Find out what it’s like to dine in style at Lumière restaurant in the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. A springtime visit had writer Irvina Lew enjoying all that the French restaurant (and the hotel) had to offer. 

Save this article to Pinterest to help you plan your visit to Lumiere in the Fairmont Century Plaza. Photos clockwise – creme brulee by Irvina Lew; Lumiere sign by Fairmont Century Plaza, and Steak Frites by Jakob Layman.

When I travel, I usually eat in restaurants three – sometimes four – times, daily. It’s just the reverse at home, where I cook every meal and rarely “take-out” or “order-in.” In and near Paris, last fall, I savored French favorites for three weeks; then, I spent a long, Long Island winter cooking at home, while trying to avoid COVID and so very much missed authentic French food.

All this to justify why I “over-ordered,” when I finally sat down to dine at Lumière, the all-day, traditional, French-inspired brasserie, at the re-opened Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, in Century City, Los Angeles.

The day the hotel made its debut after a long closure and transformation, September 27, 2021, I drove to the entry of the 16-story curved façade (it stands on land formerly used as 20th Century Studios’ backlot!), stopped at the valet stand, adjacent to the signature 23-feet tall mesh sculpture, Laura, which appears to float atop the reflecting pool and toured the Accor luxury property, the new flagship for the Fairmont brand. I admired the redesign of the lobby, where floor to ceiling windows descend into the floor and open the space to fresh Air. Air is but one of the four elements, here: Earth is represented with a living green wall at The Bar at Century Plaza; Fire, with a floating fireplace; and, Water, with a water feature.

I toured the curved corridors in the art-filled spa and looked forward to the day I could return to its wet area, with its pink Himalayan salt room, Hammam and Experiential Showers. I saw the iconic subterranean ballroom, where so many Emmy and Grammy Award ceremonies had taken place since the hotel originally opened, in 1966, and the new roof deck pool, with its view that extends to the Getty Museum, and beyond, to the Pacific, eight miles west.

It’s a sign you’re in the right place for a great meal. Photo courtesy Fairmont Century Plaza.

Then, on April 28th, 2022, I returned to the totally-revamped Fairmont Century Plaza for my first stay; in fact, for the complete Sip/Sup/Stay/Spa experience, for which my Instagram is named (@sipsupstayspa). Actually, my first sip was coffee at Lumière, the ground-floor restaurant with its wrap-around, plant-filled patio, where I enjoyed an early brunch. House-smoked salmon was recommended and, because it’s an ingredient that I had been craving, I ordered it. (Where I live, it’s hard to obtain high-quality smoked salmon!) The dish arrived a la française, not with the usual bagel and cream cheese, but with an array of artistically-presented, individual slices of fish on a platter studded with swirls of crème-fraiche and topped with dill and parsley sprigs; it was accompanied by a basket of freshly baked-flatbread. I also tasted the signature Lumière Breakfast, a French-inspired, crispy-edged-crèpe topped with two fried eggs, ham and melted gruyère cheese.

House Salmon dish at Lumiere restaurant. Photo by Irvina Lew.

Hungry for more? Get the list of more of Irvina’s favorite restaurants in L.A.

After an afternoon at the spa, my eldest granddaughter, Emma Lov, arrived for dinner. We sipped champagne at a circular, mid-century modern table within the expansive, light-toned lobby near the now-disappeared exterior glass walls. Emma, a singer/songwriter (LOOTE), had moved to LA for her music career and was duly impressed with the music-themed, song-inspired, cocktail menu with page after page of drinks named for song lyrics, some sung by artists who had performed at Century Plaza, which included Sonny & Cher, Mariah Carey and Elton John. The Bar offers live music to maintain the hotel’s musical legacy.

Later, we strolled through giant doors salvaged from a French chateau to Lumière, where EDG Design created the traditional restaurant to look like an authentic one in France. Penny-tile patterned floors, an authentic Maitre D’ desk, an open kitchen with a wood-fired hearth, a repurposed and an antique pastry case, which had been filled with fresh croissants, baguettes and pastries earlier in the day, planked flooring and a bentwood coat rack are all reminiscent of the place and period. The restaurant is named for Louis and Auguste Lumière, turn-of-the-century French filmmakers known to have invented motion pictures for the masses and inspired by Paris in the 1920s, when the “Lost Generation” – a group of expat writers including Earnest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein — created the kind of café lifestyle that this restaurant, in the heart of LA’s creative hub, typifies.

Once inside, we dined on French fare created by Executive Chef Ramon Bojorquez. My Chicken Liver Mousse arrived accompanied by a dish of olive oil jam, some greens and crusty-toasted country loaf. Emma’s Onion Soup was topped with melted cheese and delivered, as requested because she’s gluten free, served sans bread. She ordered the Roasted Eggplant dish with shaved winter squash, charred baby tomatoes served atop cashew cream and appreciated the thick tranches of eggplant and lots of halved-cherry tomatoes. “Most Vegan dishes,” she explained, “aren’t really entrées, they’re usually just vegetarian sides.”

Hungry for more? Get Irvina’s Easy French Onion Soup recipe.

Happily sipping Vieux Chateau Saint André, Montagne Saint-Emilion, 2016 (a delicious, affordable Bordeaux), I couldn’t resist ordering both the Duck Confit and a Rare Steak with Pommes Frites. The tender confit was served with grilled cabbage leaves, beans and vegetables and the steak frites, which I finished, nibble by nibble, the following day, was excellent. We ended in style: a Crème Brulée with two tiny madeleines and an apple sorbet. After a long winter, warmed by many a home-made French Onion Soup, my foray into French fare was a true treat.

And for dessert, Crème Brulée with two madeleine cookies. Photo by Irvina Lew.

To plan your getaway to Lumière and the Fairmont Century Plaza, visit the hotel website, here. And the restaurant’s website, here.