The cool morning was a perfect time to refresh at the pool.
Sometimes, having a swimming pool at the hotel improves the scenery in the corridors, too!
Instead of the serene poolside restaurant...
...I was delighted by friends' referral to have breakfast at Chaumont Bakery & Cafe, situated on South Beverly Drive.
Amazingly fresh, "properly French" pastry & bread abound!
Twice, my breakfast was a PERFECTLY flakey/buttery croissant (see below), a blueberry tart, and an order of smoked salmon. Delectable! I can't tell you enough about how great it was!
Espressos arrive in sleek stainless steel cups, while tea is delivered in a ceramic pitcher (seen below).
*If you want to see another flavorful French breakfast that Lewis and I savored, please go here:
Going up South Beverly Drive, I soon arrived at famous Rodeo Drive: a showcase of global wealth, boutiques, and cars. Yes, Rodeo Drive is named after cowboy rodeos, but it is pronounced the Spanish way, in honor of the Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas that existed before the area was bought for urbanization.
Even the motorcycle cops drive BMWs in this lavish city!
Quite a few new Tesla cars are on the roads, too.
Below is a handsome picture, taken from within a staircase between store levels.
Many stores feature rooftop lounges, as seen above. But they can't compare with legacy hotels like the Regency Beverly Wilshire, below.
A faux pedestrian-only cobblestone street gives the "feel" of European shopping...
Replete with iron lamps, fountains and stairs, it's effective.
I dined "al fresco" at 208 Rodeo, seen above and below. The sound of the splashing fountain was relaxing.
Overlooking the hotel that was made famous by the film "Pretty Woman", I enjoyed a complimentary martini before my pappardelle bolognese and then steak frites. The evening breezes are wonderful! New York lacks such breezes in summer.
Nearby is the Beverly Canon Gardens, which is actually guarded by a Park Ranger (with a truck... as if he must patrol a "large" area, Ha Ha!)
Similar to NYC's Bryant Park, it's a great gathering place for meals, after-work relaxing, outdoor films & performances.
Patrons of Bouchon Bakery can enjoy café seating, overlooking the fountain/lawn.
Owned by "celebrity chef" Thomas Keller (whose restaurants earned Michelin stars), it sits beneath his restaurant: Bouchon Bistro. I also dined there. "Reservation for one, please."
Despite its rich neighborhood, Keller keeps a true bistro "feel": brown paper menus, jars of mustard on each table, brass lights/accents, leather upholstery. Deliciously soft breads (all attached like a leafy vine) is placed on your paper-covered tablecloth for "rustic" consumption. Speaking of which, I munched on a lobe of seared foie gras (so perfect, it would've made Lewis envious) and the most succulent leg of lamb with Espagnole sauce. Immensely good!
Departing, the park/plaza was quiet and pretty.
The opposite side from Bouchon is the Montage Beverly Hills hotel. Its Garden Bar also overlooks the park, like a scene from the film "Casablanca".
Amidst all the jewelry, handbags, watches and heels was the magnificent "Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills".
In business for 40 years--long before the boutiques arrived--it purveys sublime small-batch cheeses from far-flung locales.
The cheesemonger and I selected a French bleu and a cave-aged Italian, a bottle of 2011 Barolo, and he gave me a complimentary baguette. A perfect late night snack, back at my hotel.
I ate midnight snacks like that when Lewis and I went to Italy. To see that grand trip, please click this link...
On the topic of France, another evening afforded me a chance to dine with my French colleague, Sylvie. She arrived from NY, one week after me. Knowing the "right people", we were able to dine at the popular Il Pasaio--without a reservation! Voila!
We chose to sit outside, just past the rows of Bentleys, Bugattis, Ferraris and Mercedes-Benz.
Sylvie chose a bottle of wine, and I ordered the veal.
We maintained such great conversation that we stayed until the wee hours, including espresso and tiramisu.
For my approaching birthday, Sylvie and our mutual California friends took me to Spago: a 2-Michelin-star restaurant!
