Musso and Frank Grill
Hollywood, California
Everything that is and has been in Hollywood history has found a seat at this small restaurant. Yes, it's still open.
The Musso and Frank Grill has an open secret as to its success; success that it has enjoyed since it opened in 1919, when Hollywood was mostly still rural.
It never changes. At all. Hence, you always know what you're going to get. That familiarity is comforting.
They still carry the same main dishes on their menu [grilled lamb kidneys, calf's liver and onions, etc.]; they still serve classic cocktails, the kind that tend to challenge younger mixologists; their waiters still wear short, red jackets. In fact, it often looks like they haven't changed the waitstaff, either. One may be forgiven for thinking their average age is 102.
This is why it is a living museum of quintessential Los Angeles. Actually, it's even better than a museum, as they pour the best martini outside of Harry's Bar in Paris, something at which museums fail. As it is situated near the LAPD headquarters, city hall, and the Screen Writers Guild, it has attracted actors, writers, politicians, cops, and criminals for a century. When you think of classic noir films and books, you can see their genesis if you spend even a moment there.
Here's a partial list of writers who have spent time, sometimes serious time, at Musso and Frank's:
Or, if you prefer old, and not so old, Hollywood, there's this partial list:
If it looks familiar, that's because numerous scenes from movies and TV shows have used those dark panels and marvelous lighting fixtures to create a desired effect for murder mysteries, tales of Hollywood, or romantic comedies.
The last time I was there, the author of the Harry Bosch mysteries was holding court with a collection of reporters, detectives, and movie executive types. They were all drinking martinis and eating chicken pot pie. [A word of advice given to me by a regular: The menu features daily specials that can be...um...rather plain. Go on a Thursday as that night's pot pie is really good.] It was a great collection of people evoking the images conjured when one hears the word "Hollywood".
There is an inevitable sensation when you first walk in and realize that it looks like a movie set. Then, when you leave, you realize that movie sets look like Musso and Frank's.
For those interested in a complete appreciation, there's more to be read in this article from Los Angeles Magazine.
The Musso and Frank Grill has an open secret as to its success; success that it has enjoyed since it opened in 1919, when Hollywood was mostly still rural.
It never changes. At all. Hence, you always know what you're going to get. That familiarity is comforting.
They still carry the same main dishes on their menu [grilled lamb kidneys, calf's liver and onions, etc.]; they still serve classic cocktails, the kind that tend to challenge younger mixologists; their waiters still wear short, red jackets. In fact, it often looks like they haven't changed the waitstaff, either. One may be forgiven for thinking their average age is 102.
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| Their youngest bartender pouring their youngest martini |
This is why it is a living museum of quintessential Los Angeles. Actually, it's even better than a museum, as they pour the best martini outside of Harry's Bar in Paris, something at which museums fail. As it is situated near the LAPD headquarters, city hall, and the Screen Writers Guild, it has attracted actors, writers, politicians, cops, and criminals for a century. When you think of classic noir films and books, you can see their genesis if you spend even a moment there.
Here's a partial list of writers who have spent time, sometimes serious time, at Musso and Frank's:
F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Raymond Chandler, T.S. Eliot, William Saroyan, Aldous Huxley, Max Brand, Dashiell Hammett, John Steinbeck, John O’Hara, Dorothy Parker, Gore Vidal, Joseph Heller, and Kurt Vonnegut.
Mary Pickford, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Elizabeth Taylor, Steve McQueen, Dennis Hopper, Jimmy Stewart, Rita Hayworth, Groucho Marx, John Barrymore, and Johnny Depp.
If it looks familiar, that's because numerous scenes from movies and TV shows have used those dark panels and marvelous lighting fixtures to create a desired effect for murder mysteries, tales of Hollywood, or romantic comedies.
The last time I was there, the author of the Harry Bosch mysteries was holding court with a collection of reporters, detectives, and movie executive types. They were all drinking martinis and eating chicken pot pie. [A word of advice given to me by a regular: The menu features daily specials that can be...um...rather plain. Go on a Thursday as that night's pot pie is really good.] It was a great collection of people evoking the images conjured when one hears the word "Hollywood".
There is an inevitable sensation when you first walk in and realize that it looks like a movie set. Then, when you leave, you realize that movie sets look like Musso and Frank's.
For those interested in a complete appreciation, there's more to be read in this article from Los Angeles Magazine.