Tower Bar to Host Award-Winning International Chef

The Sunset Tower hotel’s Tower Bar, a constant Hollywood power magnet, will welcome chef Antonio Guida of Tuscany’s Il Pellicano Hotel for a weeklong engagement beginning Friday evening. 

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The West Hollywood restaurant is known for its A-list regulars, a mixture of stars (George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston), designers (Tom Ford, Vera Wang) and moguls (Brad Grey, Bryan Lourd).

Dmitri Dmitrov, who has worked as the Tower Bar’s resident maître d' for upward of seven years, may be considered something of a celebrity in his own right. Dmitrov curates the restaurant’s guest list, carefully screening and seating its high-profile patrons. 

But from March 8 through March 14, the Tower Bar will open its doors to Guida, who intends to introduce traditional Mediterranean flavors to the menu. He’ll be serving a four-course meal featuring roasted lobster, goat cheese tortellini complemented by citrus and mint, braised veal cheek, and pineapple sorbet with coconut and tapioca milk. 

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Guida perfected the exclusive tasting menu alongside the Tower Bar’s executive chef, Matthew Hougland. He joins the Tower Bar while on hiatus from his post at the Il Pellicano Hotel, which is closed for the season until April. 

The visit comes at a time of unusual tranquility for the Sunset Tower Hotel, following the excitement of awards season and preceding the summer.

Jeff Klein, owner of the Sunset Tower, recruited Guida after being introduced to the Il Pellicano Hotel’s owner, Marie-Louise Sciò, by Graydon Carter, who holds his annual Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Sunset Tower. 

Vintage Slim Aarons photographs of Il Pellicano inspired Klein to travel to the resort, and after meeting with Sciò, the pair conceived a plan to collaborate. The engagement marks Guida’s first guest appearance in Los Angeles.

The tasting menu will be offered at $135 per person.

8358 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 654-7100, www.sunsettowerhotel.com.