The Montage Beverly Hills represents the epitome of urban resort luxuryA glamorous place to stay and two extraordinary restaurants in Beverly Hills mikecohen October 22, 2017 4853 Travel Spotlight BEVERLY HILLS – Ideally situated for shopping and dining among Rodeo Drive’s storied collection of shops, restaurants and galleries, The Maybourne Beverly Hills (www.maybournebeverlyhills.com), formerly the Montage Beverly Hills, features 201 well-appointed guestrooms, including 55 suites as well as 20 private residences and the Spa at the Maybourne Beverly Hills. On our recent trip we stayed in a luxury one bedroom 875 square foot Beverly Suite, which features a king-sized bed, a private living room and one and one-half bathrooms. Overlooking stunning views of the Beverly Hills skyline, the living room offers a comfortable sitting area with a queen-sized sleeper sofa and a dining table for two in select suites. Every indulgence imaginable is provided, including stunning marble and mosaic-tiled bathrooms with generous tubs and dual sinks, an executive desk with a 42-inch LCD television and an in-room guest tablet featuring access to all of the hotel’s amenities and services at the touch of a button. There is complimentary champagne awaiting for you in the mini-bar upon arrival. Guests here have access to the rooftop retreat, complete with a saline swimming pool and an exceptionally large whirlpool. Private poolside cabanas, The Rooftop Bar & Grill and lush landscaping are set against the backdrop of panoramic views of the Beverly Hills cityscape and the Hollywood hills. We were absolutely enthralled with this setting and the welcoming staff, who set us up so comfortably and kept checking on us. The valet parking system works beautifully. Call from your room and your vehicle is waiting outside. Dining Out Montage Beverly Hills has partnered with chef and restaurateur, Geoffrey Zakarian, who brought two new concepts, Georgie and The Garden Bar, to the hotel and local community. Georgie, Zakarian’s first Los Angeles restaurant, is a lush and textured space with a relaxed and playful ambience. Georgie Restaurant at the Montage is extraordinary Georgie, with its warm and welcoming environment, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers vibrant, thoughtfully balanced dishes that showcase Zakarian’s Modern American cuisine. The Garden Bar serves as a glamorous neighborhood gathering place with a robust beverage and cocktail program, in addition to a lighter food menu offered morning to night. Seated overlooking the spectacular Beverly Canon Gardens, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Georgie. Server Olivia guided us through a very impressive menu. For starters we shared some delicious Dungeness crab and a dozen East and West Coast oysters. For main courses we opted for the smoked beef cheek, poached Dover sole and the New England rack of lamb, each beautifully presented and tantalizing. Olivia surprised us with an order of beet risotto, something I would not have selected on my own. It was superb! So was another appetizer, the pâté en croute and a side of mushrooms (stuffed with more mushrooms). Dessert was an absolute delight, with some Georgie donut bites, lemon basil roasted peaches, pineapple upside down cake and house made sorbet and gelato. It was a warm summer evening, so we dined on the lovely outdoor terrace. Whether you are staying at the Montage or are anywhere near the LA/Beverly Hills area, make Georgie a stop on your dining tour. You can book a table by e-mail at [email protected], calling 310-860-7970 or via Open Table. The Palm In the summer of 2016 we experienced the Palm Restaurant (www.thepalm.com/Beverly-Hills), for the first time while in Atlantic City. When we found out there was a relatively new Palm location in Beverly Hills it moved to the top of our list. Just a few blocks East of Rodeo Drive at 267 North Cannon Drive and virtually next door to The Montage, this 6,000 square foot 185 seat dining establishment opened its doors on November 7, 2014. It did so at the same time as the long-established West Hollywood location was closing its doors. The Palm Restaurant is conveniently located next door to the Montage We started off with one of their outstanding house drinks, a cherry blossom – CIROC Vodka, PAMA Pomegrante Liqueur, hand-squeezed lemon juice, cane syrup, topped with Nicola Feuillette Brut Champagne. As an appetizer we shared a delicious order of baked clams, served on top of some superb sauce which our server recommended we dip our bread in. The Monday Night “Chop Chop” Salad (finely chopped romaine, iceberg, tomato, onion, roasted pepper, radish, scallion and anchovies) was amazing. Then came the main course, a fabulous surf and turf we put together – a 28 ounce prime Porterhouse steak and a four pound lobster. The steak was cut nicely from the bone and divided in two. A staff member then came over and cracked the lobster for us, something I always appreciate. We added some whipped potatoes with roasted garlic on the side. What a spectacular dining experience this was! And it was not over. For dessert we had the house speciality, warm cinnamon sugar donut holes with raspberry and chocolate sauce along with whipped cream and some ice cream Signature dishes at The Palm also include jumbo shrimp, stellar bacon-wrapped scallops, classic Italian fare like chicken parmigiana, prime steaks, seafood staples such as jumbo lump crab cakes and swordfish steak, with a cherry tomato olive relish and signature sides such as Half & Half, cottage fries and fried onions and asparagus fritti with lemon garlic butter. For reservations call 310-550-8811 or do so directly via their website: (www.thepalm.com/Beverly-Hills) Mike Cohen’s email address is [email protected]. Follow his travels at www.sandboxworld.com/travel and on Instagram @mikecohencsl.
