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Dinner on the Stage

With a recent $31 million transformation, the Loews Hollywood Hotel, located at the Hollywood & Highland complex where the Academy Awards ceremony is held, offers a breath of fresh air compared to its former incarnation as the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. Now the Loews is sleek and modern, befitting any celebrity — or anyone who wants to feel like one.

To that end, Loews Hollywood offers a unique Dinner on the Stage experience — private meals made by Wolfgang Puck Catering served on the Dolby Theater stage complete with decor and live entertainment. This is really designed for large groups (the stage is big!) and will run you at least $50,000. I had the opportunity to experience this, and it really is a cool thing to do. How can you beat having dinner on the same stage where so many Oscar winners stood? The Dolby is a looker, too. Not a bad backdrop.

While Dinner on the Stage will cost you a pretty penny, another unique Loews Hollywood experience is much more affordable. The Top of the World experience, which can include private receptions, marriage proposals and photo shoots, take place on the hotel’s rooftop helipad with 360-degree views of Los Angeles. The best part? You can take an open-air yoga class here once a month during the summer for $45. Just don’t get blown away doing that warrior pose, OK? (Actually, I’ve been up there, and it’s not as windy as you’d think.)

Note: The Dinner on the Stage meal was complimentary. 

Stacy Keibler in Naeem Khan at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. From FabSugar.

I know everyone is talking about Jennifer Lawrence’s dress (and her stumble up the stairs to receive her award, which just seemed so fitting for her — in a good way), and Anne Hathaway’s nipple dress (why would you wear a dress with darts placed there?), but my favorite dress of the evening was hands-down Stacy Keibler’s Naeem Khan gown. With its head-to-toe sequins and well-placed patterns, Keibler looked positively statuesque. And her date wasn’t bad-looking, either.

George Clooney and Keibler. From Huffington Post.

Public Kitchen & Bar. Photo courtesy of Public Kitchen & Bar.

What’s the next best thing to actually attending the Academy Awards?

Watching a live telecast while enjoying a meal at Public Kitchen & Bar, located in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel — the site of the first Academy Awards in 1929 — of course!

On Sunday, Feb. 24, the Oscars ceremony will be shown on large televisions around Public’s main dining room, so you’ll be able to see all the glitz and glamour while noshing on Executive Chef Tim Goodell’s three-course prix-fixe menu. For $99 per person, you’ll get Wagyu beef tartare with crostini and quail eggs; Dover sole with cauliflower, brown butter, pine nuts, golden raisins and capers; and lemon Napoleon with honey ginger ice cream.

Or, choose from a selection of à la carte items, including the Oscars Ultimate Burger & Wine combo with the restaurant’s signature burger topped with four-year aged cheddar, bacon, and bread and butter pickles served with a side of black truffle Kennebec fries and a glass of Cain Cuvée cabernet for $39.

Want to take in the splendor without being tied down to a table? Then head over to the hotel’s main lobby, where you can watch the ceremony on a 15-foot screen while partaking in a selection of fresh oysters and sushi.

And since this is Hollywood and all, champagne and bottle service with the likes of Cristal, Dom Perignon, Grey Goose and Patron will also be available to toast the winners — or play some really expensive drinking games — throughout the evening.

Public Kitchen & Bar
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 466-7000

Sunday, Feb. 24
5 p.m. – 12 a.m.

I know the Oscars were last week, but I just wanted to draw your attention to Carey Mulligan’s Prada dress, which was adorned with miniature scissors, forks and all kinds of cutlery. How cute is that? It’s almost steampunk. I love it.

Carey Mulligan at the 2010 Oscars. From Style Frizz.

I attended a special screening of the Oscars sponsored by Samsung’s 3D HD televisions. This dress would have been cool to see in 3D, but I must have missed this one. (A note on the Oscars’ red carpet in 3D: While the idea of watching TV in 3D is cool — yes, you have to wear glasses — I’m not sure a red carpet event was the best way to experience 3D for home use for the first time. I think 3D at home would be better used in watching sports, such as a football game. The Super Bowl in 3D would have been awesome!)