Many a movie star calls a hotel home at one time or another, thanks in part to location shoots and publicity tours. But few actor-hotel pairings have reached the icon status of Marilyn Monroe's sojourn at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
Yes, the home of the first Academy Awards has seen hundreds of other thespians over the decades, both as residents and as party or dinner guests, but Ms. Monroe far and away is the most famous. Guests today can stay in the Marilyn Monroe Suite -- it's a spacious 750 feet and overlooks the Tropicana Pool -- and now they can dine on treats inspired by the silver-screen starlet.
Public Kitchen & Bar is the place, and the treats? There's a trio. Order the miniature Strawberry Blonde Cupcakes and discuss "The Seven Year Itch" as you eat them (the white frosting is meant to mimic the subway grate scene). The Marilyn Suite cocktail is made with strawberry vodka and some other fruit-sweet touches, and Neapolitan Meatballs serve as a savory reminder of the dish Joe DiMaggio taught Ms. Monroe to make.
The last dish is available during Public's weekday happy hour.
It is a fine pairing, star and supping, especially when you consider that so many restaurants and hotels sometimes use a past celebrity's name even if the celeb had little or nothing to do with the spot. Marilyn Monroe definitely lived there, famously so, so the ties are strong and worth celebrating.
Oh, and Monroe buffs? The 26-foot tall Marilyn Monroe sculpture is set to leave Palm Springs in September. Best get out to see it before it departs the desert.
