LEXINGTON SOCIAL HOUSE OPENING

I spent the night before Jury Duty at the fabulous opening of the new restaurant/bar/club Lexington Social House in Hollywood.  It was a great send-off!  (Could I be any more dramatic???)  I would have told you about it right away the very next morning, but, in the few hours that I had before I had to leave at the crack of dawn because my on-line orientation hadn’t been accepted, I couldn’t have done justice to this soiree.

An artsy photo of the action on the patio.

The place is hip and beautiful, the DJ was just great (he’s someone I would hire for my clubs, were I mental enough to still be promoting them,) the food was fabulous, and, most importantly to me, the servers were beyond helpful and pleasant, especially waiter Timothy and waitress Jesse.

My guest and I got there relatively early, so I could get home and sleep before the dreaded J.D., so we got to see the Thomas Schoos-designed interior in it’s basic beauty, before the crowd was even more beautiful than the decor.  Knowing what restaurant was in this space before, I can’t believe what they’ve done with it.  I couldn’t visualize the other place at all.

The party set-up, including above-the-floor DJ booth, in the main room. All photos by Karen Salkin.

The party was set-up perfectly, as well.  There were several stations with chefs making fresh dishes right in front of our eyes, such as  steak tartare, quail e-word salad, scallops on cauliflower puree, and fettucini with lamb bolognese, plus passed plates, most of which were so much bigger than hors d’oeuvres-size, like the almost-dinner portions of fried chicken with mashed potatoes,which was absolutely my favorite of the night!  I could have eaten ten of those.  (And did, in act, chow down on two of them.)

Also in the passed category, we had mini grilled cheeses (which, thankfully, did not have the stupid new trend of truffle oil in them,) pork belly bites on sticks, and duck ragout on toast.  And there were a couple of giant tables with cheese and charcuterie platters, which I actually couldn’t stop nibbling on.

The patio bar.

Both bars were open all night–the giant one in the front of the house, and the more intimate one on the stunning patio–and the servers were more than happy to bring you whatever you wanted, including their popular signature “Lexington” cocktail.  (Don’t ask me what’s in it because neither I, nor the group I sat with, drank.  What a bunch of cheap dates we are!  And, as Mr. X always says, we don’t cost much, either.  Ba-dum-bum.)

I must also commend the valet parkers, which I never do, because with a crowd of this size, they did an admirable job of not making us wait too long, and being even-tempered, something I always appreciate but rarely experience at so big an event.

I definitely hope to go back and review chef Mette Williams’s whole menu for you in the near future.  Just as soon as my stomach settles from all the dishes I had collide in it at the opening!

1718 Vine Street 323-461-1700 www.lexingtonsocialhouse.com