Welcome back to the Code of Style and this feature about Los Angeles’ newest rooftop restaurant, Lemon Grove, which is officially open for reservations.
Under the direction of esteemed celebrity Chef, Marcel Vigneron, Lemon Grove is serving fresh California fare with a menu that pays homage to the agricultural traditions of the city of Angels.
Located on the expansive rooftop of members’ club and hotel, The Aster, the restaurant sits high above the Hollywood skyline with striking views of all of Los Angeles. A true artisan, Marcel Vigneron is offering a seasonal menu with locally-sourced ingredients from sustainable produce suppliers, fisheries, and ranchers all boasting a fresh and vibrant feel. Diners can expect stand-out dishes such as:
Operated by Salt Hotels, Lemon Grove is located six storeys up in the heart of Hollywood at 1717 Vine Street. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, with brunch coming soon, and is heavily influenced by the simplicity and purity of California cuisine, the idea that just a few quality ingredients can come together to make something truly sublime.
Overseen by Beverage Director, Chris Whelan, the cocktail program at Lemon Grove is built to complement the flavor profiles on the menu and subsequently adjusted by season, whilst the wine list has been selected from local and all-natural producers. Whelan and Vigneron proudly work in tandem to always create a holistic dining experience where each course is complemented with the perfect beverage.
Non-alcoholic drinks are a notable part of the offering with non-alcoholic cocktails, beer, wine and champagne all on the menu. Often neglected through the history of restaurant and bar beverage programs, Lemon Grove offers the most robust non-alcoholic beverage program in the city.
Taking its name from the lemon groves and farmlands that once flourished in the area before it was developed into the Hollywood we know today, the 112-cover restaurant (almost equally split between indoor and outdoor dining) offers a surprising departure from the urbanity that surrounds it.
Lemon Grove’s design is inspired by the land’s agrarian past with rich earth tones, muted metals, and rustic wood, transporting guests to a chic farm in the heart of Hollywood to share a meal with friends.
A lively dining room and bar, featuring an intimate private dining space seating up to ten, opens out to a 7,200 sq.ft rooftop space that affords sweeping views of Los Angeles, in close proximity to the Hollywood sign, brushing shoulders with the iconic Capitol Records building on Vine.
Outdoors, lush landscaping, abundant with lemon trees, surrounds the restaurant, including a private outdoor dining area boasting a sculptural installation, seating up to ten. Outside of the rooftop’s culinary offering from Lemon Grove, guests and members of The Aster can enjoy a drink by the fire pit booths, and regular live music programming.
Chef Vigneron runs a sustainable kitchen by reducing food waste, using alternatives to plastics, and always locally sourcing ingredients. Lemon Grove is proud to be partnering with the Hollywood Food Coalition in an initiative to donate unused food and participate in various volunteering opportunities.
Chef Marcel Vigneron boasts an impressive body of work with a rich culinary background that shines through each dish at Lemon Grove. Vigneron has worked all over the globe with world-renowned chefs including José Andrés as the Executive Sous Chef of The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Most recently, he helmed one of LA’s best restaurants, Wolf, which served Modern California Cuisine with style, and Tacos Lobos which served authentic Mexican street tacos. Marcel designed the restaurants, created the menus, and was at the head of these establishments for five years until finally deciding to shut its doors in 2019 to focus on event production and entertainment.
Lemon Grove is open to the public for dinner reservations from 5 – 10pm Wednesday and Sunday, 5 – 11pm Thursday through Saturday, and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Lunch is exclusively reserved for members of The Aster and hotel guests. Reservations are available online via Resy as well as by phone.
We hope that you enjoyed this article about Los Angeles’ newest rooftop restaurant, Lemon Grove, and you can have a look here for some more ideas of where to eat and drink in Los Angeles.
I’m Julia, the Senior Managing Editor and I can’t wait to share some more articles with you again soon! In the meantime you can find more style, lifestyle and travel inspiration on “The Velvet Runway” .
Thank you for reading
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IMAGE CREDIT : Patrick Chin
ABOUT THE ASTER
Situated in an impressive six-story 95,000 sq.ft building on the iconic Vine Street between Yucca Street and famed Hollywood Boulevard intersection, The Aster members’ club and hotel is conceived around the deeply held belief that the next generation of private members’ clubs will embody the warmth, welcome and sophistication of the world’s best luxury boutique hotels. The first-of-its-kind club delivers a space designed to activate each member’s mind and body, where they can work, play, and stay, surrounded by robust programming in the heart of Hollywood. The project is curated and executed under the creative, and attentive care of award-winning Salt Hotels.
ABOUT CHEF MARCEL VIGNERON
Marcel attended the acclaimed Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York and achieved his Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management. At the CIA, Marcel enrolled in the teaching assistant program where he served as the Sous Chef at the school’s award-winning Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici. Since then, he has continued to pursue the progression of gastronomy and at the young age of 25 gained national notoriety in season two of Bravo’s hit reality series, Top Chef where he made it to the finals finishing “Runner-Up”. He has worked all over the globe with world-renowned chefs, including Joël Robuchon (named “Chef of the Century” by the Gault Millau) and Michael Mina (awarded “Best Chef of 2002” by the James Beard Foundation during the time of Marcel’s employment). Marcel has also spent time in Barcelona, Spain, where he took classes at El Taller with famed Chef Ferran Adrià of El Bulli restaurant, which was named the top restaurant in the world in 2007 by Restaurant magazine. Marcel worked under José Andrés as the Executive Sous Chef of The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, which received the first 4-star review by the LA Times in five years.
Marcel participated in Top Chef All-Stars at the end of 2010 and premiered the first season of Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen on the SyFy Network in February 2011. Marcel competed on The Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef in November 2012 and on Iron Chef in 2013. Food Fighters, America’s Best Cooks, Cutthroat Kitchen “Superstar Sabotage”, Chopped “Celebrity Chef Charity Version”, Top Chef Duels, and Tournament of Champions are a few of the more recent shows that all feature Chef. Marcel was the Chef and owner of One of LA’s Best Restaurants, Wolf which served Modern California Cuisine with style, and Tacos Lobos which served authentic Mexican street tacos. Marcel designed the restaurants, created the menus, and was at the helm of these establishments for five years until finally deciding to shut its doors in 2019 to focus on event production and entertainment. He currently resides in Malibu and was recently appointed as Executive Chef of The Aster, a first-of-its-kind members’ club and hotel in the heart of Hollywood that is home to Lemon Grove, a feature restaurant open to the public that features fresh California fare with a menu that pays homage to the agricultural traditions of the city of angels.
