Geary - L.A.s legendary restaurants: celebrating the famous places where Hollywood ate, drank, and played

Copyright 2016 by George Geary

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ISBN-13 978-1-59580-801-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Geary, George, author.

Title: L.A.s legendary restaurants: celebrating the famous places where Hollywood ate, drank, and played / by George Geary.

Description: Solana Beach, CA: Santa Monica Press LLC, [2016]

Identifiers: LCCN 2016006759 (print) | LCCN 2016021904 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Los Angeles legendary restaurants | Cooking--California--Los Angeles. | Restaurants--California--Los Angeles. | Motion picture actors and actresses--Homes and haunts--California--Los Angeles--History--20th century. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX714 .G43 2016 (print) | LCC TX714 (ebook) | DDC 641.59794/94--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016006759

Cover and interior design and production by Future Studio

Cover photo: The Brown Derby, 1927.

Dedication

To Mom, who became a carhopthe second-hardest job besides being a motherat Martys Drive-In in Santa Monica at age thirteen.

Also, to my grandmother, Gammie, and Aunt Bea, who both worked at Van de Kamps, and my grandfather, Coley, who, in 1946, was one of the best executive chefs in Las Vegas when it was just a spot in the Nevada desert.

Lastly, to every person who has worked as a waiter, chef, or any other job in the food industry. Everyone should, at one time or another; it humbles you, and youll tip better afterward.

Table of Contents

Contents

WHILE I WAS PUTTING THIS BOOK TOGETHER, ONE BIG QUESTION I WAS OFTEN ASKED WAS WHERE I GOT THE RECIPES. Many of them came from the Los Angeles Times food section archives, which go as far back as the 1920s. Old books from the restaurants themselves were another source. Many food magazines also had columns that highlighted recipes from the establishments. I even watched old television programs featuring the restaurants chefs, and took down notes to reconstruct the recipes.

Many of the restaurants happily sent me their recipes. There were, however, a few places that couldnt provide theirs, and I had to improvise. One of these recipes was C. C. Browns Hot Fudge Sauce, which is manufactured and owned by Lawrys Restaurants. Ive indulged in the gooey topping both in the 1970s and today at Lawrys The Prime Rib, and Ive also purchased a jar of the sauce. All three versions tasted different to me. Was it because I wasnt eating it out of a silver goblet at C. C. Browns? Maybe. In any case, I created my own milk chocolate sauce recipe for this book, trying my best to get as close to the original as possible.

For very popular dishes that I couldnt obtain recipes for, I chose not to include them in the booksuch as Chasens chili. In my research, I found about seven versions of the restaurants famous spicy chili. Since Ive never eaten it myself (or had it flown to me on a movie set), I had no reference for choosing the most authentic version. After I obtained the recipes for each of the eateries, I tested each one using the exact same ingredients if at all possible. For some of the recipessuch as those including MSGI made substitutions. I now invite you to try these recipes yourself and taste the same delectable dishes once enjoyed by the stars of this bygone era.

Chef Keith Hull in the kitchen at Micelis.

DRINKS

APPETIZERS

SOUPS, SALADS, & SANDWICHES

DRESSINGS

BREADS

ENTRES

SAUCES

SIDE DISHES

DESSERTS

OUR FAMILY MOVED FROM NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES WHEN I WAS A KID. My dad was a character actor, and we went where the work was. At the risk of dating myselfand this definitely willthere were great roles to be had for him on TV shows like Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, Bewitched, The Twilight Zone, and many, many others. In the meantime, my mom also got a job, and my sisters and I went off to school, lost the New Yawk accent, and eased happily into the sunny rhythm of Southern California.

Later on, I also eased into my teen years, including the important milestone of Sweet Sixteen. I must have been a budding foodie even then, because to mark the occasion, the farthest thing from my mind was having a big fancy party with a gang of my friends. No, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: go to dinner with my dad and my best friend at Don the Beachcomber, already a Hollywood landmark that somehow seemed both glamorous and decadent. Rumor had it that there was also a rainstorm inside every so often. I just had to check it out.

So began my exploration of the grown-ups L.A. restaurant scene, and I havent looked back. Still an enthusiastic restaurant-goer, Im also lucky enough to have been to some of the classic spotsboth long gone and still opencovered so affectionately here in George Gearys wonderful book. What a terrific (and thorough) job of research he has done! It is all too easy to lose track of time poring over these interesting old menus, not to mention the amazing photosMarilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball at Ciros! Jimmy Stewart at Chasens! Elizabeth Taylor at Romanoffs! Orson Welles at Ma Maison (always)! Who can resist?