48 Hours in L.A.

While in L.A. for work last Wednesday and Thursday I managed to check out quite a few new places (or new to me anyway). On Wednesday night my friend Scott took me to Opus and Meson G for drinks. Both had gorgeous bars, but Meson G's was the best with its sultry red lounge and affable bartender. Then we headed to the Cayenne Café on Beverly for what was absolutely the best baba ganoush and falafel that I’ve had since I was in Jordan in '94. On Thursday I had a "working" afternoon tea at the always fabulous Jin Patisserie on Abbott Kinney in Venice. (They serve Le Palais des Thes.) Just down the street fellow anglophile Amanda Dugan recently opened a new boutique for men and women called Brick Lane to which she imports only UK brands like Pringle of Scotland, Ben Sherman, and Issa plus funky one-of-a-kind items like jewelry and accessories from Portobello Road. Later that evening after having pizza and gelato at Al Gelato, Amy and I headed to my new favorite bar, the Kelly Wearstler designed Maison 140 in Beverly Hills, which has what I'd call a nouveau gothic feel. They were having a private party but allowed us to crash it so we got to sample their signature drink, the French Kiss, gratis. We concluded the night back at Amy's where we watched the historical thriller about Napoleon's last days, Monsieur N.

Image: Maison 140