Lalou, the latest and grandest indoor/outdoor restaurant concept from Marissa Hermer and team, is taking shape at the historic intersection of Melrose and Clinton Avenues on hallowed Hollywood ground that was once home to celeb hotspot Ago, previously owned by actors Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken and director Ridley Scott.  

Before that, it was the site of Bono, Sonny Bono’s wild bar scene, where teenage valets would race customer Ferraris in the oversized parking lot.

Scheduled to open in late summer, Lalou is its own Provençal-inspired village with al fresco dining, indoor and outdoor bars, and seasonal menus in a bold whimsical design by Tom Parker, with seafoam and pink meringue hues. Parker, the director and co-founder of Fettle’s architecture and interior design firm, also designed Hermer and husband Matt’s other elegant restaurants, The Draycott and Olivetta. 

The meandering  220-seat space breathes new life into the famed 8,900-square-foot lot, with rich textures, geometric patterns, and a lush landscape design that includes olive, lemon and kumquat trees for kumquat martinis. Parker and the Fettle team used 6,000 square feet of handmade Italian tile throughout the warm and inviting restaurant.  

Lalou

Indoor bar rendering (Courtesy Lalou)

“We came up with the idea when we spent a summer in Provence,” Marissa tells L.A. Weekly on a recent tour of the space. “It’s inspired by my favorite restaurant in France, the historic Colombe d’Or in St Paul de Vence. Famous artists would pay for their lodging by painting pictures in the hotel. The Provençal food is much like California, with great simple ingredients prepared well with a few drops of olive oil. My high school roommate Justine Carol is a local artist who spent a couple of summers in Provence and will use those Colombe d’Or artworks as inspiration to decorate Lalou.”

While intimate nooks and moveable booths have replaced the enormous and infamous parking lot, the iconic dome can still be seen on approach to Lalou, and will likely become an exclusive chef’s table.

“Everybody valets or uses rideshare now,  you don’t need a parking lot,” she says. “Some of the specials will reflect the old signature dishes and cocktails. It’s a real honor to be in this space and a real responsibility to preserve the nostalgic past.”

Open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch with an all-weather cover for the patio, the menu developed by Culinary Director Filho and Chef Deliyannis will include a plateau de fruits de mer with oysters, shrimps, queen scallops, snow crab claws, half lobster, salmon carpaccio with dry-aged Ōra King, tomato, smoked trout roe, soft herbs, a caviar tartlet of N25 Schrenckii caviar, creme fraiche and chives, as well as warm fougasse bread with Normandy butter and a trio of spreads. Other items with a Provencal and California twist include crispy squash blossoms with ricotta, parmesan, thyme, honey lobster bucatini, Snake River Farms Wagyu beef filet, and jardiniere with seasonal greens, lemon and mint. Madeleines with Meyer lemon curd round out the dessert menu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.