Cocktails and Jenga go well together at The Spare Room in Hollywood
Over recent months spent trolling Los Angeles, wearing down barstool after barstool and downing many a craft cocktail in the name of work for online magazine CitySip.com, I’ve grown fond of several bars along the way. However, one in particular stands out among the masses: The Spare Room at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. I went there a few weeks ago and have been yammering on about it to anyone who’ll listen to me, ever since. The mezzanine-level lounge not only has a well-stocked bar with educated bartenders who turn mixing drinks into an art, but they have vintage, hand-crafted games and a couple of bowling lanes to boot. Check out some of the other reasons this Hollywood haven is worth a gander, in my recent CitySip article below. It’s like reliving your childhood rainy days, except now you’re actually old enough to drink and it’s completely socially acceptable to play a board game in a bar.
The Spare Room We All Wish We Had
Tiny blocks of wood crash to the table and a crowd gathered round cries out, Jenga! At a nearby booth, two men strategically drop small wooden circles into slots, vying to be first with four in a row. Over by the bronzed industrial bar, a group of young, aspiring actors huddles around a wooden board, lying down lettered game pieces in hopes to earn a triple word score. And there are bowling lanes that flank the gaming tables, run by an official suspender-clad bowling attendant who keeps score on a wall-hanging chalkboard.
Hard to believe all this was once a dusty storage space on the mezzanine level of the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Quite aptly named, The Spare Room, the stylish gaming parlor and cocktail lounge opened last January, and quickly established itself as one of the area’s most popular upscale nightlife destinations. Like so many other recent additions to the local craft cocktail scene, The Spare Room draws heavily upon the past, modeled after the private gaming parlors found in 1920s Rockefeller and Vanderbilt properties. It’s replete with vintage furnishing, flatiron style arched windows, custom-designed games and an old-school photo booth.
The Ode to Aude is one helluva cocktail
“We’re trying to emphasize social interaction,” said Med Abrous, co-founder of The Spare Room. “The best way to do that is to get groups together, especially with games. You never really get to know someone until you’ve competed with them.”
Abrous and his team are also keen on providing high quality cocktails. The recently released fall menu, designed by Beverage Director Naomi Schimek boasts a variety of warm, seasonal variations on classic cocktails that comprise a broad spectrum of spirits.
“The basis of our cocktail menu is spirit forward,” Abrous said. “We work with high volume but also incorporate fresh juices and appreciate the craft of cocktails. Our goal is to educate – not only the staff here but people who come in, and turn them onto gins and ryes; it’s not just Jack and Cokes.”
