Los Angeles County Arboretum, Arcadia, CA USA

Ordered at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, not too far from the Huntington Library and Gardens.

We bought a membership to the Huntington Library and Gardens just outside of Pasadena to be able to take friends and family on leisurely walks through its public spaces with our newborn son. The perfect destination for lovely outdoor strolls year-round, it was an investment we knew we’d take full advantage of.

And when my brother and sister-in-law came to visit Trevor one month after birth, Huntington was the perfect destination to go!

That is, until we realized it is closed on Tuesday. A random day to be closed, we put our frustrations aside and set our GPS to another garden not too far from our house that remained unvisited by us over the previous 4 years: the Los Angeles Arboretum.

We walked around outside, admired the peacocks, and looked for a delicious lunch. The sandwich shop within the Los Angeles Arboretum was a perfect place to perch and enjoy our mid-day break.

The Chicken Club Sandwich seemed like the ideal meal of choice on this hot summer day, and so we waited for it to arrive as we all took turns holding Trevor… and we waited… and waited… and 20 minutes later on an idle Tuesday with barely anyone else around, the club finally arrived…

The Los Angeles Arboretum’s Chicken Club Sandwich portrayed itself as quite the hearty meal, overflowing with ingredients that appeared ripe and ready to be eaten. But going beneath the layers of carbohydrates, protein, and produce, little substance was found. Without any sauce, the each bite was quite dry and slightly bland – one would have hoped the moisture of the present ingredients could negate this lack of dressing.

The bread did have an essence of honey, a lovely flavor that did not go unnoticed, but it needed toasting. The sprouts were a fun addition, but overall didn’t add much next to the bacon, which tried to steal the show. And sadly, the holdability made this meal a challenge to consume, even if it did seem stable at first – perhaps it was the way the chicken was cut. At $6, I did find great value in this club sandwich, but not enough to want it again.

Cory and Sarah were so kind to visit us – it was lovely hosting them in Pasadena. We moved past this low-key lunch and set our sights on a massive sushi dinner at our favorite restaurant Pasadena. And we made note of Huntington being closed on Tuesdays – more than likely we’ll never get back to the Los Angeles Arboretum (the Club Sandwich aside). Although they did have the creepiest looking exhibit I have seen in Los Angeles: a house complete with very spooky interior design that seemed totally out-of-place among the gardens… another topic for another time…

Location