Saturday and a day at the horse races at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia – we tried to get seats in the FrontRunner but it was completely full (including all the seats at the long bar) an hour before the first race. So – we decided to try something new and headed for the Club House Luncheon Terrace. Up several floors at the far end of the Clubhouse area, there were still tables available. The Luncheon Terrace is a long, narrow restaurant with multiple levels (at least two that I could see) – it has an old-fashioned look and feel to it that I really liked. Seemed like the space might have been exactly the same as it might have been back in the fifties, with old style greenish painted walls, black and white checkerboard floor tiles, and table-clothed tables with banquet style chairs. It had a feel to me that reminded me of department store luncheon restaurants of old (which seem to, sadly, have all disappeared into just a memory of the past now).
We started our day with cocktails – Screwdriver for me. I looked over the Racing Form and decided on which horses to bet. Hungry for lunch, there were several interesting things on the menu that caught my eye. I decided to order the “Carnitas Wrap”, which came with a choice of side – I decided on Coleslaw. The food arrived quickly and, man, was this good! The Coleslaw was very traditional in flavor, with a classic creamy sauce that tasted just right – a comfort food treat. The Carnitas Wrap was huge and really yummy. It was topped with sliced avocado and came with a mildly hot Tomatillo Sauce. Really, really good – I could only eat half so took the other half home for the next day. Hubby ordered the Reuben Sandwich and liked it too. We had a bottle of red wine (Malbec) to go with our meal.
Carnitas Wrap and Coleslaw – Santa Anita Race Track, Clubhouse Luncheon Terrace
Reuben Sandwich and Coleslaw
A fun day at the races – as for my betting, I pretty much broke even. We headed up to the FrontRunner during the last race for one last cocktail!
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Update: We dined at the Clubhouse Terrace restaurant again on another occasion and here’s what we ate (everything was real yummy):
“The Turf Club” Sandwich with oven roasted turkey breast, Havarti cheese, Applewood bacon plus a side of Coleslaw
Garlic Lamb Naan with juicy lamb Gyro meat, Feta cheese, salad toppings on Naan flatbread plus side of Pasta Salad
Basket of French Fries that were extremely fresh, hot, and delicious – tasted just fried
Yay! I have found HorseRaceAce Free Picks (online horse racing tips for Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Del Mar racetracks) and I am now in love with the “Professor’s picks”!
Santa Anita Race Track – Arcadia, California