West Hollywood Favorites: Katana and Bar Marmont
Things to Do in Hollywood
Guest Author: Nicole Crimaldi
On a recent trip to the Los Angeles area, discovered two of my new favorite places: Katana and Bar Marmont. Being a social Chicagoan has made me quite selective when it comes to food quality, service, and atmosphere- yet I was quite impressed.
Located in the historic Plaza del Sol building in West Hollywood, Katana is a unique Japanese restaurant. They have three types of Japanese food. The first is robata- a Japanese BBQ of sorts- where the meat and vegetables are cooked over an open flame and served on small skewers. The second is a traditional Japanese “comfort food” and, last but not least, an un-real sushi menu.
We sat at the sushi bar, where a brood of friendly sushi chefs welcomed every new party that walked in by shouting “welcome!” in Japanese. Our server was very friendly and attentive to our drink orders. We asked the sushi chef plenty of questions and got to watch him make our rolls and sushi with attention to every last detail. The drink menu at Katana was also second to none. I enjoyed a Champagne and St. Germaine cocktail. I love St. Germaine (a liqueur made with elderberry flowers) but rarely see it on any menus.
The restaurant has a great atmosphere. If you’re looking for an upbeat and social scene, definitely consider sitting in the sushi bar. I was also told that they sometimes have live music there. The space is 6,000 square feet with a main dining room, sushi bar, private dining rooms, and a really great covered patio area out front.
After an impressive dining experience at Katana, we headed over to Bar Marmont, the bar associated with Chateau Marmont. When you walk into Bar Marmont, it feels like you are stepping back in time to a world of 1950’s Hollywood glamour. The bar feels like an old home, which is dimly lit, with beautiful and delicate vintage furniture. The little sofas are paired with end tables with small dimly light lamps. There is a back room complete with a gorgeous vintage rug, and old classic Hollywood double doors that lead to a small, almost hidden, outdoor patio area. The bar area is small and intimate- not like a huge club with scantily clad bartenders pouring 10 drinks at once. The music is not too loud which allows you to hold a conversation while listening to carefully selected popular songs, with a unique mix of older songs included.
We met several locals there who were friendly and talkative. For being in Hollywood, I was impressed by how down to earth (yet beautiful) everyone we met there was.
If you are looking for a fun date night in West Hollywood full of atmosphere, nice people, and the highest quality food and drinks, I’d highly recommend spending the evening at Katana and Bar Marmont.
Thank you so much to my guuest author, Nicole Crimaldi, the founder of mscareergirl.com, a personal and professional development blog for ambitious young professional women. Nicole works in Finance in Chicago. You can follow her on twitter @mscareergirl
Websites: Katana , Bar Marmont
Katana
8439 West Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069-1925
(323) 650-8585
Chateau Marmont
8221 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 656-1010
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Filed under Food & Drink, Los Angeles, California.
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There is a lot of things to do in Hollywood, I love doing hopping at Bar Marmont, to see the vintage furniture, listening retro music, and have a taste of their luscious drinks.
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