La Monique Dining Room
La Monique
Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & Resorts has quietly debuted La Monique, a 14-seat French brasserie led by Top Chef France alum David Fricaud. The opening marks a new era for the hotel’s dining program, introducing something far more intimate than the usual hotel Santa Monica restaurant. The drinks bring the drama, the menu keeps it playful, and the dining room is already hard to book.
La Monique Dining Room Art
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Tucked just off the lobby of Oceana Santa Monica, La Monique feels like a secret. It’s hidden behind a closed door, with a glowing backlit bar welcoming you inside. Designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, the intimate dining room features jewel-toned velvet, cast-glass walls, custom marquetry, mirrored ceilings and eclectic artwork. The design channels old Hollywood glamour mixed with a flash of a Gatsby-era dinner party.
La Monique Message in a bottle cocktail
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The cocktails start the show. One arrives in a small treasure chest — the Pacific Loot, made with lavender-infused tequila, chartreuse and lime, sending smoke curling out as the lid lifts. Others are misted, foamed, or presented tableside. “We like to finish drinks in front of the guest,” said Marko Maksimovic, Beverage Manager at 34th Floor Hospitality, Shulte F&B Group, who oversees the hotel’s food and beverage program. “It’s fun, a little unexpected, and adds a moment of connection.” The cocktail menu moves from classic martinis and old fashioneds to lighter, fruit-forward spritzes. Even the zero-proof drinks are balanced and intentional.
With all his Michelin experience, Chef Fricaud knows how to balance precision with playfulness. After perusing the menu, start with the dish at almost every table: crispy escargot poppers with a surprise butter shot you slurp from the bottom of the shell. Follow it with the French onion grilled cheese, a rich mash-up layered with cheeses you might not recognize but won’t forget. For groups, the le plateau royal seafood tower is the move, stacked high with enough shellfish to feed a crowd. You’ll find many steak options, but the five-ounce A5 wagyu Ichibo from Yamaguchi is the winner: perfectly charred and deeply satisfying. To feel like a kid again, order the pavlova for dessert, a massive bowl of ice cream, meringue, berries, gold flakes, and popping candy that crackles and crunches with every bite.
Steak Frites Au Poivre
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Fricaud compared his approach to reworking a classic song. “There are hundreds of versions of ‘La Vie En Rose,’ but making the best one takes time and requires a lot of trials,” he said. That same intention shows up across the menu. Nothing is random.
The staff, many with Las Vegas fine dining backgrounds, keep things tight. Courses are timed just right, plates are dropped without fuss, and the team moves like they’ve done this a hundred times — because they have.
Soon, La Petite Monique will offer a more relaxed option on the hotel’s veranda, with a scaled-down menu and no reservation required. “We’re not trying to be fine dining,” Fricaud said. “We just want to give people a reason to come back.”
Dining and Cooking