Knowing that it was a special occasion, the reservationist granted us a table centered on the patio (for people-watching and sunshine). Chef Wolfgang Puck came out and shook my hand! So cool!
From his eclectic menu, we chose smoked salmon/caviar pizza as an appetizer. Wiener Schnitzel was recommended, and it was a triumph of tenderness.
A mille feuille with a candle arrived, amongst the pastry chef's handmade cookies. It was fortuitous that we had enough Rosé Champagne to accompany dessert! All throughout, first-class service prevailed: switching our white napkins to black (to avoid lint on our dark clothes), seeing a server press a freshly-laid tablecloth (nearby) with a portable iron, the precise presentation of courses, and the bottle coasters to catch perspiring droplets. Together, the "symphony of service" was delightful!
It was fun to catch a Mambo concert on another evening!
Hummingbirds fluttered in the trees above, whilst a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado zoomed by, followed by a new baby-blue Rolls Royce convertible.
One fun dinner involved authentic Mexican cuisine -a "must" when you're geographically so close to the border.
Despite the August summertime, restaurants are quick to light up their gas "fireplaces", as the cool evening shadows approach (seen below). Similar to a desert, California was originally a hot/dry place, and it gained lushness as a result of irrigation during the Gold Rush of the 1850s. (The 1974 film, Chinatown, involves the Water Development of Los Angeles in the 1930s). In fact, Cali still has three huge deserts. Deserts are hot in daytime and cool at night. Many people like that climate.
Californians are also proudly fond of organic menus:
As I walked to my hotel, another place had fireplaces aglow, and a "pumped up" crowd at 11pm: Urth Caffe.
Many people recommended it, so I decided to explore it.
A fast-moving line is practically always there. You order and then take a seat (indoors or outdoors) and food runners deliver your items, then they clear the table when you leave.
Despite the heat, CA's evenings are cooler... vastly different than summer nights in foul-hot-humid NYC. Ergo, fireplaces, fire pits, and outdoor heaters provided comfort/ambiance throughout the year. It was marvelous. In addition to cozy couples, I spotted a pair of "negotiators". Seen below is an overweight man trying to entice a young guy for "paid fun". Since the 1910s, the same thing reoccurs in Hollywood, too, including the overdue trial of one of the infamous Weinstein brothers for 30 years of sexual assaults, rape, and blackmail. Full of typical maneuvers, the scene reminded me of what Lewis and I saw in the Dominican Republic, Florida's South Beach, and Manhattan's Chelsea.
Regarding the weather, I never experienced such a pleasant shift in temperature during summer in NY. I was thrilled and invigorated NOT to be confined to indoor air-conditioning. Californians actually did things outside during their summer nights--without sweating profusely. During that night's phone call with Lewis, I told him that when we relocate to another city, it MUST have a mild summery climate! He agreed whole-heartedly (and wished that he was beside me, instead of in sultry NYC--where the humid night air radiates with intense urban heat after sundown).
I discovered that Urth's customers can phone-in their orders, for pick-up or dining-in... which I did for the next several visits. Notice their organic/natural menu.
Like my cup says (above), even the plastic is compostable/recycled.
I highly recommend their:
- slow-cooked Beef short ribs Hash.
- stuffed Smoked Salmon over poached eggs.
- Lasagna.
- Pot-roast Hero (with generous cups of Au Jus & horseradish cream sauces).
- Iced matcha green tea with pearls of chewy tapioca Boba (it is also called Bubble tea). Boba tea was invented in Taiwan, and the large Taiwanese population in Los Angeles encouraged the word's usage across the USA.
I also loved their soft-yet-dense brioche bread pudding (with caramelized bananas and steamed milk), above. Their chicken/broccoli quiche--with grill marks--was awesome!
As you can read below, it pays to savor their baked goods!
I wish I could've shared their richly-full flavorful Carrot Cake with Lewis (it's a favorite of his)--especially with their not-too-sweet cream cheese icing.
When I ordered Pumpkin Pie "to go", they included a cup of freshly whipped cream! How thoughtful.
oh my goodness! everything looks so grandeur, manicured, and delicious!
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