Barney’s in Beverly Hills has been completely revamped from the beauty basement all the way up to the 5th floor restaurant. The former staid Barney’s Greengrass has been replaced by a much hipper dining room called Freds– think Don Draper with a martini, in keeping with their NY flagship store counterpart. Once off the elevator near the men’s section, a sleek onyx bar and banquette area embraces you with a massive muted art installation by contemporary artist Rob Pruitt, but turn around for a spacious patio view that seems to wrap around the entire building. No stuffy food here, just some of the best thin crust Emila-Romagnastyle pizza in town, salads, sandwiches and specialty pastas served by the staff in Band of Outsider custom uniforms. Originally poised to be a power-lunch spot (they close up shop at 7:30 p.m.) , this could just be the best place in town to grab a late lunch gauging by the boy band poising entourage that is still on the terrace drinking beer at 4 p.m.
Roy Choi of Kogi Truck fame has set up his Korea Town trifecta at The Line Hotel: first with POT – think steaming bowls of noodles with veggies and meats – not weed, apart from the odd pot leaf embedded in the wall decor or the grandma smoking a giant doobie on the menu cover; and the casual pastry shop across from the POT bar lobby lounge, but Choi’s crowning jewel is the roof top atrium style hang out Commissary. Here the cocktails are served in giant tubs with garnishes from the garden that you can nurse over a meal that highlights veggies. Who knew that roasted (ok, slightly burnt), carrots with a suspicious looking Green-Goddess yogurt dressing could taste so damn good? Other non-veg highlights include the French dip sandwich, whole crispy black bass, and thinly pounded fried Schnitzel. With hanging flower pots, and exposed industrial chic pipes overhead it feels more like a city loft with light streaming in the windows from the nearby churches and hi-rise buildings.
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Commissary photo (top) by Audrey Ma
