Clubbing at St. James’s

We, as management of St. James’s Club, feel compelled to respond to the tone and manner of some of the remarks made by Jonathan Gold (“Club Fed--For Members Only,” June 19).

Gold made obvious attempts to ridicule the appearance and dress of some of our members and guests. Surely this type of journalism is better suited to the National Enquirer than to The Times.

Our Steamed Sea Bass dish, which Gold found so offensive and which he calls an “epitome of misguided British Nouvelle cuisine,” is, in fact, not British at all, but was created at the three-star restaurant Lucas Carton in Paris.

Also, the price of the sweet breads and foie gras gateaux is not $18, but $13 on our dinner menu. Gold’s single malt that he enjoyed so much was not Talisker, but rather Bunnahabain.

On the “rooms” side, Gold’s comment that his guest room was small is a matter of opinion. The room is 300-square-feet and the Art Deco “ chatchkes “ in the room are all museum-quality reproductions. For example, the ice bucket is a reproduction of a Jean Dunand Pitcher vase with four wings, circa 1929.

Gold’s comment that his bed was “shaped like a clam” amazed us also, as the bed is also a museum-quality reproduction of a Corbellie queen bed, circa 1929.

His statement that “you can’t see the view of the city lights without craning your neck,” confused us: There is a full eastern exposure of Sunset Boulevard down the Strip and a view of the hills of Hollywood and West Hollywood.

It is impossible to please everyone. Tastes vary, but we strive to delight each of our guests. We take great personal pride in our cuisine and hate to get complaints or negative comments about the food operations and beverage service, but objective criticism is always welcome.

H. ROSS JUSTICE

General Manager, St. James’s Club

Los Angeles