The Garden Bar
Sure, there’s exotic tea, caviar service, and backgammon. But The Garden Bar, the Montage Beverly Hills’ ground-level lounge, is anything but stodgy. There’s a palpable sense of style from the moment guests step inside: Mid-century modern sofas, posh brass light fixtures, rich finished wood and verdant indoor palms give the former Parq Bar space a chic, contemporary vibe, like you’re visiting the swinging pad of a ‘60s socialite instead of the antiquated abode of a rich ol’ auntie. No stale, contaminated nuts here. Gratis bar food comes in the form of cubed salami and housemade potato chips; in case you weren’t aware, this is Food Network personality and New York chef-superstar Geoffrey Zakarian’s first West Coast joint, and he’s pulling out all the stops. White-jacketed bartenders craft cocktails with only the finest ingredients, which is why the going rate for a sidecar is $22 (made with top-shelf Hennessy VSOP Cognac, if it’s any consolation). You may gawk at the price, but you’ll gawk even more at the bar’s 35-page wine collection covering the globe from British Columbia to the Canary Islands. Sip your crystal glass of Italian orange wine (yes, it’s a thing) as you gaze upon the hoi polloi beyond closed glass doors. You’re so 90210 right now.
By: Danielle Jacoby
Bouchon
Thomas Keller's beloved Bouchon has been feeding denizens of Beverly Hills since 2009, accompanied by Bar Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery. The French brasserie serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and features a raw bar where oysters are aplenty along with mussels, shrimp, clams and more. For breakfast, the pastries are a must—danishes, pecan sticky buns, chocolate croissants. At dinner, the steak frites is one of Bouchon's signature plates, but be sure to stop by on Mondays for their famed Ad Hoc buttermilk fried chicken.
The Rooftop Grill at Montage Beverly Hills
Escape to The Rooftop Grill that sits alongside the mosaic-tiled swimming pool at Montage Beverly Hills hotel, serving up breathtaking views of the Hollywood Hills along with fresh, healthy California cuisine.
A seasonal menu of zestfully flavored favorites, soups, salads and sandwiches makes the most of fresh ingredients hand-selected from local farmers markets and artisanal purveyors. Soak up Los Angeles' warm sunshine while dining fresco and enjoying signature dishes, cold-pressed juices, organic coffee and teas, beer, wine and handcrafted cocktails.
Aventador S
The Aventador S’s new four-wheel steering system reacted instantly when I flicked the wheel, enabling me to avoid contact and possible disaster. Adrenaline-fed laughter cascaded from my diaphragm as I blasted toward the next curve. Few cars can produce such a moment. Introduced in 2011, the Aventador was never just another car: It was a daring advance. A carbon-fiber tub and aluminum subframes in the front and rear formed the chassis. The body was skinned with carbon fiber and aluminum. Lamborghini had the audacity to plant a 6.5-liter V-12 in the middle, using all-wheel drive to allocate the torque. The car proved a success for Lamborghini, with production reaching about 6,000 units in the first 6 years.
Spago of Beverly Hills
Executive chef Lee Hefter leads Spago's kitchen, where influences include California, Asia, Italy and France. Clean lines and blocks of black and white define Spago's modernized dining room, whose makeunder includes ditching garish dressings in favor of minimalist dishware and contemporary, if a bit incongruous, wall art. A California tasting menu ranges from six courses ($95) to eight courses ($145), but if you opt to order a la carte, you'll find dishes like pan seared cod with a ragout of shelling beans, or handmade agnolotti with butternut and kabocha squash. Dine on the charming, semi-covered outdoor patio, with its modern, oversized fireplaces and strategically positioned olive trees. Despite built-in heaters, it does get chilly on colder nights, so opt for an indoor table toward the glassed-in exhibition kitchen.
By: Olive Ashmore
St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort
Puerto Rico
A modern new home becomes a work of art that makes the most of Puerto Rico’s soothing seascape.
WHEN DESIGNING this oceanfront residence for an art enthusiast, the architect aimed to make the home a sculpture worthy of the owner’s collection. He achieved it with a modern, minimalist approach that marries form with function and blurs the lines between inside and out-of-doors. “It’s the intersection of art and architecture,” says Scott Lee, president and principal of the San Francisco–based SB Architects. The newly constructed 14,000-square-foot, two-story project, located at the St. Regis Bahía Beach Resort in Puerto Rico, opens to the Atlantic Ocean and was designed to mirror its sun-drenched, breezy surroundings.
“It has a hint of midcentury modernism, with its overhangs and horizontal lines and its simplicity of color and form,” Lee says. The Puerto Rican fashion designer Nono Maldonado, who also specializes in interior design, oversaw the interiors and created several bespoke pieces for the five-bedroom, seven-bath property (which also includes quarters for staff). “It’s sea and sky,” Maldonado says of the minimalist aesthetic. He chose whitewashed oak and muted hues to evoke a serene airiness and limestone from Portugal to create a matte, sandy look to the floors. Touches of blue and green mimic the changing tints of the ocean and the lush grounds, which were designed by the global landscape-architecture firm EDSA.
Vagabondage III
F. P. Journe’s Vagabondage III (fpjourne.com) is the first mechanical watch of its kind to use a digital jumping-seconds indication—a complication thought by many to be impossible due to the significant power it requires. The company will produce 69 examples of the timepiece in platinum ($59,000) and 68 in red gold ($56,900). —JUSTIN MASTINE-FROST
MONARK
From coast to coast, Monark meets the most exacting standards by listening closely, sharing our proven expertise and working with you every step of the way. Steadfast in our commitment to exemplary service and selection, Monark provides a premium experience both in the showroom and in the field. We invite you to share in our journey to transform homes with premium appliances that enhance and elevate the way we live.