The location is great right at the corner of Hollywood and Vine, and the 57 room Boutique hotel is still one of the hottest spots in town to hang out at. The Library bar has a very comfortable outside lounge and patio, and Cleo Restaurant has been doing solid business since opening day and shows no sign of slowing down. The acoustics are not the greatest however here and it is very noisy, maybe not the spot for an intimate first date. Despite all this there is always a long wait on the weekends.

The Chef at Cleo is Danny Elmaleh, and he supervises a very busy open kitchen with a wide selection of small plates no doubt influenced by his own personal mantra. That is Moroccan, Japanese and Israeli. Yes the food is that eclectic, with flatbreads, salads, and vegan items that really deserve to be tried. The recent Tuesday night I was there, I was with a large group of people and the dishes kept on coming out, so this is my best effort to describe the many foods we tried.

If you are really hungry, maybe start out with one of the dips like Babaganoush or the Hummus with Tahini to get in the mood and then shoot for some of the delicacies like Dolmades, Borek or the Spicy meat flavored cigars. Then maybe go for the Moroccan Vegetable Tagine with Caramelized Honey, Castelvatrano and Chickpea.

Cleo’s uses Sonoma Lamb and it is particularly good in the Sliders ($10) that come with Harissa Aioli, Feta and Sweet Pickled Shallots, certainly a creative combination from the chef. The Roast Lamb dish ($15) comes with Lebaneh and Israeli Couscous, and the Lamb Tagine ($16) comes with Apricots, Silan, Couscous and Sesame Seeds. Sticking with the Moroccan theme I also notice they have the wonderful Duck Bastilla ($14) on the menu. The handful of restaurants (if that) around town that serve Bastilla normally use chicken to cut costs even though the proper way is to use pigeon, but that has never caught on with American tastes.

The Seafood selection is also very creative with Branzino served with Cauliflower Cous Cous, Currants and Pine Nuts ($17), and how about the Farrow Island Salmon ($16) in a Tandoori Marinade, Lentils and a Red Wine reduction. Over all this is a very exciting menu to go with the atmosphere, so check it out for yourself, or if you already have then you know what I am talking about.

Cocktails upstairs at the Library are $15 and I went for the Hemingway Daiquiri with Bacardi Silver, Grapefruit Juice, Lime Juice, Dark Rum and Luxardo Maraschino Liquor. This is pretty typical of the rather elaborate cocktails on offer such as the Dark and Manly with Makers Mark Whiskey or the Sugar Daddy with Sapphire Gin, Hibiscus Tea Syrup, Lemon Juice and Green Chartreuse. The wine list also looks pretty interesting, and for this food you might want to go for the crisp Spy Glass Sauvignon Blanc 2014 ($11/43) or if you prefer red the Glen Carlou Bordeaux Blend 2010 from South Africa ($12/45).

Cleo at The Redbury Hotel
1717 Vine St.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 962-1711

Open at 6pm seven days a week
Valet Parking
Dress to impress