ByRona Edwards
I’ve passed the Manor Hotel, originally called the Chateau Elysee, on Franklin and Bronson Avenues many times. I’ve admired the foliage and unique, 20s-style façade which once accommodated such legends as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. I had seen advertisements for brunch at the Renaissance Restaurant housed inside the gated area and I also knew that the Church of Scientology bought it in the 1970s and therefore thought it was off limits to anyone other than a Scientologist.
Recently, I had the opportunity to experience the restaurant for Sunday Brunch as well as their newly instituted Wine Dinner, which they offer once a month on two consecutive nights. The good news is that the restaurant is open to everyone. While some may be hesitant to try this fine dining restaurant, it is really no different than buying pumpkin bread from the nuns at the convent off Gower Street. In fact, while there are posters of L. Ron Hubbard prominently displayed, you don’t have to be a Scientologist to enjoy the lush grounds and the food at this superb dining establishment.
The hotel itself is reserved for celebrities and guests of the Church. Its history, however, is fascinating. It was originally built as a luxury apartment/hotel by Eleanor (Nell) Ince, the widow of the famous silent film director/producer Thomas Ince, whose untimely and mysterious death aboard a yacht during a party celebrating his birthday placed suspicion on the owner of the yacht, William Randolph Hearst. Legend says Hearst shot Ince by mistake while aiming at Charlie Chaplin, whom he suspected of having an affair with his mistress, Marion Davies. L’amour, l’amour, Hollywood l’amour!
Meanwhile, Ince’s widow Nell hired architect Arthur E. Harvey to replicate a 17th-Century Norman castle, some say with the “hush” money Hearst paid her to keep mum about what happened that night on the yacht. Construction started in 1927 (three short years after her husband’s death), and the hotel opened in 1929. It was home for many artists newly arriving in Hollywood and often was the center of glamorous parties with Hollywood nobility. The widow Ince sold the Chateau in 1943 and in 1951 it became a residence for retired actors and artists. This wonderfully historic building was scheduled for demolition when the Church of Scientology purchased the building in 1973 and painstakingly restored the Manor to its original charm, with beautiful frescos in the lobby and a new Garden Pavilion for larger parties and community events. Known as the Celebrity Centre, it specializes in helping artists, athletes, professionals and others who play roles in shaping the ideals and morals of society, i.e., the artist. The Garden Pavilion with its 50-foot stage is available for outside rental and has hosted charity events and parties within the community while the hotel has a 42-seat theatre and screening room.
Aside from the extraordinary Parterre Gardens with its French landscaped topiaries, the hotel’s jewel is the Renaissance Restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in an exquisite gazebo-like setting, surrounded 
by the lush Franklin Gardens and several fountains. The main dining room is comparable to a private European hotel with chandeliers and exquisite floral arrangements and window treatments. The inside Patio has a hand-painted ceiling of blue sky and lattices with humorous cats and garden animals peering down at diners. On Sunday, an elaborate buffet of salads, breakfast entrees, fish and freshly carved meats is served as live music fills the air.
During the week, executive chef Richard Mendoza offers a full array of delectable delights including antipasto platters and salads, pasta, sandwiches and entrees for lunch, and more elaborate items for dinner such as Chipotle and Crab Crusted Halibut or Filet of Beef stuffed with Boursin Cheese. Dining can be alfresco, in the enclosed patio or in the main dining room.
New to the Renaissance Restaurant is a Wine Dinner offered monthly in which award-winning sommelier (named 
Best Sommelier in Southern California by the Restaurant Writers Association) and maitre d’ Gerard Marini selects wine to pair with Chef Mendoza’s seasonal four-course meal. Monsieur Marini is so enthusiastic about his choice of wines; he will even sit with you as he chats about the unusual artisanal vineyards he’s selected for this particular dinner.
Our meal started with an appetizer: a choice of buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes (Caprese) or homemade country pate. We tried both and they were winners. The buffalo mozzarella was creamy and melted in your mouth while the pate was light yet filling. The wine offered was a 2004 Monica DiSardegna. Made from Monica grapes in Sardinia, it is a rich and zesty red wine yet not so full in body therefore pairing nicely with a first course.
For the second course we had a choice of Mache, a salad of mixed greens with goat cheese or Pistou (a 
minestrone like soup with a dollop of pesto – a southern France specialty). Both were excellent. A Spanish 2004 Albares with its smoky use of Mencia grapes complimented the hearty Pistou but may have been a little overbearing for the Mache.
The main course offered a choice of Rack of Lamb or Seafood Ratatouille. We chose the Rack of Lamb, which came with Vegetable Ratatouille. For this course, Monsieur Marini opened a vintage bottle–a 1998 Cloverdale Cabernet Sauvignon from Northern California, telling us how very important it is to age a big wine. This wine is truly a big wine with its blackberries and smokiness lingering smoothly on your palette. It went well with the Rack of Lamb and conjured up visions of a warm fireplace, sweaters and snow on the ground outside. Even in sunny Southern California, one can dream of a snowy evening.
For dessert, a chocolate surprise of three kinds of chocolate mousse surrounded by ladyfingers arrived with a glass of 1999 Muscat from the south of France. The wine dinner is quite a bargain at $50.00 per person and Monsieur Marini is not chintzy with the wine. If you want another glass, he’s there to pour and keep pouring so your taste buds soak up the full extent of each finish. Feeling incredibly relaxed and satiated, we had to remember when retrieving our car that we were not in the French countryside, but right off the hustle and bustle of Franklin Avenue. What a wonderful respite and escape from the real world, even if only for a few hours!
Renaissance Restaurant is located at 5930 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. Call for reservations: (323) 960-3100. Check out their website: www.celebritycentre.org/en_US/about/tour/restaurant/index.html. Hours: Sunday brunch: 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Breakfast: 8–10:30 a.m.Lunch: 11:45–2:30 p.m.Dinner: 5:45–10 p.m. Call for Wine Dinner dates. Prices for Sunday brunch $25.00 per person. Wine Dinner $50.00 per person. Menu entrees for dinner $14.00–$28.00. Lunch entrees $13.00–$25.00. All credit cards accepted. Complimentary Valet Parking off Bronson entrance.Best Bet: Experience Gerard Marini’s selection of wines and the 4-course wine dinner or bask on a Sunday for the buffet brunch.
