Why Garlic-Parmesan Fries Won at Brookside’s Clubhouse

The most revealing menu decision at Brookside Restaurant might be the fries. Truffle fries failed to find much enthusiasm; garlic-parmesan fries took their place. For chef John Silva, who says the replacement is popular, that switch captures the task at this Pasadena golf clubhouse: improve what comes out of the kitchen without asking regular customers to acquire an entirely different appetite.^[1]

Silva’s background gives that choice some weight. The San Diego native began as a kitchen hand in his family’s Mexican restaurant, then worked at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen and Yaamava’ Resort & Casino. His career spans family cooking and high-end hospitality, two useful reference points for a clubhouse where culinary ambition has to coexist with the straightforward business of feeding golfers.^[1]

He has brought in some higher-end purveyors, but describes customer familiarity as a boundary worth respecting. There is a practical distinction here between improving ingredients and changing the proposition. A brisket-and-short-rib smashburger, another dish Silva identifies as popular, keeps the order recognisable while giving the kitchen room to make its own decisions about what goes into it. The fries follow the same logic: a familiar format, with flavour doing the work rather than a luxury association.^[1]

A personal stake in the tacos

Carne asada is where Silva’s professional plans connect most directly with his upbringing. He has begun reworking it and wants Brookside to become known for its tacos. That is a more specific ambition than simply broadening the menu: it puts a food he grew up with at the centre of what he hopes the restaurant will do well. Outdoor, Santa Maria-style grilled tri-tip is also planned, rather than an established menu fixture.^[1]

The wider offering leaves space for different kinds of clubhouse meal. Breakfast service starts at 6 a.m., with avocado toast and corned beef hash among the choices. An ahi tuna bowl combines tuna, avocado and edamame with soy-ginger sauce and spicy mayo. Alongside the burger and Silva’s work on carne asada, those dishes suggest a menu organised around several appetites, rather than one rigid culinary identity.^[1]

A clubhouse with several jobs

The setting has changed too. Renovations over recent years, including assistance from Troon Golf, have refreshed a dining room with a towering stone fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows and views towards the San Gabriel Mountains. A covered patio overlooks the driving range and courses. Beside the Rose Bowl, Brookside’s two William P. Bell-designed layouts—the C.W. Koiner and E.O. Nay—give the restaurant its enduring golf context.^[1]

Yet a clubhouse kitchen also has to serve the golfer who cannot settle in. The former starter shack now provides quick-service food at the turn, while Spam musubi is available from the South Patio kiosk and beverage cart. Those options make a useful counterpoint to the renovated dining room: a meal at Brookside can mean sitting down after a round or finding something manageable before the next hole.^[1]