Shirley Brasserie Brings French Cuisine to Hollywood

The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel has recently opened Shirley Brasserie taking up the old Nancy Silverton Barish restaurant in the corner main lobby.

Shirley Brasserie’s menu focuses on French California cuisine including lots of seafood and steak options, many cooked in the central wood-fire hearth.

Home to the first Academy Award reception, the legendary hotel oozes an old Hollywood vibe and the restaurant provides an elegant warm dining environment. The 110-seat dining room features an open kitchen, huge bar, green comfy banquettes with tapestry-like upholstery, custom designed blue chairs, mirrored columns and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Appetizers include a half baguette with cultured butter (very delicious), escargots in garlic butter, onion soup, a shaved vegetable salad, an apple and beet salad with goat cheese, an heirloom tomato salad and bone marrow. There’s also a big Caesar salad which we shared full of flavor and lots of parmesan cheese.

There’s also a nice selection of cheese and charcuterie including chicken liver mousse, pork rillettes and house pickles as well as cheeses and cold cuts.

The raw bar features a sumptuous seafood platter with oysters, shrimp and scallops; a bigger Royal seafood platter adding lobster and king crab; Tiger shrimp cocktail, salmon tartare, a half lobster, oysters, chef’s choice of crudo and a luxurious caviar experience. We chose to indulge in the huge King crab legs, a meal in and of itself, paired with black garlic aioli. These are probably the biggest crab legs you can find in LA and they were sweet and delicious.

Entrees include table side beef tartare; mussels in wine sauce; wild mushroom and black truffle risotto with camaroli rice and parmesan; lobster pasta; fettuccini pomodoro; duck leg confit and beef oxtail bourguignon.

We opted for a wood-fire grilled steak, I think one of the best main dish options. You can choose from a ribeye or New York steak, or choose to get chicken, prime rib, salmon, halibut or branzino all cooked in the wood-fire grill. Our ribeye was huge and enough for two.

Sides include potatoes prepared sauteed, pureed, in a gratin or fries. There is also an outstanding wood grilled green bean side, as well as mushrooms, creamy spinach gratin, or salad.

Desserts include profiteroles, sticky toffee pudding, floating islands, pot de crème, ice cream and sorbet.

Shirley’s Brasserie kitchen also makes bites for the lobby including house-made potato chips with onion dip and smoked trout roe, Caesar salad and other appetizers. There’s also the Writer’s Room with velvet furniture and a speakeasy vibe, perfect for late night cocktails.

Whether you stop in before a show at the Pantages or a trip to the Magic Castle, for a celebratory dinner or just to have a perfectly grilled steak, Shirley Brasserie is a great place to spend an evening.

Shirley Brasserie is located in the lobby of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. Reservations at 323.769.8888.