Hollywood's Kimpton Everly Hotel Debuts Bold Mediterranean Restaurant
Written Hand dishes
Perched just above the buzz of Hollywood, the Kimpton Everly Hotel is a sun-drenched escape with sweeping views of the Hollywood Sign, a rooftop pool with refreshing cocktails, and an address that puts you steps from the Pantages and LA's entertainment core. But what's setting the hotel apart these days isn't just the skyline—it's the food and craft cocktails.
Interior of Written Hand
Written Hand—the once-pop-up that's now a permanent dinner fixture—brings bold, Mediterranean-inspired cooking and a fresh sense of energy to the space. Helmed by Chef Ashley Thompson, the menu draws from vibrant coastal flavors while staying grounded in Southern California's seasonal bounty. Squash blossoms arrive delicately filled and citrusy, topped with herbs and micro flowers that add a painterly touch. Head-on prawns are grilled until just smoky, brushed with orange chermoula, and paired with torn bread to soak it all up. Girl & Dug thumbelina carrots—perfectly round and subtly sweet—are layered with whipped ricotta. Then there's the salt-crusted whole loup de mer: flaky and flavorful, finished with celery leaf salsa verde and grilled pink lemon. It's generous, simple, and quietly stunning. And lastly, bring out your inner child and order the freshly baked chocolate chip cookie with a vanilla milkshake chaser for dessert. You won't regret it.
Head-on Prawns from Written Hand
The cocktails are just as considered. Naomi Schimek's beverage menu leans Mediterranean with seasonal ingredients, with drinks that are vibrant, clean, and built for the golden-hour crowd. Her freezer martini—poured ice-cold with either vodka and vinho verde or gin and albariño—is bracing in the best way. The Since You've Been Gone spritz offers a brighter touch, with floral, bitter, and herbal notes playing off elderflower tonic and mint. There's also a full lineup of zero-proof cocktails that feel just as thoughtful as the rest of the list.
Ever Bar Cocktail
What makes Written Hand stand out isn't just the location—it's the point of view. The menu reads like a love letter to coastal ingredients, interpreted through a Californian lens and executed with quiet confidence. It's not flashy, and it doesn't need to be.
Jane Q Neapolitan pizzas
For daytime cravings, Jane Q offers a bright, casual counterpoint. It's the hotel's all-day café—ideal for everything from a quick bakery run to a long, leisurely brunch. Grab a coffee to go or settle into the sunlit dining room with a bottle of sparkling wine. The menu covers all the brunch essentials, but the Neapolitan-style pizzas steal the spotlight—chewy, charred, and built to share. It's an easygoing space designed to suit whatever your day in Hollywood might bring.
Looking to make your stay a little more permanent? The hotel's latest collab with Tiny Zaps offers guests complimentary tattoos on April 23, May 29, and June 26. The partnership taps into the rise of 'tattourism,' where travel meets tiny, lasting mementos. Think skyline silhouettes, minimalist icons, or playful nods to LA's creative spirit—each designed and inked by local artists.
Kimpton Everly Hotel
Whether you're booking a stay for the Hollywood views, brunch at Jane Q, cocktails at Ever Bar, or dinner at Written Hand—or just want to leave with something that lasts longer than the martini buzz—this one's worth marking on the calendar.
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Writer Bernardine Evaristo receives lifetime accolade for a career of breaking boundaries
LONDON (AP) — Bernardine Evaristo doesn't like boundaries. For the Booker Prize -winning novelist, rules about genre, grammar or what a working-class biracial woman can achieve are all to be challenged and swept away. Evaristo was announced Wednesday as recipient of the 100,000-pound ($135,000) Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award for her 'transformative impact on literature and her unwavering dedication to uplifting under-represented voices." Evaristo, 66, received the prize both for her work to help promote women and writers of color, and for writing that takes in poetry, a memoir and seven novels including the Booker-winning 'Girl, Woman, Other.' 'I just go wherever my imagination takes me,' she said. 'I didn't want to write the kind of novels that would take you on a predictable emotional or moral journey.' An eclectic output Evaristo had already explored autobiographical fiction, historical settings and alternate realities when she won the Booker in 2019 for 'Girl Woman, Other,' a polyphonic novel told from the point of view of a dozen characters, largely Black women, with widely varying ages, experiences and sexualities. She was the first woman of African heritage to be awarded the prize, which was founded in 1969 and has a reputation for transforming writers' careers. When she won, Evaristo was 60 and had been a writer for decades. She says the recognition 'came at the right time for me.' 'Maybe I wouldn't have handled it so well if I was younger,' she told The Associated Press at her London home. 'It changed my career –- in terms of book sales, foreign rights, translation, the way in which I was viewed as a writer. Various other opportunities came my way. And I felt that I had the foundations to handle that.' 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Hamilton Spectator
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Writer Bernardine Evaristo receives lifetime accolade for a career of breaking boundaries
