Trend report: French revolution

From new clubs like Green Door to Marie Antoinette theme parties, the nightlife scene is all about the French

By Alexandra Le Tellier, Metromix

February 20, 2008

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The other night I was talking to a pretty cool dude who'd been a chef in Paris. I asked how he'd liked the experience, and he said, "Oh, I hate the French. I taught them all [at the restaurant] how to speak English." It made me laugh, not because I agreed—I'm half French—but because I thought it a bit ridiculous. Americans love to rip on the Frogs for their bad attitudes and hairy armpits, but when it comes down to it, Angelenos, especially, are all about co-opting their culture. There are the restaurants, cheese stores and patisseries. There’s the fashion. And lately, there's been a French revolution in the nightlife scene.

Bar Marmont reopened last summer…
This chic bar next door to the legendary Chateau Marmont is a slice of Paris, perfect for Francophiles thirsty for a chic spot to drink bellinis and suck down cigarettes.

Green Door opened in August…
Green Door has all the fixings of a turn-of-the century French estate, complete with red velvet couches, iron tables, gilded chandeliers, murals and an open-air stone lounge where people can eat crepes while puffing the night away—a French combo that will never go out of style.

S Bar opened in October…
French designer Philippe Starck not only decorated this bar to look like an edgy city loft, he also hung large-scale canvases depicting visuals from Versailles, creating a trompe l’oeil effect.

Jane's House opens soon…
Located in the spot that used to house Southern-style restaurant Memphis on Hollywood Boulevard, Jane’s House will have a French theme, much like Balthazar and Pastis in NYC.  

Fraiche now serves absinthe…
Now that absinthe is once again legal in the states, the folks at this Culver City eatery have brought in cocktail chef Albert Trummer to perform absinthe shows. Just one sip of the green stuff and you might forget you’re not actually in France.

Marie Antoinette is everywhere…
For its annual Emmy celebration bash, TV Guide transformed Les Deux’s parking lot into a red-black-and-gold playground inspired by Marie Antoinette's lavish fetes. The cocktail waitresses worked the room in red bustier tops and black fishnets while corseted "Maries" lounged in a manicured French garden of trimmed hedges, topiaries and juniper trees. The following month, for Halloween, girls all over Hollywood donned Marie Antoinette costumes, and, in November, Juicy Couture celebrated the queen at a party for their new Rodeo Drive boutique.

Vive la revolution!

Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor for Metromix Los Angeles, and she loves all things French, most of all the kissing.