Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA USA

Ordered poolside at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California.

My brother and I rarely get to have one on one time together – so when he mentioned he’d be in Los Angeles for less than 24hrs, naturally we were both excited to grab lunch together.

Although that lunch became a bit shorter when my brother texted me that his flight from DC to LAX had been diverted to Albuquerque due to a sick passenger. His hilarious texts detailing the experience and the announcements from the crew while they were on the ground in ABQ aside, this detour only put a 30 minute delay on our lunch, leaving 45 minutes of catchup time… and like my grandfather taught me many years ago, I had a list of topics for us to cover ensuring we’d make the most of this fun experience.

Being a Monday and a previous weekend full of big meals, a salad was on my mind as I drove from Pasadena to Beverly Hills. But as I sat at the restaurant outside, soaking up the atmosphere, clientele, and warm vibes, I couldn’t help but get premature excitement over the Beverly Hilton Club – a straight shooter of a sandwich with turkey, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes, on toasted sourdough.

When hotels have a self-titled club with no variation to the average ingredients that come in your average cafe club sandwich, you better hope the execution and plating are innovative and captivating enough to command a $21 price tag!

I texted with my brother and we both agreed on club sandwiches. With his landing delayed, I ensured our orders were plated to arrive when he arrived.

Unimaginative yet not unappealing, the Beverly Hilton Club Sandwich does not retain the same pizzazz that the property exudes. Unlike many of the clientele lingering around the pool area on this sunny Monday afternoon, this club sandwich was in desperate need of a face lift.

Bread was untoasted, leaving the bottom slice slightly mushed.  The sad slice of lettuce looked encumbered by the thick yet not wide tomato. The bacon was literally hiding below the immense amount of turkey. And the avocado – nowhere to be found… while not on the menu, I simply just expected it.

What made this the Beverly Hilton Club? Besides the $21 price tag, nothing. Not even the plating was unique or striking – the sandwiches faced the opposite directions and the fries dumped on top of it, I got the sense this club sandwich never made it past season 1, yet the Beverly Hilton Hotel just decided to keep playing re-runs of it.

The French fries were addictive, however! Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, my brother actually ordered another plate of them.

We shard 45 minutes of laughter, including my experience as a new father – quite the relatable topic! But the 45 minutes ended quickly, and soon I was headed back to Pasadena for work and parenthood, and Cory was off to meetings and another destination…

Location