Hotel Bel-Air Debuts New Dining Room, Patisserie (Exclusive)

The Hotel Bel-Air is now fully in its post-Wolfgang Puck era.

First it brought on culinary director Joe Garcia, a French Laundry vet who drew acclaim at West L.A.’s tasting-menu temple Manzke, as well as noted French-born pastry chef Christophe Rull.

Now the pair, who’ve already been freshening the offerings at the property’s eponymous al fresco restaurant — look out for the composed tuna tartare — are turning their attention to two new concepts.

The Living Room, done up in the fewer-frills casual refinement currently favored by today’s understated billionaires, now offers an extravagant afternoon tea. The service, at $140 per person, includes an array of savory and sweet bites, as well as a glass of champagne.

But the main event is a hyper-seasonal dinner menu which, at the outset, consists of elegant renditions of decidedly middle-Americana classics like grilled cheese (with black truffle and shallot marmalade), deviled eggs (topped in caviar and gold leaf) and onion dip (featuring caramelized bulbs). “It’s meant to be familiar yet refined,” explains Garcia, who drew inspiration for the reconceptualized space from visits to the Hotel Bel-Air’s Parisian sister lodgings, Le Meurice and Plaza Athenee.

Steps away, in the former gift shop, is the new Patisserie, whose seating flows into the property’s iconic, dreamlike floral grounds. “Our local guests, who can make up more than half of our bar business at night, wondered why they have to go so far away, to Brentwood or Beverly Hills, to get a coffee and a pastry,” explains the hotel’s general manager Christoph Moje. “They wanted to be able to enjoy the garden and read a newspaper.”

The offerings are all housemade: croissants, cookies, muffins, tarts, jams, cream puffs, pound cakes, cheesecakes, bread loafs. (Expect to fork over $25 for the signature Bel-Air sourdough, a 10-year-old mother levain.) “You can’t go wrong with a croissant — but there’s a hundred ways to go wrong with a croissant,” notes Rull. “My vision is simplicity and technique.”