Saddle Ranch

8371 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
323-656-2007www.srrestaurants.com

www.twitter.com/thesaddleranch

Parking: Metered parking or $3.50 valet (cheap for the area!)
M-F, 4-7pm, 1/2 off-all food & drink purchases at this mid-strip old-school (for us) hangout
"I get older, they stay the same age." - David Wooderson, Lee High School Class of 19??

In no other local bar is this cult-popular movie line more true (at least for us), than the Sunset Strip's Saddle Ranch. Like many other new-to-LA kids, the other J & I were frequent visitors at Saddle Ranch in our first year in Los Angeles. We loved the midwest feel of the big bar with its mechanical bull, wooden surfaces, fresh-faced reality stars paying the bills working nights at the "ranch," country-rockin' rap-crooners, other fresh-faced newbies and a homeless friend called Travelin' Travis (where art tho, Trav?!), and most importantly the Midwest-sized drink and food portions!

J & J & Travelin' Travis as Santa Claus, circa 2002

Cut to seven years later and the Saddle Ranch is like the new "Melrose Place" - all the same elements in play (except Travis, seriously, has anyone seen him?), except played by new players with the other J & I only occasionally guest starring as ourselves. We had plenty of fun during our time, but, for us, the charm has worn off in the years since - and so has our Midwest gastrointestinal strength. On our most recent visit, the appetizer sampler we would have loved once upon a pre-diabetic coma instead caused a mother of a stomach-ache. Whether it's because our diet has changed that much or we've lost our fat-breaking down gallbladder along the way is up for debate.

Still, the Saddle Ranch offers good deals, especially during their M-F happy hour which consists of half-off all food and drinks (including the delicious carafe-sized specialty drinks - I dream of Arizona Sunsets (drink and natural occurrence :). Pretty impressive, we just wish the timing was better.

Word of wisdom: Make sure you're wearing underwear if you ride the mechanical bull! (Not a lesson we learned firsthand (we wish!)).

Rating: 3.5 Martinis