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Inside The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel

Where: 1111 Second Street [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90403

March 26, 2007 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

This is a quick video tour of the Penthouse restaurant atop the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. The hotel reopened a few years back after at $15-million renovation under the direction of designer Thomas Schoos, the same man Nicky Hilton hired to save her from her own design fiasco.

Today, it belongs to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts group and the decor is the predictable boutique hotel decor--dark woods, white furniture, candles burning, funky ram rugs, and painted white fish hanging from the walls.

The location is pretty sweet on 2nd Street between California and Wilshire. For those of you without a clue of the area, this means that the hotel is one block from the ocean and two blocks from the touristy shopping center, the Third Street promenade. It's also directly across from the Fairmont Miramar, an older hotel facing the ocean.

The reviews of Huntley Hotel are mixed. Some disliked the funky decor, others disliked the fact that there is no pool or hot tub on the premises. And then others disliked the $399 a night room rate, but that's why TripAdvisor was created so people could bitch and moan about hotel rates.

Now back to the Huntley, the restaurant used to be a Mexican joint called Toppers, once favored by recent college grads. But Schoos made his mark all over here too and it's very...well...Kelly Wearstler, another hotel interior designer who takes classic items (Victorian-era chandeliers and chairs) and places them in a modern setting (i.e. everything inside the Viceroy.)

Inside Penthouse, chic white leather booths line both walls where you have panoramic views of Los Angeles. If it's a clear day, you can see all the way to Beverly Hills. If not, you'll settle for a look up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. There's a bar in the center of the room and a mini-lounge with brown leather chairs and an orange shag rug to the left. All in all, it's a pretty pleasant setting for breakfast, especially if the sun is shining.

As for the food, the breakfast dishes didn't disappoint serial-brunchers, especially our hungover friends. Our crowd ordered--eggs over easy with country sausage and toast, eggs benedict, a salmon scramble and a big plate of french toast. Even better, the menu offers some unique hair of the dog drinks like a Bloody Maria (made with tequila instead of vodka) and a Pomosa (champagne and pomegranate juice).

The downside is that restaurant has a McDonald's type of breakfast rule. Breakfast on Sundays ends at 11am when the lunch menu kicks in so get there before then.

Related Stories:
· The Penthouse [Chowhound]
· The Huntley Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]