HotelChatter

Angelenos (and agent trainees in particular—we’re talking to you WME-bots) will know restaurateur Greg Morris from his other ventures: The Belmont, Oakfire Pizzeria, Spanish Kitchen and Oaks Gourmet Market. But Olive Kitchen + Bar is all about the Mediterranean cuisine and “offering something brand new to the [Sunset] Strip: casual fine dining at a reasonable price.”

The food philosophy is a typically addled (though still tasty) “uncomplicated Italian dishes as well as a focus on fresh produce—all with a twist of California style.” What does that mean exactly? Well, arancini with artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, wild mushrooms, shaved asiago and white truffle oil ($14); rustic pizzas with toppings like fennel sausage and caramelized onions ($15); crispy brick-roasted chicken with grappa rosemary jus; pancetta-wrapped prawns ($21); and Tuscan bone-in rib-eye with truffle butter ($34).

Since it’s a hotel restaurant, it’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, meaning it has to “transition effortlessly from day to night,” according to Morris. The booths in the dining room are buttercup yellow leather, and the tables are made with sustainably harvested mahogany wood, while the bar is made from wood of the restaurant’s namesake: olive. This is LA, though, so naturally there’s alfresco dining at a patio right on the Strip itself, as well as on a small deck overlooking the hotel pool and the mid-city skyline.

If the starting $159 per night room rate is too steep for you, or you just want to stay somewhere with more caché, like the nearby Sunset Marquis or Andaz, just stop by for the daily happy hour with half-priced cocktails and appetizers.