The East-West feud has never just been about Biggie and Tupac. Residents of New York and LA are constantly jabbing one another, attempting to prove their city as the apex of the country. But slide into Apple Lounge and you’ll find a peaceful rest from the battle. The two cities fuse together as party girl Allison Melnick brings the Big Apple to the Hollywood Hills with Apple, a West Hollywood lounge inspired by Melnick’s youth in "the city that never sleeps."
With quite an impressive nightlife resume including having worked in various New York bars and clubs, for Bad Boy Entertainment and Brent Bolthouse promotions and hosting television shows on E!, VH1 and Spike TV, Melnick’s quickly taken to the LA scene heading the entertainment side of Apple. The lounge also has a restaurant, which shouldn’t be taken as the rotten half. Its always-changing seasonal menu uses only the finest, locally-grown, organic ingredients and sustainably farmed meats. Even its cocktails drip the freshest fruit. But everyone knows when it comes down to it, LA is all about nightlife, meaning Chef Ogden’s kitchen is inevitably trumped by the connected club.
Apple primed itself to be exclusive from the get-go. Its doors only open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and they don’t open far. With a 150-person maximum, consider yourself very lucky to make it past the velvet rope and under one of the red apple-shaped disco balls. The lounge is clad with low-hung ceilings, leather seating and a dim, red glow, making the atmosphere ultra-sexy to match the sexy-elite crowd. Its single dance floor beckons the scenesters, but those who prefer LA for the weather may find the terrace and waterfall a touch sweeter.
Patrons will find celeb DJs taking the tables, as Melnick often calls in her good friends Samantha Ronson and Jon Abrahams. But if no one’s spinning, you can expect the unexpected, as it’s not unusual to hear 60s rock one moment and Top-40 hip-hop the next. Apple is pricey, but if you can afford it, you’ll want to be sure to take a bite. One of its best features is the paparazzi-inspired bathroom with photographic wallpaper and flashing red lights. It’s a clever attempt to mirror that the stalkarazzi can’t even let the stars take a peaceful leak.
The lounge may not exactly mirror the early-90s Manhattan vibe Melnick aimed for, but none of its attendees seem to care. At its core, Apple is just a taste of NYC on top of a big serving of LA. But if three’s a party, then the recent addition of an Apple to Miami may turn everything around. Melnick said she’s out to make a nightlife empire, so it’s time to wait and see just how far that fruit falls from the tree.
