Victor Hodd’s Adds a Touch of Style to Neighborhood : New supper club on Santa Monica Boulevard serves a well-priced American-eclectic menu.

The transformation of 7953 Santa Monica Blvd. from a hokey fishing shack (Reel Inn) to a stylish come-hither supper club called Victor Hodd’s is a shock, albeit a pleasant one. There’s a blond vamp at the door--and a statuesque stone pig in chef’s attire. The designers have given the place the look of an Edward Hopper painting. Suitably retro music plays in the background, i.e., lots of strings and the voices of Vaughn Monroe and Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. And from the wall, a pale Elvis in suit and tie looks up, bewildered, from his dinner at a club somewhere sometime.

Victor Hodd’s is named for owner Tom Doherty’s grandfather, who came to Hollywood to try to make it as a writer in the 1930s. Chef Daly Thompson’s American-eclectic menu is well-priced, with every entree under $20, and the wine list is filled with modest treasures. Smokey mountain gumbo is as hearty a bowl as you’re likely to find this far west, laden with chunks of andouille sausage, chicken and pork, with a crawdad half hanging out of the bowl. Gulf shrimp cakes don’t stint on the heat, but they’re unaccountably salty. There’s a hefty sirloin burger with smoked Gouda, and a broiled whitefish sandwich, too.

An overly ambitious decorating scheme for the plates may be one reason the food is so long coming, or maybe it’s that the cooks are just getting up to speed on this, their second week open. A fine roasted free range chicken comes with a delicious prickly pear chutney and a tall rosemary polenta cake. Tiger prawns and sea scallops in a pastry cone are gussied up to the max, which may be why our entrees made such a tardy appearance. And though that Cajun-style barbecued pork loin didn’t quite live up to its mouthwatering title, I have hopes. There’s a real need for an affordable, stylish restaurant in this part of town and, with a little tweaking, Victor Hodd’s could fit that bill nicely.

BE THERE

Victor Hodd’s, 7953 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; (213) 822-9652. Open daily for dinner. Valet parking. Appetizers $4.25 to $8.95; sandwiches $7.95 to $8.95; main courses $10.95 to $19.25.