Before seeing the show Mysterious Circumstances at The Geffen Playhouse, my friend Brenda invited me to dinner at the newly opened restaurant Sirocco. Below the Getty Center, on the corner of Sunset Blvd. and the 405 freeway in Brentwood, is the 162 guest rooms and suites Luxe Sunset Hotel. Inside is a serene and peaceful retro-modern interior…
Category: Brentwood
Fun Birthday Venues in Los Angeles
Planning a birthday is easy in LA. The city has so many fun celebratory venues for brunch, roof top soirees and festive dinner affairs. When friends ask for my advice about a fun birthday destination, I always give them a list of three. Now my list has grown. Here are my favorite restaurants to celebrate…
Best Brunch at Baltaire in Brentwood
Last Sunday I saw Executive Chef Travis Strickland from Baltaire at the Taste of the Nation festival in Culver City. He prepared delicious Nueske cherrywood BLT lettuce cups topped with strawberry sambal and pretty flowering cilantro sprigs. It was a hit at the fundraiser benefiting No Kid Hungry. Chef Travis is a chef with…
Since its opening in 1989, Toscana has established itself as a sophisticated Hollywood celebrity dining spot in Brentwood. However, its more recent, 7-year-old addition, Bar Toscana has made a name for itself as well. I recently met some friends at the bar to try their new stuzzichini, or finger foods, menu. Executive chef Hugo Vasquez,…
A little bit of Disney Magic at the Bel Air Bar + Grill
Driving off the 405 freeway onto the Moraga exit, I noticed a striking two-story glass bougainvillea flower window in the front of the Bel Air Bar + Grill. I was invited to a tasting dinner by the owner of the restaurant Susan Disney Lord. She is part of American royalty – the Disney family,…
Cafe Rockenwagner: Ingenious Cuisine with a German Flair
I’ve been fascinated with Hans Röckenwagner since the 1980s, when I used to take clients to his restaurant Röckenwagner in Santa Monica on Main Street. Out of town clients loved the unique interior design, splendid food, and his famous German pretzel rolls. It soon became one of the top restaurants in Southern California. In my…
Bar Toscana – Creative Italian Tapas
Working in a high rise building on San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood, during the late 80s, I frequented the restaurant, Toscana. It was a block from my office and the maitre’d, Francesco Greco, always welcomed my guests and me warmly. He treated us as family with a friendly smile and a heartfelt hug. I usually…