LONDON (AP) — Bernardine Evaristo doesn't like boundaries. For the Booker Prize -winning novelist, rules about genre, grammar or what a working-class biracial woman can achieve are all to be challenged and swept away. Evaristo was announced Wednesday as recipient of the 100,000-pound ($135,000) Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award for her 'transformative impact on literature and her unwavering dedication to uplifting under-represented voices.' Evaristo, 66, received the prize both for her work to help promote women and writers of color, and for writing that takes in poetry, a memoir and seven novels including the Booker-winning 'Girl, Woman, Other.' 'I just go wherever my imagination takes me,' she said. 'I didn't want to write the kind of novels that would take you on a predictable emotional or moral journey.' An eclectic output Evaristo had already explored autobiographical fiction, historical settings and alternate realities when she won the Booker in 2019 for 'Girl Woman, Other,' a polyphonic novel told from the point of view of a dozen characters, largely Black women, with widely varying ages, experiences and sexualities. She was the first woman of African heritage to be awarded the prize, which was founded in 1969 and has a reputation for transforming writers' careers. When she won, Evaristo was 60 and had been a writer for decades. She says the recognition 'came at the right time for me.' 'Maybe I wouldn't have handled it so well if I was younger,' she told The Associated Press at her London home. 'It changed my career –- in terms of book sales, foreign rights, translation, the way in which I was viewed as a writer. Various other opportunities came my way. And I felt that I had the foundations to handle that.' 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'I set that up because I initiated research into how many poets of color were getting published in Britain at that time, and it was under 1%' of the total, she said. A decade later, it was 10%. 'It really has helped shift the poetry landscape in the U.K.,' she said. Partial progress Evaristo followed 'Girl, Woman, Other' with 'Manifesto,' a memoir that recounts the stark racism of her 1960s London childhood, as well as her lifelong battle for creative expression and freedom. If Evaristo grew up as an outsider, these days she is ensconced in the arts establishment: professor, Booker winner, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, and president of the 200-year-old Royal Society of Literature. That milestone -– she's the first person of color and the second woman to head the RSL -– has not been trouble-free. 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New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Long Island home asking $1.97M has a full-scale '50s diner
This home is an escape — and a portal into another era. From the street, 1 School House Court blends in with its stately Long Island neighbors — with a stone façade, classic colonial symmetry and manicured landscaping in Oyster Bay. But beneath its traditional exterior lies a playful secret: a full-scale 1950s diner and an Ebbets Field-inspired shrine to baseball's golden age. 'I guess I'm an old-school type guy who probably wanted to be born in the '50s,' said homeowner Gus Nunziata, who's now listing the residence for sale. 'But I missed out on that era, so it's been fun to recreate it.' 27 A traditional colonial home in Oyster Bay, Long Island, now listed for $1.97 million, hides a nostalgic surprise beneath its polished surface. Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 27 A foyer. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman Asking $1.97 million with Douglas Elliman's MaryAnn Clara, the five-bedroom, four-bathroom residence spans 3,752 square feet. The interiors are filled with luxury finishes — coffered ceilings, granite countertops and a sunken family room anchored by a towering gas fireplace. But the real star lies underground. That's where visitors are transported into a chrome-trimmed time capsule — complete with black and white-checkered floors, gleaming red booths, neon signs and a fully operational Wurlitzer jukebox once owned by Jimmy Fallon. 27 The view of the time-warp diner space. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 27 Homeowner Gus Nunziata spent over two decades curating the retro basement. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 27 The basement is complete with checkered floors. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman Nunziata, 64, has spent more than two decades curating the retro retreat. When he and his wife built the home in 2002, he specifically asked the builder to dig the foundation deeper to accommodate 10-foot ceilings. 'I wanted it to feel like a real floor, not a basement,' he said. From there, the diner slowly took shape — piece by piece. 'Once we got here, everybody would be giving me things that looked like the '50s, like barber chairs or an old Coke machine,' Nunziata said. 'My wife used to joke and ask, 'What are you going to do with all this junk?' And I said, 'I have a plan.'' 27 The basement offers vintage booths. Gus Nunziata 27 The room can instantly transport visitors to another era. Gus Nunziata 27 A bar with vintage stools. Gus Nunziata 27 A vintage Coke machine. Gus Nunziata That plan evolved into a fully immersive space. Friends contributed items like a vintage barbershop chair from the Bowery in Manhattan, still bearing business cards from the early 1900s. Nunziata installed a wraparound bar, vinyl-upholstered stools and a glass display case filled with period candy. 