Studio City, California
| Why This Place? Of all places to eat in the LA area, this was high on the list. Not because we knew the food was excellent. Not because someone told us about it. It was because we saw it pictured in a travel cookbook... from 1963. More on that later. |  |
 | Don and I parked in a huge lot and walked to this great retro entrance. The grand motel was added in 1962. It's recently been renovated in a very modern- sheik style. |
Going Way Back
Now, the hotel sits beside busy Ventura Boulevard, but the 8-acre complex actually predates studio film history. In the 1880's the lodge was a rural attraction frequented by farmers and families who came to fish and turned their catches over to the chef. When Hollywood began to grow up around it, it became "Hollywood Trout Farm" and stars like Clark Gable and Bette Davis became regulars.
Odd Rumor: The old hotel from the 40's is gone, but rumor says the modern motel had a special visitor in 1968. It is said that Robert Kennedy stayed here the night before he was killed. Evidently the rumor has been a strong one, even still today. But the owner of Sportsman's Lodge was tracked down and put an end to the story. The only reason he could imagine for the rumor, was that R. Kennedy at one point, possibly talked about having the election night gathering the the Lodge. Odd and sad to think about.
Lobby
Lobby
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The sitting area and bar near the lobby looked extremely mod and fun. We had heard the hotel gets some very interesting guests and it did seem like everyone who walked through the door was a part of something interesting.
To The Cafe
To The Cafe
 | I carried our special cookbook as we walked down the hall to the café. We hoped we might end up talking to someone who was interested in the history of Sportsman's Lodge... and the odd book. |
Orange and White
| The café felt like a giant crème-cicle, with it's fresh décor! The woman dressed in white behind the counter, made me think of old fashioned bakeries. The orange stools reminded me of Howard Johnson's |  |
 | The slick white chairs made me wish I could watch the Jetson's on TV. No cartoons for me, but I did get to feast my eyes on the wonderful display of Hollywood stars... who once visited the lodge. |
Meeting Moe
I didn't' get to meet any celebs, but I got to chat with our wonderful waiter from French Morocco. I showed him our cookbook with the watercolor illustration of the lodge, along with a recipe for Beef Stroganoff. He was quite amused and said they actually had that on the winter menu. He was intrigued enough by this old Ford Motor Company Travel Cookbook that he disappeared to his car to get his cell phone to take a picture.
Another People Encounter
We had no stroganoff options for lunch, but the menu looked very good. While we were checking out the food choices, we had a nice visit from a woman who was seated behind Don. She had noticed our enthusiasm for the place and seemed excited to let us know she was the designer for recent renovations. She shared a few stories and we let her know we were impressed with the new, fresh and modern concept.
Food!
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I can get overly eager about a place and end up not even caring about the food. But this food was absolutely perfect. I had a Caesar salad with chicken wrap that came with sweet potato chips. Don's sandwich with incredible sauce was equally yummy. Can I tell you what it was? Actually I can't remember for the life of me 2 months later. But I remember begging for bites. So much for food review.
Posing
 | Moe offered to take our photo. I see we're properly lined up with Clark and Kate. We stumbled across their hand and footprints an hour later when playing tourists at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. |
Mermaids in the Pool?
| After eating, Don and I went exploring a bit. The wonderful pool area looked quite inviting and also very quiet. |  |
If we'd come another day we might have caught a performance or taken a class by "Aqualillies" a synchronized swimming group.
To view the fine Aqualillies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i7sPwOeGd4
The Old Sportsman's Lodge
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Before we departed we had to explore the old lodge area from the '40's, where you can still dine at night or book an event. The water color image is taken from the cookbook and shows the view through the window glass. Lush ponds, bridges and swans create a little urban oasis hidden in the middle of Studio City. This is where John Wayne supposedly taught his kids to fish.
A Little Distraction
 | While we wandered the pathways, we noticed the constant noise of LAPD helicopters overhead. It's good we had some exploring to do, because Ventura Blvd. was closed down due to a nearby robbery at a cell phone store. |
 | The thief was caught and we finally got to leave the parking lot. I love a Dining-Cookbook-Adventure that includes some sirens and flashing lights! |
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