For dinner, a friend joined me and we headed upstairs to Hipico Rooftop Restaurant and Bar. Upon stepping out of the elevator, we were greeted with a view that spanned from the racetrack to the shopping corridor on Huntington Drive, and we were seated on a comfortable couch next to heaters as a light breeze rolled off of the San Gabriel mountains. The service felt like luxury dining but not uncomfortably fancy. We started with a Cuervo margarita flight, and the guava margarita with Tajin stole my heart. We finished that off with ceviche and chips. For the main course, we chose the wagyu burger with goat cheese, garlic aioli and jalapeno jam, and the pork kimchi flatbread pizza with gochujang aioli, both of which paired perfectly with the Clarified Del Sol (Cuervo Tradicional Silver, coconut liqueur, pineapple, agave) and the Storm Chaser (Kraken Dark Rum, passion fruit liqueur, lemon, ginger beer). We finished our meal with mango mochi and strawberries on whipped cream.

In the morning, after a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf roast in my room, I headed back to the lobby to check out 19Seventy at the Ovalo and was blown away by a blueberry matcha I’m still dreaming about. The house-made blueberry syrup and foam was fragrant but not overpowering, and the bartender said he’s working on a house-made pistachio syrup that I will absolutely be back for. (The best thing about both restaurants is that you don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy them!) The dining here is slightly more upscale, but there’s bar seating in the lobby that offers a more casual option. Matcha was followed by a custom omelette with burrata, tomato, sausage and avocado, plus toast and country potatoes. Before I left, the chef went out of his way to make a pistachio affogato off the dessert menu, which featured ice cream and Illy espresso. Needless to say, I was caffeinated enough to pack my bags in time for checkout.