Full disclosure: I might be working at the bar in the near future so 1) come say hi 2) assume what you will about my motivations.
That said, completely coincidentally, I ate there twice yesterday. For lunch I had the black bean hummus and veggie sandwich, which were both excellent. For dinner the veggie enchiladas. Also very good. The horchata milkshake is unbelievably delicious. Really really freakin' good.
The information above is for those of you who care about the quality of the food, etc. But I'm the guy who cares more about the quality of the experience. Call me crazy. So my yelp-style recommendation is to think of it as the place to go during the week if you work or live anywhere near (30 mile radius) Central Ave downtown for a delicious lunch in a cool atmosphere or for happy hour and dinner in an even cooler atmosphere because the lighting/building/pool/ambiance really pops as the sun goes down. Great place for dates. If only I could trick a woman into going out with me...
I was the co-producer of a mid-size (150 humans from planet Earth) soiree hosted at the hotel last year and we timed perfectly the arrival of our guests with the graceful egress of our sun and many of the attendees attributed the beauty of the scene with the brilliance of the production rather than the normal rotation of the Earth around the sun. But whatever the reason, they loved it.
But the BEST part... the pool is open to the public. Go use it. Not only is free and open to everyone, but they even provide towels and sunscreen (use it!) and you can eat and drink the Clarendon Kitchen's nosh and spirits and perhaps drink more and swim safely there, even ever so slightly tipsy, because the pool is not very deep. Not a recommendation. I'm just keeping it real.
Did I mention you can have drinks at the pool? And there are pool parties pretty much every Sat. and Sun...
So anyway, I want to work there because I love it. I think it's one of the coolest places in town. The food is very, very good. Drink anywhere on the property. Eat by the pool. Stare at the sky. Pontificate aloud to fellow swimmers. After this bloody hot summer when the rooftop happy hour re-opens enjoy the best views downtown has to offer that don't involve you sneaking into a high rise and picking the lock to the slanted roof you'll slide off of...