central Station and the gorgeous Main Concourse. Our favorite stops at GC include the Transit Museum Store and the subterranean mezzanine food hall, but our top scenario to wind away an hour is over a martini (Ketel, twist) at this lovely bar overlooking an afternoon’s worth of transportation logistics.

Neiman Marcus: If you’re avoiding New York City and sunning on the West Coast, we recommend an afternoon cocktail at Neiman Marcus’s lovely Rotunda Bar in San Francisco. White, bright, modern Gilded Age style greets you, along with comfortable plush seating and an afternoon tea service featuring your mandatory glass of bubbly. The bonus? A couple glasses of champagne makes the wait for a fitting room a bit smoother.

Bergdorf Goodman: Back to New York. (You knew you couldn’t stay away that long..) Sometimes you find yourself stranded in Midtown during a flash downpour with no chance of a cab. Moments like these were made for Bar Americain at Bergdorf’s, situated off the lower right-hand corner of Central Park and vigorously far from public transit. You’ll find a warm restaurant bar finished in the dark wood paneling that subtly declares, “We’re downright timeless.”

The Rotunda Bar, Cipriani Dolci, and Bar Americain:

neiman marcus rotunda bar cipriani dolce grand central station bergdorf goodman bar americain

What’s that Sound?

October 20, 2011 The Beat, Yummy

A proper sensory addict, we wouldn’t think of throwing a party without choreographing the music. Like a road trip without snacks, or a pool day without lemonade, there’s a mood and an ambience infused by a good soundtrack that keeps the party in the clouds. Here are our favorites for an eternal drenching of summer:

1. Roads Must Roll – Boom Bip
2. Flip Ya Lid – Nightmares On Wax
3. The Shanghai Shuffle – Mochipet
4. Babylon of the Orient (Instrumental) – The Shanghai Restoration Project
5. Transform – TJ Rehmi
6. Chemnitz – Transglobal Underground
7. Ocean Beat – Tosca
8. Les Professionnels – Air
9. Recurring – Bonobo
10. Purrfect – Funky Porcini
11. Composure – B. Fleischmann
12. Change Down – Bonobo
13. Child’s Play – DJ Cam
14. Air Giant – Transglobal Underground
15. You Are We Am I (Blue Mix) – TJ Rehmi

What We Want…

October 19, 2011 The Beat, Yummy

We’re the opposite of “shopaholic,” those ravenous Sex-and-the-City women whose sense of self-worth is derived from the momentary pleasure of a designer handbag or pair of shoes. In fact, women like that downright creep us out. But every so often we come across something so stunning that it deserves a second glance, a further inspection, and a bit of hard-earned want. So now we’ll do a little sharing.

Gray is really no one’s color, a shade disappointingly forgettable given its stunning parents Black and White. But pop it onto a curve-hugging silhouette with a sweetheart neckline and salacious red lining and it becomes positively exotic. We love this “Thora” dress from Agent Provocateur because it’s the picture of decorum…until you turn around.

We’re far more into experiences than things and can’t see ourselves following through, but perhaps if we’re in the neighborhood we might stop in for a fitting…no harm in a little tease?

Santa Monica

October 19, 2011 The Beat

We admit we don’t make enough time for our hometown. It’s a beautiful place, casual in style, effortless in approach. Santa Monica is the definition of “don’t sweat the small stuff” and we love its breezy, bright, oceanfront palaces. But like any hometown, each visit has the tug of a bungee cord beckoning repatriation. Two glasses of bubbly and we were safely back in the Hills, coddled by oak trees and the familiar breeze of the Santa Anas. The following are souvenirs.

Casa Del Mar Hotel entrance:

photo of casa del mar hotel entrance in santa monica photo of casa del mar hotel lobby bar in santa monica