Sophie Huterstein, a European transplant, tells Grub Street she’s long enjoyed L.A.’s mixology culture at The Roger Room, among other places, but wanted to “return to the cocktail classics” of the 1910’s and ‘20’s. Tonight, she opens The Wellsbourne in a moody, Spacecraft-designed stunner on Pico. The bar will offer six beers on tap and a host of old-school libations, including a traditional gimlet, old fashioned, Tom Collins, and a grasshopper that “has already proved quite popular,” according to Huterstein. European hand-held bar dishes will come in January, including English favorites like toad-in-the-hole, plus crossaints with ham and cheese, and flamekuche, which she describes as “like a German pizza, but with creme fraiche in place of tomato sauce.” She’s not a Marmite fan, but sweetly jokes that she could accommodate our taste for the stuff if needed. The space is based on a 19th-century British manor house, with leather couches and barstools, wooden pews, and a fireplace, including a library that looks ripe for studying the works of The Bard as equally as getting one’s Falstaff on. And to that end, there’s even a tastefully-appointed game room for your rowdy lads and lasses. Take a look at our slide show of The Wellesbourne below.
The Wellesbourne, open 5:00 P.M. to 2:00 A.M. at 10929 Pico Blvd. West L.A.
