Compared to any other oceanfront city (or lakefront or riverfront, for that matter) LA offers up an abnormally small number of watering holes with a good view of the water.   This fact was especially rubbed in my face with recent trips to London and Chicago where, in both cases,  I lost count with the number of bars lining the respective rivers.

Really, it’s pretty pathetic how limited the offerings are in our fine city.

We have the newly renovated Penthouse at The Huntley which offers good food, a nice selection of drinks and a virtual wildlife safari of cougars prowling on a nightly basis.  The dining tables offer some nice views of the bay, but the bar itself isn’t set up to offer the best angles.

The bars and restaurants along Ocean Avenue are set too far back to enjoy the view beyond the Palisades park.  And the bars on the pier are exactly that - bars on a pier.

Shutters wins the award for the worst possible use of a view with their twelve-foot wide balcony at the end of a practically windowless bar.  In fact, they don’t even refer to it as a bar.  It’s a “lobby.”   Casa del Mar was a nice addition to the neighborhood but I always end up feeling like my parents should be there with me picking up the bill. It’s more than a tad stuffy and the windowsills are set up too high to really see the ocean while you’re enjoying your $17 scotch.

From there, you’re left with boardwalk fare which, like the Ocean Avenue venues, is generally set too far back and too low-slung to see anything beyond the patchouli crews and street vendors.

High @ Hotel Erwin

Enter High @ Hotel Erwin.  Even though they stole the name of my guestroom,  I’d been hoping this would be a good spot from the moment I’d heard about it.  The former Best Western that you never really noticed before went through a nice little two year renovation and, under the new management of Joie de Vivre Hotels, emerged as the hipster-geared-tattoo-package-offering Hotel Erwin.  After battling it out with Angelica Huston, Hotel Erwin managed to raise the bar even further by opening replacing Best Western’s air conditioning units with a nice, fancy rooftop bar.

When I finally made it there, after ignoring any reviews out there so I could go with a fresh perspective, High was all that I wanted it to be:  a nice, fresh breath of style in the heart of Venice with a fantastic view of the coast and whole pile of expensive drinks made with fresh squeezed fruit.  That’s not asking too much, is it?

To complement a drink roster that include apricot infused bourbon, the bar menu has everything to keep you happy with selections ranging from Ahi tuna hash to wild mushroom paninis. For those looking to run up a tab and make some new friends, High even offers bottle service.

And then of course, the view:

An array of elegantly designed seating arrangements offer unobstructed panoramas of Santa Monica Bay from the Point Dume to Palos Verdes.  You can lean up against the wind-blocking  glass walls and gaze down at the boardwalk or just sink back onto a couch and watch the sun go down over Malibu.  I’ve heard some people complain about the wind but on the night we were there, a windy one, the walls  blocked the wind quite efficiently.   A load of heat lamps warded off the remaining desert evening chill.

All in all, High is a great addition to Venice and, for that matter, LA as a whole.  Make it a pre-dinner date destination or just kick back and spend your evening there.  You won’t be disappointed.

The space is relatively small, holding only 98 people, and thus I’d suggest getting there early on peak nights.    We’re working with them to put together some fun nights for all you lekkers so stay tuned.

High at Hotel Erwin

Our friends at Yo Venice beat us to the punch (by a few days) on writing about the aptly named, newly opened bar, HIGH at the equally well-named Hotel Erwin.

While it’s as trendy as porkpie hats and skinny jeans, I have to say I’m really loving this fad of converting tired old chain hotels into trendy social spots.  Anyone remember The Huntley Hotel back in the day?  The Huntley’s current incarnation “The Penthouse at The Huntley” is a far cry from the chili poppers and all-you-can eat happy hour buffet that it used to host.

So without going as far as saying “we love it” sight unseen, I’ll have to say “We love what we see here.”  We’ll make it by soon enough and give you our own take on it.

Thanks for the heads up, Bret!