Woody's Boathouse
Lake Arrowhead, California
Last time I was here was 10 years ago,
before the fire. I'd sit on the semi-
enclosed patio immensely enjoying the
view, the breeze and a large filet of
salmon, with artery clogging amounts of
their homemade tartar sauce. Anxious
to recapture the experience I made it
back. Upon first glance, the place looked
far less elegant than before, and the
outdoor seating was no more. It's now a
comfortable place for families,
San Francisco Seafood Pasta
definitely not the place to come to get away from kids, which they have
their fair share, accommodating them with plastic covered take-home
cups. The old Woody's is gone forever, the only remnant that remains are
the few booths that are made from the back of sailboats, each with it's
own name. With hunger calling and limited time , the only thing to do now
was to order up a Grey Goose and tonic and hope for the best. The menu
looking tempting making it difficult to decide, with the runners up being
the Sirloin Stroganoff, Chicken Cordon Bleu topped with Hollandaise Sauce
and that Filet of Salmon. We started with two appetizers, the Tempura
Calamari
had so much tempura that it defeated the purpose, which I ate
more than I would have, otherwise, if it weren't for that dill pickle tartar
sauce that they still make. The other was the Crab Cakes with a heavy
crispy coating that reminded me of the frozen fish sticks of my childhood.
The insides had a pleasing flavor, but not necessarily much crab, a poor
man's version. These were served with a sparing amount of red pepper
sauce, which really didn't do much for them anyways. For entrees the
waitress recommended her favorite the San Francisco Seafood Cioppini,
served over pasta. This looked impressive with half of a snow crab
hanging over the bowl with plenty of other seafood; salmon, mahi,
shrimp, scallops, mussels and snow crab, but the broth was too
overpowered by tomato sauce for my taste. By the time we took a bite of
the Smoked Salmon Pizza we felt we'd tolerated enough, refusing to give
it a chance past the second bite. First of all it was a big mushy mess on a
thick crust, misrepresented by ordinary chunks of salmon rather than the
smoked variety. The waitress took it off our bill. The redeeming dish of
the night was their Soup & Salad Bar which accompanied the meals.
There were three soups Chili, a terrible Clam Chowder which tasted like
canned and a great Tortilla Soup with big chunks of potato and carrot. The
place wasn't cheap with pastas nearing $20 and the soup & salad bar
$11.95 ala carte. Woody's seems to get the business with the place full
on a Saturday night. I'd come back for another try, with my kids, but I'd
take my romantic and gourmet expectations elsewhere.

Located on the lower level of Lake Arrowhead Village in Lake Arrowhead
Telephone (909) 337-2628
They are also related to Woody's Cocky Bull in Victorville.

Website: www.woodysboathouse.com


AUGUST 2003