Royal Claytons re-visited..

bbq tenderloin sandwich paired with sweet potato fries $12.


short end: good stuff!
long story:

I was out and about walking the afternoon and around 630 or so I realized I was feeling rather woozy and out of sorts. I called the spouse and asked him when I ate last, (because honestly I couldn't recall) and he reminded me it was around Noon. Well no wonder!

There was no way I was going to make it all the way back from where I was (which happened to be.. *shock!* the Toy Lofts) over near the far end of the Arts District not the Industrial District as some folks might call it.. I mean, what is that? Industrial District? That sounds more like Vernon to me, but what do I know? OK, I'm getting off track!

Anyway, I had just finished getting water but that wasn't doing the trick, so I figured some food would help. So here I found myself in front of Royal Claytons. I was wanting to come back here and eat because the place recently got some bad rap that I didn't think it deserved, not entirely. So here was my chance!

Technically this is the third time I visited here, the 2nd I really didn't have food so much as visit, but the first time I had the Cobb salad which was great! The second time was for Cpt Andy Smith's going away party.. and that was a short visit. The sodas were excellent as was the pizza I heard. =)

So then last Saturday I guess some folks went and had a bad experience.. a horrible one you'd think by the level of sarcasm they reserved for this place. I won't discount their bad experience but it seems a bit reactionary.. Service in any place can be spotty based on who is or isn't working that day. One doesn't necessary know the conditions that the kitchen and wait staff are under necessarily.. that given, the service and food should be somewhat regular..

I don't expect much in the service category, especially if there is only one person running the place. The food on the other hand should be alright to good to excellent. I wouldn't go to someplace like Applebee's and expect good food for instance. If on the other hand, I'm going someplace that has a chef on staff maybe it's to be expected the food turn out hot and edible.

As for me, this was the case. I got seated rather promptly with little to no wait (if you call waiting for a minute while the bar staff served another customer then came to seat me).

As far as seating it wasn't too busy and I had a choice of seating options. I sat I ordered a diet coke (I got a water almost immediately) and then looked over the menu. They have a huge selection. I was trying to find something energizing and not too heavy. I wanted to have protein but not pass out on the way back to South Park, which was a considerable walk.

I opted for the bbq tenderloin as you see above.. OMG too much food! The sandwich was piping hot and the sauce sweet and with the jalapeño peppers a nice tangy kick to the sauce. The sweet potato fries I opted for (you can get your choice of regular fries or salad or something else, I think) were so good! The server/bartender served it up with ketchup but I gushed to her that the fries really didn't need it. They were so good!!

I couldn't finish the fries although I tried, and against better judgment I took some home with me.. They were correct in that they lose their crispness when reheated, but the flavor is still there!

My advice is maybe share the sweet potato fries with a friend rather than bring them home to reheat.

I didn't have room for dessert but I hear they have excellent desserts. They have them listed on the menu, however you should probably ask the server what desserts they *do* have because they change sometimes daily.. so something might be gone or just not available that day. No worries, with stuff like "cookies & milk," cheesecake and "red velvet cake" making appearances, I'm sure there is something!

cost:
bbq tenderloin sandwich $12 and with diet coke & tax came to $15.70 plus tip
sandwiches run in the $10- $14 range, there's various salads, pastas, pizza, fish and pub fare as well.

Royal Claytons is located in the Arts District at Toy Factory Lofts:
1855 Industrial Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021