Spotlight on: ADCB

(Credit: Mel Melcon/LA Times)

In a city like ours, where nightspots become passé after a year, Skybar has defied the odds and remained a hot-ticket club for more than a decade. Before I was even old enough to get into Skybar, I was reading about the Mondrian Hotel's poolside club in chick-lit novels, counting down the years before I could get past the Fort Knox-style security to party alongside models and producers. To this day, people still get rejected at the door. But now, thanks to the new ADCB, they don’t have to leave feeling, well, rejected.

The lobby lounge, named after the hotel’s restaurant, Asia de Cuba (with the B standing for “bar”), was made over from an austere waiting area into a cozy enclave meant to define lobby socializing. The best part: no bouncer! ADCB is open to all.

The design: Gone is the long, lone table to the left of the concierge, which formerly marked the Mondrian's bar area. When Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz redesigned the hotel rooms, he also revamped the lobby to include a plush lounge decked out in orange and white hues. (Think Creamsicles in the summertime.) There are tufted love seats, furry chairs, claw-footed stools, low art deco tables, sheer curtains, a Lucite swing and the piece de resistance: a curvy orange couch inspired by Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell bench in Barcelona.

Why the change? With Philippe Starck, who originally designed the Mondrian, now working closely with SBE (S Bar, Katsuya, and the soon-to-open SLS Hotels), perhaps it only made sense for the hotel to redefine itself. Noriega-Ortiz insists he only built upon Starck’s initial concept, but with so many surrealist elements at play, it’s hard not to think he’s being a tad modest about his vision.

The cocktails: The actual bar is no less glam, with a shiny orange wall displaying top-shelf liquor. The menu seems to favor margaritas, including a lychee version and the $39 Lareina B, concocted of Gran Patrón tequila, aged Grand Marnier and citrus juices.

The buzz factor: Jamie Foxx and Pauly Shore were among the celebs at ADCB’s relaunch of the Mondrian on Sept. 4. Still, it was all about the ladies at this bash, which also included a Cat Power performance, fresh-out-of-rehab Samaire Armstrong writing “I love you” on the bathroom's chalkboard, Paris Hilton sporting a sophisticated charcoal-gray dress, and Catherine Keener, who asked my friend for a tampon.

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

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