Last week I was fortunate to spend a quick night in LA visiting my son. I decided to book the WeHo Edition because of its proximity to his apartment. Once I landed, I called an Uber to pick me up, and was treated to this spectacular sunset on the ride to the Hotel. Because it was such a brief visit, all we had planned was dinner and breakfast, but it felt good to be back in LA even for a short time.
As we pulled up to the Hotel, we were greeted by a good number of Bellman, all masked. Los Angeles is still under pretty strict Covid guidelines, and you had to remain masked inside at all times, aside from when you were drinking and eating of course. The Edition is at the higher end of Marriott’s offerings, and can be categorized as minimalist, hip and modern, perfect for West Hollywood. Check-in was smooth, and my stay came with several Virtuoso amenities including a $90 breakfast credit at the highly acclaimed Hotel restaurant Ardor and a $100 food & beverage credit.
The Lobby was clearly designed to be a gathering place, and had all kinds of cozy nooks to hide away.
When I mentioned minimalist decor, I meant it. The room was as spare as a Monk’s cell. I know many people appreciate this aesthetic, but I am fully in the maximalist camp. In any case, it was very clean, although the faux fur throw on the bed kind of gave me the willies; I don’t imagine that is cleaned after every guest. One thing that made me happy was the Le Labo toiletries they provided.
There is an extensive running list of restaurants in LA I want to try, one of which was Freedman’s in Silver Lake. What I did not know was that Freedman’s has now become Greekman’s, same owner, same spot, different concept. What was Jewish-American Deli is now a chic Greek hang-out on Sunset Blvd. We were a party of four, so there was ample opportunity to ty a good portion of the menu.
We settled in with a bottle of Greek White Wine and a Pomegranate Spritzer and decided on our plan of attack. Everything we ordered turned out to be delicious, each dish fresh and flavorful. The Gigante Beans and Oyster Mushroom Souvlaki in particular were excellent while one minor disappointment was the very paltry bit of Octopus we received. It was so tasty we wish we had ordered two (they may want to warn diners they need to double up). The restaurant was crowded, and loud, with a young vibe. I would most definitely recommend it if you are in LA and need a solid Greek fix. I am not positive that it will remain Greekman’s and not revert to Freedman’s, but check before you go; I don’t think you can go wrong in either case.
After a good nights sleep I awoke to see the Edition in a slightly more upbeat light. The sun was shining and breakfast was set for 9:15. In the daytime the spaces in the Lobby were bright and happy, especially the yellow pool table which sits proudly in the center of the action.
I was anxious to have breakfast at Ardor, which is located just off the lobby. The space is lovely and inviting, and the menu was pure LA. with lots of fresh juices to try, and a full selection of alt- milks for the coffee. I went with the Mushroom Omelette with Spinach and Feta (sticking with my Greek theme) and while the omelette was tasty, the service was so distracted and my simple Decaf Americano with steamed milk on the side took three attempts to get right. Not to be too particular, that is not the proper level of service for a $205 breakfast for four people.
All in all, I was happy to be in Sunny LA and see my son, but would not return or enthusiastically recommend the WeHo Edition. The final aggravation came upon check-out when after confirming the Virtuoso credits for breakfast and the additional $100 F & B amenity, I received notification from Amex that a $205 charge was put through for breakfast. 3 phone calls later they reluctantly adjusted my bill with a $190 credit.
No worries though, I was leaving LA and heading to San Diego for a stay at Cal-a-Vie. Stay tuned for that review!
