My friend's friend recommended that we check out the Library Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel. It's supposed to have really cool mixology and good drinks.
The hotel was kinda old styled, pretty cool looking. The Library Bar was a small little room on the side of the lobby. It's a pretty cool place.
Library Bar @ Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 466-7000
http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/la/hollywood-roosevelt/drink/library-bar
Price: $$
When you walk in, you see fresh herbs and fruits lined up on the bar. Just from that you can tell that they use quality ingredients.
From the reviews I've read, I was prepared that their drinks are very expensive. They also don't have any menus. You basically tell one of the 2 amazing bartenders kind of what you like and they mix up something for you. They use farmer's market ingredients, so everything is seasonal and changes frequently.
This usually makes me nervous because I'm very picky about drinks. There's a lot that I don't like. So I told him I like sweet drinks and maybe something with basil? He recommended a Blackberry Basil Mojito $16~
Wow... pricey! But the drink was awesome! I told him it wasn't sweet enough for me and he was totally willing to make it better. They are really masters at their craft and want to give the customers the best drink possible. He told me if I needed anything else to just let him know. He just added a splash more of agave nector and it was perfect. I drank that like it was juice! haha. YUM!
Yellow Bell (bell pepper, rosemary) $16~
This was recommended in online reviews so one of my friends ordered it. It also comes with a fire show! The bartender took two glasses, light some alcohol on fire, and started pouring the fire between the glasses. Sooo cool! At the end he poured the firey alcohol into the martini glass with the rest of the drink. And it lit the rosemary on fire. You can smell the fragrant rosemary. Smelled fantastic. After a while, you blow out the fire and stir the rosemary in the drink to infuse it all. This cocktail was sweet, savory, spicy and full of herbs...and strong! It was fantastic.
The Vampire (raspberries, clementine, jalapeno) $16~
My other friend ordered this. It sounded so interesting. You can definitely taste the spiciness. But it wasn't sweet enough for me. Also very strong.
This was a great recommendation. The place is a cool place to hang out. The drinks were fantastic and I can totally understand the prices. Most cocktails everywhere else are at least $12-14 already and it's no where as good as the Library Bar. The bartenders definitely take care in their craft so be willing to wait a few minutes for them to make your drink. It's also quite entertaining to watch them make it I think. Definitely a special place to check out. :)
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
For dinner we checked out Fuku Burger. It's a new place...only been open for a few months. I had actually bought a deal for this place on bloomspot. So we had $50 to spend at a discounted rate! Woot!
Fuku Burger
1634 Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 464-3858
http://www.fukuburger.com/
Price: $
Walking in, the decor kinda punches you in the face. Lots of black and red...very bold color choices. A little too much red after we sat down for a bit and soaked it all in. The oversaturated redness was a bit much... But overall the decorations were pretty funky and trendy.
We were greeted quickly when we arrived but after that it took a while for the waitress to come check on us. I asked her about their happy hour specials which supposedly ends at 7pm and she informs us that it's over. My friend looks at his watch and said..."it's 6:50..." She just replied, "well we just ended it a little earlier since it's Friday." Uhhhh... what does that have to do with anything?!? That ticked me off a little...
Anyways, we finally ordered.
#2 Tamago "Egg Burger" (Fuku-patty topped with fried egg, fuikake, crispy onions, Teriyaki sauce and wasabi mayo) $9~
None of the burgers really came with lettuce and tomato (other than the "Fuku" burger). I liked the egg in there but it was missing some freshness.
#4 Kinoko "Mushroom Burger" (Fuku-patty topped with grilled Shitake mushrooms, pickled red ginger, Teriyaki sauce and wasabi mayo) $9~
The mushrooms were fantastic, but again, missing that freshness from the lack of vegetables. My friend also said he felt like it was missing something.
#5 Karai "Spicy Buger" (Fuku-patty topped with pickled cucumbers, avocado cream and habanero kabayaki) $8~ 1-10 spicy. I chose #8.
I really like spicy but I opted for #8 spicy just in case. The habanero sauce definitely had a kick to it but I think I could do the level 10. I asked for lettuce and tomato with my burger. Sooo glad I did that.
#6 Chicken Katsu "Crispy Chicken" (panko crusted chicken breast topped with shredded cabbage, katsu sauce and crack sauce) $7~
This was really good. The chicken was fried well and the sauces paired really well with it.
Overall the burgers were all good, but not great. And they were a little small. All Fuku burgers are made with premium, sustainable, all-natural, free range Angus beef.
Garlic Fries (French fries seasoned with garlic salt and Togarashi) $3~
These were fantastic! They were fried perfectly and I loved the seasoning on it.
Jazz Fries (Garlic fries topped off with brown gravy and crack sauce) $4~
This was even better! I normally don't like gravy on fries but their gravy was amazing. Soooo addicting. I couldn't stop eating them. I even took the regular garlic fries and dipped them into the gravy. The only thing is that they put too much gravy on top. Half of the bowl of fries were soaked in the gravy. A bit too salty and mushy. But I can still eat it forever! haha.
The food was pretty good. The service is a bit lacking. But the manager came around and checked on all the tables so I thought that was nice. For the price, they really need to make the burgers a little bigger. And put some fresh veggies in there to liven up the burgers. It's a cool place to have a drink and chill but I would just snack on the fries and have dinner somewhere else. haha.
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