'Some people collect cars or go gambling,' he said. 'This kind of became my hobby.' One of the most sentimental pieces is a Coca-Cola light fixture hanging above the diner's table area. 'That was actually my father-in-law's light that hung in his restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the 1950s,' Nunziata said. 27 The Wurlitzer jukebox once owned by Jimmy Fallon. Gus Nunziata 27 Memorabilia includes a barbershop chair from the early 1900s. Gus Nunziata 27 An old cash register from a pharmacy with a patent date stamped on it from 1882. Gus Nunziata The space doubles as an entertainment lounge. There's a movie projector that lowers from the ceiling for screenings and a pool table surrounded by poker paraphernalia. A mural of the Rat Pack — painted by Nunziata's sister-in-law — features an extra member: Nunziata himself, rendered alongside Sinatra and friends. And then there's the second room — a personal homage to Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers before their westward move. The walls are painted to resemble the stadium's famed scoreboard. There's even green turf flooring and a home plate to complete the illusion. 'I wasn't around when Ebbets Field was around, but my father was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan,' Nunziata said. 'We're Mets fans now, but I had all this sports memorabilia from when I was a kid, and I thought, 'Let me start that game room — my second passion.'' 27 The adjoining game room features turf flooring, a home plate and a hand-painted scoreboard. Gus Nunziata 27 'I guess I'm an old-school guy who wanted to be born in the '50s,' Nunziata said. Gus Nunziata 27 Stadium seats from Shea Stadium Gus Nunziata Over the years, he added salvaged seats from Shea Stadium, Boston Garden and Comiskey Park. 'I joke and say, 'Hey, turns out the Pope was a fan of the White Sox. He may have sat in this seat,'' he laughed. True to form, Nunziata built a wooden façade resembling a vintage ticket booth at the room's entrance. Hanging above it is a sign borrowed from the film 'Field of Dreams': 'If you build it, they will come.' And come they did. The Nunziatas have hosted everything from themed parties to casual family hangouts in the basement over the years. 'The boys had multiple parties down there,' Nunziata said of his kids. 'Every now and then we'd throw a '50s party — people would dress up, we'd serve diner food on plastic trays, and I'd even bring around retro candies from the '50s and '60s.' 27 A view of the scoreboard. Gus Nunziata 27 A game table. Gus Nunziata 27 Signage with Shea and Yankee stadium names. Gus Nunziata 27 A close up of the Coca-Cola machine. Gus Nunziata Even among Oyster Bay's inventory of well-appointed homes, this property stands out for its personal flair and dedication to nostalgia. The listing still emphasizes the main floor's entertaining potential: a chef's kitchen with GE Monogram appliances, a banquet-sized dining room — and a backyard outfitted with a heated saltwater pool, a stone fireplace, a Traeger smoker-equipped BBQ kitchen and multiple lounge areas, including space for a vegetable garden or a dog run. Upstairs, the primary suite features two walk-in closets, a sitting area and a spa-style bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and a new shower. The laundry room is conveniently located on the second floor, and additional bedrooms are spacious and light-filled. 27 The five-bedroom, four-bathroom home features a gourmet kitchen, a sunken family room and a backyard built for entertaining. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 27 The kitchen and dining space. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman But it's the downstairs that most often steals the show. 27 The dining room. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 'Every time somebody comes over, I show them the house and they love it,' Nunziata said. 'Then I say, 'Hey, let me show you the basement,' and when you take people down there, they're just blown away. They're like, 'Hey, can I come back and bring my mom and dad? My uncle's a Mets fan — can I take him to see it?'' With his two sons now grown and out of the house, Nunziata is preparing to downsize. He turns 65 this month and says it's time to simplify — though the memories are hard to part with. 'If it was up to my wife, we'd live here forever,' he said. 'But it's just time for something smaller.' 27 One of five bedrooms. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 27 An ensuite bathroom. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 27 The loggia. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 27 The backyard. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman 27 The pool. CHRISTIANO DIGITAL/Courtesy of Douglas Elliman They're staying on Long Island, ideally near their sons in Huntington. The couple also owns a place in Naples, Florida, but their roots remain firmly in New York. As for the future of the diner and field? Nunziata is open to letting it all go with the house — or dismantling it, piece by piece. 'Some of the stuff I'll pass on to my sons, and I'll keep a few things for sentimental value,' he said. 'But there's a lot. Thousands and thousands spent over the years. I don't even have a specific number in my head.' For now, he's hoping a like-minded buyer will fall in love with the fantasy he built. 'I'm hoping someone comes in and says, 'Hey, I'm the type of family that would love to keep that intact,'' Nunziata said. 'And that's great. The legacy will go on.'
