Shay Hotel / Etta Restaurant

The main water line burst in my apartment building, so while a few hours without running water is a nuisance, a few days becomes more challenging (in my privileged world of readily accessible clean water piped in for my convenience). The wonderful management company for my building offered reimbursed stays at a nearby hotel, so I chose the newly opened Shay at the Ivy Station.

I opened an account with Hyatt to track my stay and get points for future stays and using the dedicated app for Hyatt made check in and check out very easy. The app also allows you to use your phone to open your door if you wish to forgo the card key for your room. I still prefer human contact so I checked in at the front desk with the very efficient and pleasant personnel.

The room had a view of Platform on one side and the San Gabriel Mountains on the other. The location of the hotel was perfect at the Culver City Metro stop, a bus line in front, and all the restaurants/shops at Platform across the street.

I chose a King city view which was pleasantly appointed in a modern and minimalistic style. Sheets and towels were great quality and the plush robes were a pleasure to wear. Slippers and a computer safe would have been nice, but there were USB outlets on the alarm clock and enough space to sit at a table with a laptop and work. It was a nice touch to offer a Nespresso machine with both regular and decaf capsules in the room. The small fridge had 2 bottles of beer and 2 bottles of water in metal containers for purchase, but none of other usual options. The sounds of the metro and the other guests on the floor could easily be a distraction, so headphones or earplugs might be a good idea. Other things to keep in mind are the nightly parking fee of $42 and $25 resort fee.

I've been wanting to try Etta, so this was a perfect opportunity to do that on their spacious and very inviting outdoor patio with plenty of heat lamps.

Their menu was quite extensive and expensive.

The charred eggplant for $16 with tahini ricotta, hazelnuts, chili and herbs was an interesting medley but I was disappointed that it was not quite room temperature (obvious had been prepared in advance and chilled).  For the price point I expected it to at least be warm....

The little gem salad for $17 with avocado and cucumbers tossed in a creme fraiche vinaigrette was unexciting.

The market haricot vert for $15 had a chill to it, but the vegetables were indeed grilled. Like the eggplant, I was unimpressed and disappointed that the dish was not hot or at least warm.

The lumache pasta for $27 with sun gold pomodoro, basil, and  olive oil was tasty (and warm!) but watching the other tables get pizzas, I almost got a pizza to eat in the room.

As with most hotel restaurants, the prices are higher for the convenience of the location, and I don't mind paying for the ease of walking downstairs to eat good food. Etta barely passed on my list restaurant choices because the service, atmosphere, and ingredients are all wonderful, but I found the expense for chilly vegetables and so so pasta disappointing. The wine choices were good and the pizzas looked very good, so I will try them again and update this post.