Inside: Green Door

(Credit: Evolutionary Media Group)

To walk into Green Door is to be whisked away to another time, or even another world. It has all the fixings of a turn-of-the-century French estate, with red velvet couches, iron tables, chandeliers, regal portraits and museum-worthy murals. And though it feels intimate, the space is quite large. There's an open-air stone lounge in front where people can smoke and eat (a French combination that will never go out of style), a circular dark-wood salon in the back, two bars and a hallway that wraps around the side of building like a maze.

For someone who professes to hate clubs, owner Johnny Zander has certainly been involved in some high-profile ones, including Teddy's at the Roosevelt and Noir at the Luxor in Vegas. With his latest venture, Green Door, he's finally done away with the contemporary "club model" and created a romantic, mysterious space that might become his most formidable masterpiece.

Zander's inspiration for the club's name was "Behind the Green Door," a 1972 porno about a mysterious house in the hills that elicits the curiosity of everyone in town. And that's exactly what he's created with his own Green Door—just without the sex (as far as we know).

His other inspiration is more obvious. Zander, who used to live in Paris during his days as a model, wanted to emulate the old-school salons and the Ritz. Success. You really do feel like you might see Hemingway (Ernest, not Marie) stooped over a drink at the bar.

There are no photos of the interior, and it's not easy to get in. The result: a crowd 10-deep on a Friday night, most of whom won't get past the door, but many of whom will have enjoyed the process of trying.

Alas, the crowd is more Hollywood industry than literary Paris. The place fills with pretty girls in cocktail dresses and dapper men in the kind of attire that made Jude Law so hot in "The Talented Mr. Ripley"—crisp white shirts, black vests, skinny ties and loafers. But sometimes there are the requisite cheesy types that throw the vibe off. For example: Paris Hilton.

Thankfully, there's always a cozy nook to disappear into.

Food: The French menu, served until midnight, offers the classics: crepes, steak frites and poulet, but sadly no croque-monsieur. You don't need a reservation to order dinner. You can order food at the bar or in the salon, where people eat with plates on their lap.

Sounds: DJ Adam 12 of She Wants Revenge spins every night when he's not on tour. Expect French music from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s in the early evening and old-school hip-hop, soul, electronic and funk later in the night.

Insider's tip: Call 323-463-0008 to reserve a table for dinner or bottle service. No reservation? No way you're getting in.

Click here for the Green Door's address and phone number.

UPDATE: Johnny Zander is no longer at Green Door, though the nightclub continues to be open.

Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor for Metromix Los Angeles.

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