Saddle Peak Lodge from “Bones”

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There is no shortage of historic restaurants in Los Angeles that have appeared onscreen.  Despite their abundance, I thought I was well-versed on pretty much all of them.  One I went completely unaware of for years, though, was Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas.  I only learned of the 100-plus-year-old eatery in March 2013 while searching for the general store featured in the Season 2 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 titled “Camping Trip.”  During my hunt, I came across screen captures of a 1960 Perry Mason episode lensed at Saddle Peak Lodge and the structure shown looked quite a bit like the market I was trying to track down, so I did some further digging.  Come to find out, the restaurant was expanded and remodeled significantly in the years following the Perry Mason shoot and most definitely was not the spot I had been searching for, but I was intrigued nonetheless – especially when I found out it had appeared in countless productions.  So I dragged the Grim Cheaper right on out to see it shortly thereafter.  (Though I am happy to report that the location of the 90210 general store was eventually unearthed as 34813 Bouquet Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, the structure was sadly torn down in 2003.)

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Saddle Peak Lodge was originally established as a rustic one-room general store/roadhouse at the turn of the 19th Century.  Situated along a well-traveled road in the Santa Monica Mountains, visitors would pop in for a quick bite to eat or to pick up basic sundries while en route to their respective destinations.

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Named in honor of a peak located nearby, the small market (which you can see an early photograph of here) stocked little besides sandwiches, drinks and basic goods.

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It did not take long for the place to become a popular respite for the Hollywood set thanks to the many movie ranches located nearby.  Such stars as Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Milton Berle were all known to pop in when filming in the area.  In later years, Richard Burton, Ernest Borgnine, and members of the Rat Pack were frequent guests.

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In the 1960s, Saddle Peak Lodge was purchased by Bud and Jean Simmert who transformed the establishment into a larger, more upscale restaurant.  It went through further renovations and expansions in 1985 after being acquired by Grand American Fare Inc., the enterprise that also founded the Oar House Bar & Buffalo Chips Restaurant in Santa Monica (which later became O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, made famous in The Truth About Cats & Dogs).  The company’s owner Al Ehringer was responsible for creating the lodge-inspired aesthetic that still graces the eatery today.

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The stone and wood space is both decidedly rustic and elegant at the same time.

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And its patio is one of the most gorgeous in all of L.A.

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As such, Saddle Peak Lodge has become one of the area’s most popular wedding and event venues.

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Owned by Al’s ex-wife Ann Ehringer since 1992, the restaurant boasts countless warm, homey touches that make dining there feel more like being in a friend’s home than a public space.

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Antique books . . .

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. . . unique lamps . . .

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. . . and other curiosities can be found at every turn.

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Saddle Peak Lodge, which can host 225 hungry patrons at a time, has won countless accolades and awards over the years including the AAA Four Diamond Award, Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, and a Michelin star.

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And the restaurant is even more popular with celebrities than ever.  Just a few of the stars who have been spotted there in recent years include Molly Ringwald, Selena Gomez, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, and Titus Welliver.  Bruce Jenner even proposed to Kris Kardashian at Saddle Peak Lodge in 1991.

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The hostess that the GC and I encountered upon entering Saddle Peak Lodge could not have been nicer and invited me to take all the photos of the place that I wanted even though we were not dining on the premises.  She was also kind enough to fill us in on some of the site’s filming history.  I was most excited to hear about the restaurant’s appearance on my grandma’s favorite show, Bones.  In the Season 6 episode titled “The Truth in the Myth,” which aired in 2011, the eatery portrays the Pine Tree Manor hotel where Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) investigate the suspicious death of television host Lee Coleman (Leigh McCloskey).  Both the exterior . . .

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. . . and interior of the restaurant were featured in the episode.

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In the 1955 drama The Fast and the Furious, Connie Adair (Dorothy Malone) stops for lunch at Saddle Peak Lodge and winds up getting kidnapped by escaped fugitive Frank Webster (John Ireland).

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I am unsure if the interior shown in the movie was Saddle Peak’s actual interior or a set.

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As I mentioned earlier, the restaurant was featured in a 1960 episode of Perry Mason.  In Season 3’s “The Case of the Prudent Prosecutor,” Jefferson Pike (J. Pat O’Malley) fakes being shot outside of Saddle Peak Lodge.

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Harry Baldwin (Ray Milland) and his family stop at Saddle Peak to use the phone and grab some provisions after learning that the city of Los Angeles has been destroyed in a nuclear attack in the 1962 thriller Panic in Year Zero!

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As was the case with The Fast and the Furious, I am unsure if the interior shown onscreen was the restaurant’s actual interior or a set.

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In the Season 6 episode of Dynasty titled “The Decision,” which aired in 1985, Miles Colby (Maxwell Caulfield) dines with Fallon Carrington Colby (Emma Samms) at Saddle Peak Lodge.

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Thanks to fellow stalker Colette, I learned that Saddle Peak Lodge masked as Sable Mountain Ski Resort, where Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) found herself snowed in with an Olympic ski team in the Season 5 episode of Murder, She Wrote titled “Snow White, Blood Red,” which aired in 1988.

Larry David (playing himself) discusses basketball with friends over dinner at Saddle Creek in the Season 2 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm titled “Shaq,” which aired in 2001.

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In the Season 3 episode of Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica titled “Newlyweds Two Year Anniversary,” which aired in 2005, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson celebrate their anniversary at Saddle Creek Lodge.

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Saddle Peak pops up in the “Dinner with Rush” segment of the 2010 documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, which you can watch here.

