Insider Info
FAMOUS FACES SPOTTED AT BAR210:
MATT DAMON, CHARLIZE THERON
JENNIFER GARNER AND BEN AFFLECK

BAR210 HAS ALREADY PLAYED
HOST TO THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY GOLDEN GLOBES AFTER PARTY, HOLLYWOOD DOMINO’S ANNUAL PRE-OSCAR GALA AND CHELSEA HANDLER’S BOOK RELEASE PARTY

Beverly Hills may finally have found a nightspot with some legs—literally and figuratively, looking at the clientele of pretty young things—with the arrival of two clubs in one in the legendary locale long occupied by Trader Vic’s Lounge at The Beverly Hilton hotel. There’s the chic Bar210 (two-one-oh, as in that preeminent postal designation) with its sophisticated private dining room wing (with offerings from Top Chef’s Marcel Vigneron) and its adjacent, appropriately named lounge, Plush. Tucked alluringly behind dark velvet curtains, Plush is a massive ultralounge lined with bottle-service banquettes (where security guards manage access to each section) surrounding a high-energy dance floor.

“Whatever your mood, there’s something here for you,” says Rodney Franks, a hospital CEO/events producer who partnered with Vegas veteran Dan D’Agostino (Jet, The Beatles Revolution Lounge) to create a space catering to just about anyone—as long as their tastes are luxe.

“It’s a great hybrid because it’s so compartmentalized,” says Franks. “You can get food in the private dining room or drinks at the bar then go to Plush and dance the rest of the night—and the fireplace on the back patio draws a lot of people outside.”

The chameleonlike club was conceived as a nexus for scenesters venturing out from their usual neighborhoods. “Every night is a great blend of people who want to get out of Hollywood or Santa Monica,” says Franks. “We’re right in the middle. If you look around the room, there’s a little bit of everyone.” 
The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; beverlyhilton.com

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Trousdale is the velvet rope everyone wants to get past.

In its first nights of operation, the Sunset Strip’s newest nightclub saw Lady Gaga grooving to her own hit “Paparazzi” and handled a pouting Lindsay Lohan after she was initially denied late-hour entry into Adam Levine’s birthday bash. Clearly, it’s no great leap for partner Brent Bolthouse to envision Trousdale as “this generation’s Hyde.”

Bolthouse, of course, helped cement Hyde’s already iconic status among Hollywood clubgoers; with Trousdale (his first venture since leaving SBE last year) he’s part of an A-list team that’s as star-studded—behind the scenes-wise—as its celebrated clientele: partners Guy Starkman and Darren Dzienciol, formerly of nightlife landmark Guy’s; another key SBE player, Jenifer Rosero; chef Dana Flores of the elite caterer Bread & Wine; interior designer John Sofio of Built, Inc.; even the waitresses’ fabric-shy uniforms were designed by celebrity stylist Jessica Paster.

The club—in the once-famed Bar One locale—is designed to lure affluent Westside scenemakers away from Hollywood proper. The look is sleek black-on-black, with silver diamondquilted banquettes, candlelight, shelves of books, striking Terry O’Neill photos and Ed Ruscha paintings and a chic pool table lending a luxe residential 

Insider Info
FAMOUS FACES SPOTTED AT TROUSDALE: 
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, CHRISTINA AGUILERA, NICOLE RICHIE, PARIS AND NICKY HILTON, ASHLEY GREENE 

TROUSDALE IS NAMED AFTER THE NEIGHBORING TONY TROUSDALE ESTATES, HOME TO FORMER FRIENDS COURTENEY COX ARQUETTE, JENNIFER ANISTON AND MATTHEW PERRY. 		   

feel, plus a high-powered sound system. “This isn’t a dance club,” says Bolthouse. “This is a lounge with a romantic, baroque-y feel to it.”

Dzienciol agrees it’s perfect for the desired, largely invitation-only crowd. “We just wanted it to be a place where our friends could hang out,” he says, “like a little clubhouse.”

And yes, the door scrutiny is pretty severe in order to maintain mystique and exclusivity. “It’s a delicate balance. We can’t have chaos,” says Bolthouse. He nevertheless offers advice for the unconnected: “Come early and make friends with the doorman.” Take note, Ms. Lohan.
9229 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood