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Monday, Mar 18, 2024

East Valley Gets New Venue For Business-Related Events

Ramsey’s at the Club, one of the San Fernando Valley’s newest event venues, isn’t in a hotel but in Toluca Lake Racquet Club. Owner Jay Sadofsky believes this setting gives Ramsey’s an advantage over other event spaces. Open since the end of last year, Ramsey’s offers those who rent it out a dining room, a full service bar, a private room for parties and business conferences and a screening room with various multimedia capabilities. Altogether, the interior spaces can hold 250 patrons total. Whereas hotels charge those seeking to use event space for every table and chair and additional fees for use of audiovisual equipment, this isn’t the case at Ramsey’s, according to Sadofsky, owner of popular Mo’s restaurant in Burbank. Moreover, Ramsey’s offers flexibility, Sadofsky feels. Walls can be drawn back or out, adjacent tennis courts and patios can be used for events, and there is parking available for a couple of hundred vehicles. “There isn’t anything like this,” said Sadofsky, who added that he was inspired to open the venue because Toluca Lake lacks one of this sort for the general public. “It’s really underserved,” he said of the area. Sadofsky is pitching Ramsey’s as the ideal venue for a variety of events, including weddings, bar mitzvahs, film screenings, business meetings and even funeral receptions, due to its proximity to Forest Lawn cemetery. Thus far, a Warner Bros. affiliate has booked Ramsey’s for an event, and there have been health-related fundraisers there that have drawn crowds of a few hundred. Ramsey’s also offers regular live entertainment as well as lunch and dinner. Sadofsky describes the menu as ranging from casual to gourmet. Burgers, hot dogs, foie gras and truffles can all be found on the eclectic menu. “It’s contemporary food, market fresh. Everything is done with a consideration for health,” Sadofsky said. Most menu items, even luxurious ones, such as pineapple and chile braised short ribs or the Thai steak salad, don’t exceed $12. To boot, the kitchen staff features a chef from London’s Cordon Bleu, according to Sadofsky. Ramsey’s, which sits in a Mediterranean architectural building, occupies the space formerly taken up by Tastebuds restaurant. Sadofsky said that, when Tastebuds was there, there were no windows, wall paneling or wood floors. He said that he remade the space with a Ralph Lauren 1920s vibe in mind. He wanted to capture a bygone era of elegance, a cabana look of sorts. Rather than try to be the hippest new club in town, Sadofsky sought to provide the public with a venue that offers a contemporary take on classic style. He believes that one reason the Valley’s Sportsmen’s Lodge has managed to draw business for years is because people are hungry for event venues with such ambience. Of Ramsey’s he said, “It’s unique for a casual environment. It has a real nice vibe to it. We want it to have staying power for 15, 20 years.”

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