A little urban-style boutique Hotel that delivers
By Patti Pietschmann
| The Branzino rocks (photo by Richard Pietschmann) |
Eat at Cleo, the hip hotel’s millennial-centric, Mediterranean-style restaurant
| Suite tub (photo by Richard Pietshmann) |
Sleep in a deluxe suite with a heavenly bathtub and balcony.
| Courtesy SBE |
Play by the rooftop pool.
| Nice fitness room to stay in shape (Patti Pietschmann) |
The charming, Boutique Hotel sits smack in the hip and happening area of West 3rd. Street in Los Angeles, steps from shops and night life. It’s ideal for visitors and even residents who just want to get out of the house for a night or two (and many do).
But let’s start with the restaurant where we dined royally last night. It was quite surprising to find an urban eatery that seemly was transported west from New York. There was definitely a buzz as lots of young couples and groups of millennials ate, drank and made merry. Below are some of the amazing appetizers created by the talented chefs:
We were hosted for the meal and served samplings from the menu from which my highlight was a perfectly prepared charcoal-grilled branzino with just the right amount of spice with fresh tomatos, nicoise olives and Calabrian chili. Cleo’s cuisine is created by from executive chef Danny Elmaleh who has infused much of his Israeli-Japanese heritage into dishes that, as he puts it, “celebrate ingredients and cultures of the eastern and southern Mediterranean.”
Most of the crowd there last night began their meal with the restaurant’s signature cocktails but of course the Diva did her big, buttery Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay.
Creative items (shown above and photographed by Richard and Patti) on chef’s list include brussels sprouts, spicy cigars, babaganoush and crispy artichoke hummus served with yummy fresh baked laffa bread, tagines, kebabs and octopus. There’s also Wagyu flat iron steak and dishes such as duck matzo ball soup, meatball tagine with soft egg, tomato, squash and piquillo peppers.
And for a happy ending
| Desserts to diet for |
Cleo Third Street appeals to both your appetite and aesthetic senses with a vibrant decor of rich earth tones accentuated by grand artwork and a giant seven-foot mirrored ball hanging over the outdoor that reflects back inside. A custom mural by popular LA street artist Cryptik, titled 'FACING EAST’ highlights the room. If you're looking for a romantic, albeit noisy spot, for Valentine's Day, this is it (book a booth or a table on the patio). Have friends coming to visit, take them there and share all the small plates at a communal table. It's also open for lunch and weekend brunch.
The Orlando Hotel has surprisingly affordable rates that include daily breakfast, WiFi, parking,use of a fitness room and rooftop pool and a very cordial staff.
A few facts about the hotel and restaurant
Disruptive Restaurant Group operates Cleo. It is a subsidiary of Leading Lifestyle Hospitality company, sbe, Disruptive It's other highly-rated restaurants include Katsuya (a fave rave of mine), The Bazaar by José Andrés (another Diva delight), Hyde Kitchen + Cocktails, and Umami. For more details, visit sbe.com/restaurants.
sbe, which was founded by the enterprising and talented CEO Sam Nazarian, is a privately-held, leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hotels, residences, restaurants and nightclubs. Following the acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group, the pioneer of boutique lifestyle hotels, sbe has an a global portfolio of 23 world-class lifestyle hotel properties in nine
