Inside Hotel El Roblar’s New Wednesday Night Supper Experience

When I stumbled into Hotel El Roblar’s Condor Bar in Ojai on a recent Wednesday evening, I briefly wondered if my happy hour margarita had been a little too strong. At first glance, the space looked less like a restaurant and more like a museum dedicated to California condors — photographs of condors and condor-themed artwork lined nearly every inch of wall space.

Eyes fixed on the condors, I slid into a leather booth beneath a hanging condor statue and was handed my menu for the Wednesday Night Supper, the very reason I was there that evening. 

Modeled after Chef Brandon Boudet’s beloved Monday Night Supper at Little Dom’s in Los Feliz, the new communal dining experience brings guests together over an approachable three-course menu, priced between $35 and $42. Each week features a different guest chef, who creates a fresh menu for the evening.

“The goal,” Chef Boudet says, “is to keep creating reasons for locals, visitors, and hotel guests to sit around the same table, connect with one another, and experience the sense of community that makes Ojai so special.”

That night’s lineup, featuring guest chef Brian Bornemann of Crudo e Nudo in Santa Monica, included Vermilion rockfish crudo to start, squid ink linguine for the main course, and bomboloni for dessert — all for $42. (For those who prefer to order à la carte, Condor Bar’s regular menu remains available alongside the Wednesday Night Supper). 

The crudo arrived, drenched in a white soy, Urfa biber, mandarin oil, and bottarga concoction, and the fish melted in my mouth. The slight citrus kick was the perfect companion to the smoky warmth of the Urfa biber. I needn’t have lingered over the first course for long; my second arrived soon after. 

Squid ink pasta has always intrigued me, and this version did not disappoint. Decorated with Venus clams and a savory tomato passata, it was presented beautifully. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and I had to stop myself from finishing the entire bowl in anticipation of dessert.

The bomboloni — a kind of doughnut filled with coffee Chantilly cream, dusted with powdered sugar, and served with extra cream for dipping — was worth the wait. I quickly consumed all three doughnuts, spooning the remaining coffee cream into my mouth and licking my fingers in the process. Looking around, I was delighted to see a few fellow diners doing the same thing.

Chef Boudet originally launched Sunday Night Supper at the now-closed Dominick’s in 2005 with the idea of bringing the community together. Since Dominick’s closure, the series has continued and expanded to his other restaurants. “And more than 20 years later, it’s still going because people love having a place to gather around the table,” he said. “It was never just about serving dinner; it was about creating a reason for people to connect.”

With a full belly, I stumbled upstairs to my room and sprawled eagle-style — or perhaps condor-style — across the bed, quietly devising a plan to get my hands on a few more of those fancy doughnuts.

Hotel El Roblar’s Wednesday Night Supper and Happy Hour run through summer. Happy Hour includes $10 margaritas, $10 glasses of wine, $5 beers, and $14 tavern-style pizzas. The year-round starting rate for rooms is $550 per night.

For more information, see theroblar.com