Discovering A Hidden Gem In Downtown Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Athletic Club has been a landmark since 1880, yet most visitors walk on by this prime example of Beaux Arts architecture assuming it’s for members only. That’s mostly true, but booking a hotel room there is the secret handshake that’ll get you in the door.

Welcome to DTLA

Whenever I visit the city, I’m drawn downtown. I love exploring the historic buildings, often staying at Hotel Figueroa and The Wayfarer, hitting rooftop bars with killer views and staring up from the street at the incredible examples of Old School masonry and admiring dynamite neon signs from another time.

In all my wanderings, I’d never noticed the Los Angeles Athletic Club, but a friend recommended staying there and I’m glad I listened. I can’t recall receiving a warmer welcome when checking in. Thanks, Abe! That friendly vibe was initially extended by a club member who helped guide my sister and I to the front desk after we emerged from the attached parking garage looking a little lost.

While we were way too early to check in, we left our luggage and started walking to Grand Central Market to grab some breakfast. Wait, what’s that massive crowd near Pershing Square? It was the Women’s March and our timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

As street vendors cooked hot dogs and tamales on flat top grills, the marchers held up clever signs and chanted and sang while making their way to city hall. It was an uplifting sight.

After the unexpected excitement, we savored an excellent Reuben at Wexler’s Deli and a walk through the stunning Biltmore Hotel – don’t miss the hallway adorned with photos from the earliest Academy Awards ceremonies held there – we headed back to our home away from home.

Diving into the club’s culinary options

Settled into our comfortable, cozy room, we headed down to the third floor, which is home to the grand gathering space known as Invention. The soaring ceilings and vintage furnishings set the proper tone. It’s steeped in history, yet it still feels fresh, not stuffy. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with friends for drinks and snacks, returning later for an outstanding dinner.

The shining star of that evening meal was one of the best steaks I’ve eaten in a long time. Ready for a shock? It was a cauliflower “steak”, a slab of the assertively seasoned roasted veg topped with a date gremolata. Brilliant.

Staying at the hotel means access to the club’s extensive amenities from a gorgeous indoor lap pool, basketball court, a spa and on-site barbershop. There’s a long list of classes from pilates and yoga to kick-boxing and cycling. But if you’re more interested in being a spectator rather than a player, there’s Duke’s Sports Bar on the second floor. That’s where I watched Duke put a beat-down on perennial rivals the North Carolina Tar Heels while munching on an order of steak-stuffed mulitas.

Sunday brunch’n

Famous Players is the club’s all-day cafe, its dining room decorated with portraits of larger-than-life sports heroes including Jerry West and Phil Jackson. As soon as I picked up the menu, the biscuits with sawmill gravy grabbed my attention. That hearty sausage gravy has some serious Southern chops, going back to the hearty breakfast served to workers starting in the 1800s.

Those buttermilk biscuits delivered, big time, offering a flavorful platform for crispy fried chicken, bacon and eggs, fried potatoes on the side. “Only a few people ever finish it,” our server confided about the portion that was easily big enough for two to split.

Among the tempting throwbacks that executive chef Marcel Vigneron and his team have recently updated are jaw-testing clubhouse sandwich and an ahi tuna melt on house-made bread. It’s served open-faced with Manchego delivering on the gooey cheese front.

Later that Sunday afternoon, my sis and I drove to her old stomping grounds in Pasadena to go to a picnic thrown by friends. They’ve been gathering regularly to support members of the Altadena community who’ve lost everything in the devastating fires. It was a bittersweet reminder that those recent events were gut-wrenching and life-changing for so many and of the healing power of coming together to eat comfort food. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup were on the menu. Thanks, chef Ed!

BTW, World Central Kitchen continues to play an important role in the ongoing recovery efforts and offer a good way to show support. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is also marshalling its forces to help those in need.

At the end of that action-packed day, we crashed hard, waking up early enough to take another walk around DTLA, enjoy a coffee at go get ’em tiger and something savory from Eggslut, both at Grand Central Market. Shortly after, we said so long to the Los Angeles Athletic Club and made a promise to return to this special place again soon.