DAKOTA at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

A Sexy New Room with Sensational Steaks

January 22, 2007

Dakota is the dazzling new dining room in the newly renovated Hollywood Roosevelt

Hotel, located at 7000 Hollywood, is the brain child of talented restaurant entrepreneur

Tim Goodell, and continues to be a favorite destination of locals and visiting tourists,

It was really quite amazing to find a room that I have always considered to be

beyond any recovery that had been transformed, not only into a spectacularly

tasteful dining venue, but also a tempting rendezvous with an ambiance that

was attracting a crowd, including the now entertainment set.

The menu is sweetly original and features the creations of talented Executive Chef Mc Donald. His dishes include fabulous variations on old standards, like a sophisticated

version of a wedge salad with blue cheese, but also some stand out items showcasing bold new flavors and plate presentations that were unexpected and totally pleasing. 

The steaks and standing rib at Dakota were cooked to perfection, and the bevy

of small sauce dishes for dipping are a brilliant, as well as delicious touch.  The

hangar steak with cauliflower is outstanding [...]

I would recommend all of the appetizers, and especially the shrimp cocktail, which

comes with huge shrimps, sitting gracefully on a bed of lettuce, accompanied by a

memorable finger-licking-good cocktail sauce The desserts are also masterpieces, and will make any sweet sinner feel satisfied.

The restaurant staff are young, eager and hoping to be discovered, but the attention to detail is excellent and the service prompt. I stopped to talk with the assistant chef,

a darling Irish girl who really enjoys her work, and obviously loves food. She shared

her enthusiasm about the work she was doing at the hotel that recently celebrated its

75th anniversary.

The entire renovation of the hotel is such a welcome change, and as I strolled around

to see the new Library Bar, which appears to be a perfect place to meet friends for a

drink or hold a pre-dinner business meeting, I was completely enamored by the attractive face lift that has been given to this historic old girl. After all, not only is this spot currently

a preferred meeting place for entertainment moguls and corporate giants, but in 1929 it

was the home of the Academy Awards, and has been a home- away-from-home for

countless great motion picture stars since it opened stylish doors nearly a century ago.

Another interesting little side visit is the Tropicana pool area to the west of the hotel,

where a fifties style decor welcomes invited visitors to sit by the softly lit pool and sip a martini or after dinner cordial to the sounds old Hollywood favorites. Its a very good

feeling when nostalgia meets the moment with ease, and these are the good old days at Dakota in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.