Content area
Full text
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.
The economic downturn has been a real buzzkill for most new Los Angeles restaurants, but one venue continues to stir up interest: The Bazaar by José Andrés at the new SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The Bazaar is not one restaurant but a collection of dining experiences throughout the hotel, which was purchased several years ago by Los Angeles-based dining and entertainment company SBE and given a complete face-lift with the help of designer Philippe Starck. SBE brought in Washington, D.C.-based chef José Andrés to create The Bazaar's various menus and bring his contemporary take on Spanish cuisine to the West Coast for the first time.
The Bazaar includes an intimate 36-seat fine-dining venue called Saam, where the only option is a 22-course tasting menu, as well as two larger tapas rooms - one modern and one more traditional - both offering the same small-plates menu.
What guests are likely to experience first, however, is Bar Centro, a gathering place in the lobby where a bar menu is available, along with cocktails or wine. Roving carts offer Andrés' upscale take on street food, including such items as cubes of foie gras terrine wrapped...