It has that classic feel
Monroe’s is the kind of lounge designed for the long haul, a bar so stylishly detailed and competently helmed that it figures to have a long run as a component of the West Hollywood night life scene.
In the way its design dictates its vibe, Monroe’s is reminiscent of Bar Marmont, Sean MacPherson’s wonderful tongue-in-chic lounge adjacent to Chateau Marmont.
From its titanic-size bar, a 26-by-8-foot upholstered marvel, to the venue’s intimate size, Monroe’s pays homage to the 1940s with loads of warm wooden accents and dark vinyl booths.
Located on Melrose Avenue at the old Sloan’s bar, Monroe’s is smack in the heart of West Hollywood.
“In West Hollywood, there are very few great neighborhood bars that are upscale in design but not pretentious,” says owner Peter Garland, who also owns Porta Via in Beverly Hills. “When the location opened up, I jumped on it because if you took the pulse of the city, the heartbeat of L.A. is right in this eclectic area.”
Monroe’s immediate neighbors include the Pacific Design Center, Urth Caffe and the exclusive Japanese restaurant Nishimura.
Designer Fred Sutherland, who put his mark on such spots as Dominick’s, Forty Deuce and Deep, gave Monroe’s a retro style with a modern twist. The two-level lounge includes large vinyl booths separated by brass chain curtains. In the upstairs area, you’ll find two private glass-enclosed hideaways complete with their own sound systems, doormen and cocktail servers. The cool thing is guests can still feel as if they’re part of the action with a full view of the downstairs.
“When I first walked in I thought, ‘This is so cool,’ ” says actor Michael Rappaport, a Monroe’s regular. “It has all the makings of a New York-style bar. I mean, I really feel like I’m on the East Coast when I walk into Monroe’s.”
The fact that there’s no sign on the outside indicating you’ve got the right spot is part of the allure. Such celebrities as Lenny Kravitz, Anna Kournikova, Method Man, Gwen Stefani and Vincent D’Onofrio have made their way to Monroe’s. But it’s not just for the trendy du jour. The bar opens each day at 5 p.m., and happy hour ensues.
Although the lounge’s sexy name conjures up images of the ultimate starlet, the bar was actually named after Garland’s father, Monroe. The owner knocked himself out getting just the right people to work his new venue, going through three doormen until he found Fernando, a cool-as-a-cucumber cat who greets everyone warmly upon arrival.
In addition, he hired the famous cross-dressing Robert Mapplethorpe model Constance -- who’d worked at Bar Marmont for a decade -- to host Monroe’s. Having given up dresses and heels for a sleek male look, Constance now goes by Constantine and can be seen nightly working the crowd, making sure everyone’s being taken care of.
Garland’s finishing touch was bringing in Orlando Aguillen, a partner at Monroe’s who is also the music director.
“I always make sure the music is soulful, no matter what genre it is -- rock, electro, hip-hop,” he says. “It’s all about creating the right mood. If we can give people something they won’t find anywhere else -- the music, the service, the style -- then we know they’re coming back.”
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Heidi Siegmund Cuda can be reached at weekend@latimes.com.
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Monroe’s
Where: 8623 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood
When: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily
Price: No cover; 21 and older
Contact: (310) 360-0066