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In the Season 4 episodes of Awkward. titled “Snow Job: Part 1” and “Snow Job: Part 2″,” which aired in 2014, the restaurant portrays the hotel where the Palos Hills High School gang stays while on the senior ski trip.

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For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Saddle Peak Lodge, from “The Truth in the Myth” episode of Bones, is located at 419 Cold Canyon Road in Calabasas.  You can visit the eatery’s official website here.

The Red Robin Restaurant from “Newlyweds”

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While Mike, from MovieShotsLA, and I were out doing some Valley stalking a couple of months ago, we decided to made a pit stop at the Red Robin restaurant in Calabasas for lunch.  Even though I am not now nor never have been a big Jessica Simpson fan, I had been dying to stalk the restaurant ever since it had appeared in a Season Three episode of the Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson reality series Newlyweds.   Truth be told, though, I was really just using the fact that the restaurant had appeared on TV as an excuse to eat there, as Red Robin has long been my very favorite place to dine.  🙂  In fact, until POP Champagne Bar came on the scene late last year, Red Robin was literally the only place I ever wanted to eat.  For those who have never had the pleasure of dining at a Red Robin location, let me just say here that the eatery serves up some of the BEST chicken strips (aka “Clucks”) I’ve ever tasted in my entire life, their fries are out of this world, and don’t even get me started on the ranch dressing!!!  🙂   So, when I randomly mentioned to Mike that I had always wanted to stalk the Red Robin from Newlyweds, and he not only knew its exact location, but said we happened to be right in its vicinity, I just about died from excitement and begged him to take me there.  Which he happily did.  🙂 

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In the Season 3 episode of Newlyweds entitled “Eye Surgery”, Jessica Simpson and BFF Cacee Cobb have Lasik surgery performed on their eyes – and yes, the entire procedure is shown, in very high detail I might add – on the show.  I was literally gagging while watching it!  In fact, after seeing the surgery in such an up-close-and-personal format like that, I don’t think I will ever in my life sign up for Lasik.  LOL  But I digress!  After the procedure, Jessica mentions that she could really go for a burger and the two make a stop at the nearest Red Robin restaurant.  Because the girls are forced to wear post-surgery eye goggles, which severely inhibit their vision, several comical moments take place during the course of the meal.

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My favorite of which being when Jessica drowns her plate in about three pounds of ketchup, and then, not realizing  how much she had poured, asks Cacee, “Do I have enough for my burger?”  LOL LOL LOL   

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In the episode, Jessica also had a little trouble walking up the restaurant’s front steps, so Mike suggested that I imitate her while he took a picture.  LOVE IT!  🙂 

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While we were eating, I mentioned to Mike that I wished I could remember the spot where Jessica and Cacee sat during the episode, to which he replied, “Oh, I know their exact booth!”  And that right there is why he is one of my best friends!!! 🙂  For those who are curious, Jessica and Cacee sat in the furthest corner booth of the restaurant’s Eastern side (pictured above).  

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It should be no surprise that I HIGHLY recommend stalking the Red Robin restaurant from Newlyweds!  🙂  I also highly recommend ordering the Clucks & Fries meal while there.  Trust me on this one, you will NOT be disappointed!!!     🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The Red Robin restaurant from Newlyweds is located at 24005 Calabasas Road in Calabasas.

The It’s A Grind Coffee House from Weeds

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Another location that Mike, from MovieShotsLA, and I stalked while in the San Fernando Valley a few weeks ago was the It’s A Grind Coffee House featured weekly in the opening credits of the Showtime series Weeds.  I was dying to stalk this location not only because I love anything and everything having to do with coffee, but because of a little bit of trivia that I had read online.  According to IMDB, the It’s A Grind coffee company has had a product placement deal with Weeds since the series began.  Those who watch the show regularly will recall that Nancy (aka Mary-Louise Parker) carries around an iced drink from It’s A Grind in pretty much every scene.  A woman after my own heart, I swear!  Anyway, when it came time to shoot the opening credits, which features a scene where about a dozen businessmen dressed all alike enter and exit an It’s A Grind, for some odd reason producers chose NOT to film at an It’s A Grind location, but at a Starbucks store.  They literally went to all the trouble of redressing the store and removing the Starbucks logo to replace it with It’s A Grind signage for the shoot.  Being that It’s A Grind is a real coffee company with locations dotted all over the L.A. area, I cannot for the life of me figure out why they didn’t just use one of the real stores for the filming!  It doesn’t make any sense!  I guess I just have to chalk it up to the magic of Hollywood!  🙂

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Because of the Starbucks store’s odd filming history, I decided I just had to stalk the place.  The only problem was that I had no idea where it was located.  According to IMDB, the store from the opening credits was located somewhere in Calabasas.  So, since Mike is familiar with the Valley, I sent him the above screen capture and he recognized its location immediately.  🙂  YAY!  So a few weeks ago, the two of us headed out to stalk the It’s A Grind/Starbucks store from Weeds.  🙂  And, of course, being that it’s a Starbucks, I highly recommend stalking the place!  🙂  And thanks to the numerous amount of stars that live in the Calabasas area, the store is no stranger to celebrity.  I hear that MJ’s brother Jermaine Jackson is even a regular there.  🙂

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Big THANK YOU to Mike for finding this location! 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The It’s A Grind/Starbucks coffee house from Weeds is located at 26531 Agoura Road in Calabasas.  You can visit the It’s A Grind website to find a real It’s A Grind location here.