A Los Angeles Lodging & Dining Treasure | Petit Ermitage, West Hollywood, CA

By Sophie Gayot

Unique moments at Petit Ermitage West Hollywood

West Hollywood, CA, August 2022

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Hotel: GAYOT’s Rating 4 stars
Restaurant: GAYOT’s Rating14/20 | Cuisine: California

The ivy covering the façade on the street sets the tone: a green peaceful retreat with charm in the heart of bustling West Hollywood. Do not expect glitter and marble, but rather bohemian artifacts; wood floors; art adorning the hallways (there is an artist-in-residency program); fabric covering the walls of the rooms and wallpaper in the bathrooms (and not paint); rugs in the bedrooms; and furniture that feels like it came from antique stores. Ah, but yes, there is some marble in the bathroom. The electrical pole on the street by the hotel has even been painted! After all, it is all in the details.

There’s lots happening on the top floor of the hotel: the Butterfly Bar, The Pool Deck (salt water), The Fire Deck, The Upper Cabana, the Masters Lounge (piano lounge) and the Hummingbird Garden. The latest is where chef Penelope Perez Llera showcases her creativity and her sensibility to the culinary arts.

Not too many chefs can have their dishes served in an oasis of greenery, where most tables are under a gazebo in the middle of lush vegetation overlooking a megalopolis — a well-deserved evasion to us for a few hours from the reality of life. So, to be in symbiosis with the relaxed vibe, there is no eccentricity in Llera’s menu, but very satisfying and comforting dishes like the gazpacho she enhances with carrot and homemade granola; the ponzu-infused compressed watermelon carpaccio (a must-have); the citrus burrata summer salad (see video below); or the hamachi nicely seasoned with coconut lime juice. I did not get to try any fish dish (sautéed shrimp, chimichurri salmon), but experienced the butter mustard chicken and the ribeye, both with interesting sauces. For your sweet tooth, the coconut flan is a winner. There is a short wine list, but the Butterfly Bar offers many craft cocktails and spirits. They will add to your festive time on that incomparable outdoor privileged space in the City of Angels, also famous for its parties.

Proprietors and brothers Stefan and Adrian Ashkenazy can be proud of their hotel gem, located on a side street in West Hollywood. In 2009, they purchased an apartment building, and turned it into an 80-room boutique hotel. Since then, the success has been au rendez-vous. The pair learned their lessons in-the-family-house from their father and uncle, who opened in 1976 L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, the first all-suite hotel in the United States — and they learned it well.

But there is an inescapable rule to access the 360-degree view rooftop open from sunrise to moonset: you have to be a hotel client or a member of the Petit Ermitage Club.

Note: The Ashkenazy brothers are happy to have their rooftop recognized as a Hummingbird and Butterfly Sanctuary by the National Wildlife Federation.

> Watch my exclusive video with chef Penelope Perez Llera.

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Petit Ermitage
GAYOT’s Hotel Rating: 4 stars
GAYOT’s Restaurant Rating14/20
8822 Cynthia St.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
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