GUYS AND DOLLS
LOUNGE
The newly opened star-studded spot has been given a sultry-sleek update by the creative hands of Emmy-nominated actor and nightlife impresario Michael Sutton. The spot is tricked out in full force with button-tufted booths and upholstered walls, an LED-lighting-backed bar, and a recessed ceiling bedecked with an opulent cascade of chandeliers that provide the must-have touch of Hollywood glamour.
Of course, you can also expect the usual top-shelf liquors and bottle service, and the lounge is conveniently located adjacent to Jerry’s Famous Deli from which you can order superb sliders and finger foods to be brought over for your pleasure. Sure, it seems like the normal course of VIP services, but Sutton is, afterall, a man who is highly attuned to your party-packed lifestyle, and has knowingly prepped Guys & Dolls Lounge with a concierge who will field your requests from arranging for a private jet to booking last-minute hotel accommodations… for those hasty retreats when the cocktail waitresses in flapper dresses start setting down bottles you never asked for.
Michael Sutton knows his audience. After more than a decade of successful forays into clubs, parties and restaurants around Los Angeles (including well-known spots the Lodge, Goa and Charcoal), the former soap opera star has his finger squarely on the pulse of L.A.'s night-life A-list.
"I have all the faith in the world in the location. What Guy Starkman did with the renovation is brilliant," Sutton says of his partner, the son of the owner of Jerry's Famous Deli next door. "I tell people that Guys & Dolls is like Rose Bar in New York's Gramercy Park Hotel meets Miami. It has a very European sophistication. I'm hoping to make this an institution."
"I want it to be an eclectic room," he says with a chuckle about his clientele. I've always felt like the best rooms are a complete blend. Socialites, tastemakers, celebrities, artists and, of course, models. . . . The age range I want is literally from 25 to 65. That's what keeps it interesting."
All of that was on display at the Guys & Dolls Lounge's opening party. There was the requisite scrum of eager party people mobbed around the velvet rope at the door. There were even a few paparazzi hanging out front (celebrities inside included Matthew Perry, Ryan Phillippe and Evan Ross). Once you squeeze inside, the door person has a friendly word of welcome: "Have fun, and good luck making your way to the bar through all of the beautiful women." It's no idle boast, as the dramatic, intimate space was packed with a crowd that looked to be a good 70% female, and mostly of the model/aspiring starlet variety.
It's been a really long week—even if it was technically pretty short.
Time to go all out. Like 21-chandelier, what-recession, hey-that's-P. Diddy all out. Yes, Guys & Dolls Lounge is officially open.
Beyond the velvet rope, you'll be caught up in a decadent swirl of bottle-service tables, lithe women dancing on banquettes, and LED lights surging across the ceiling and the new DJ booth. The entire scene's reflected off giant mirrors and that glittering behemoth of a chandelier that's made of…smaller chandeliers.
As for the name, you're in the former home of Guy's, sure, but you'll also be served some pretty enticing cocktails by retro flapper girls. If you've sprung for the bottle thing, you can request sliders and grilled cheese from their good neighbor, Jerry's Famous Deli.
It's all thanks to the long-overdue return of a certain soap
star-turned-nightlife legend.
And if you're, say, Indonesian royalty, you should know that the house concierge can secure you a private jet (yes, really). But if you're just having a good time pulverizing your savings to keep a TV actress interested, they can also arrange a room for you in a covert hotel nearby.
Guys & Dolls Lounge is a hot spot you must experience at least once.
   
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