maryjane's at hard rock hotel

the day after thanksgiving offered plenty of parking downtown - the perfect time to check out the newly-opened hard rock hotel. first we had to deal with our post-thanksgiving rebound appetites, so we ducked into mary jane's coffee shop and were immediately impressed by the modernist look. lots of future-retro white high chairs, purple booths, and an overall clean, slick feel to the place. apparently they're open until 3 in the morning and the word is out - our server said it's been a mob scene there after the bars close. it was fairly empty while we were there, but that meant our meals came out all the faster. i had the open face meatloaf sandwich, which melted in your mouth and surprisingly did not cause my usual egg-induced stomach disaster. jay had a burger (surprise), which was also very tasty, and the fries were on par with others we're had recently. the menu offers mostly diner standards at reasonable prices for downtown, including a few omelettes which have got to taste good at 2 in the morning. and there's a big bar with lots of top shelf liquors from the looks of it. so don't stop drinking just because you're done with the club - come on down to mary jane's and keep that buzz going.

the restaurant opens into the main part of the hotel, which goes easy on the rock star memorabilia (although jay was all over gwen stefani's pants from the "don't speak" video). the lobby is nice but nothing spectacular. nobu has the prime corner facing the convention center, and how could that place be anything but a huge hit. sweetwater saloon is the snooty nightclub. from reading the disappointed tales of folks who weren't gorgeous enough to get in, it's funny to think back to a recent union tribune fluff piece on the hotel's gm, robert todak, in which he said the hotel would be open to anyone. he described standing in the rain at the velvet rope of a manhattan club that wouldn't let him in when he was young, and how he wouldn't let that happen at hard rock. psst, rob - sounds like you need to speak to the sweetwater doorman!