Iconic Los Angeles - Musso & Frank Grill

Good Evening Lovelies!

Two weeks ago, Bridget and I went out for "A Classy Hollywood Night" and it should come as no surprise that we had a fabulous time!  Instead of a full recap of that night, I wanted to highlight the two venues we visited as they are both classic Hollywood spots!  We started at the iconic Musso & Frank Grill.

Musso & Frank's history is long and incredibly glamorous!  Opening its doors in 1919, it has outlasted its counterparts and become the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Hollywood.  They opened when Hollywood Boulevard was little more than a dirt road and famously, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas Fairbanks would race down the street on horseback to dine here.  As you probably guessed, the loser would have to foot the bill.

Musso & Frank's has the best napkins you will find anywhere!

Bridget and I intentionally arrived early for our reservation in order to enjoy a cocktail at their amazing bar.

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Thanks to our Mad Men Cocktail Hour training, I was able to navigate the menu of vintage cocktails quite easily.  I felt super sophisticated!

We decided on Sidecars.  And. They. Were. Amazing!

The bar is located in the New Room.  It was moved from the other side of the restaurant in 1955 when what was then called the Back Room closed.  The Back Room, or Writer's Room, was an exclusive area where writers could write and drink undisturbed.  This space is no longer part of the restaurant and has opened as a bar in its own right - appropriately called The Writer's Room.

It's rather surprising that there haven't been a slew of things filmed in Musso & Frank's over the years, but two of the few are favorites of mine.  Ed Wood filmed the scene where Ed Wood meets Orson Wells in the Old Room.

Also filmed here, a few episodes of Mad Men.  This should come as no surprise since many of the locations used for the series are located in Hollywood, Downtown L.A., and Pasadena.

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Once you visit Musso & Frank, the booth shots used in the series are unmistakable, yet it was a scene (that I cannot find any visual evidence for) that was filmed at the bar that made me sit up and take notice.  The entire establishment is so unique that it cannot be mistaken for any other spot.

The ambiance of Musso & Frank's is absolutely amazing!  You step through the doors and step back in time.  Is there any other place that still has coat racks for each table?!?  I would put money on the fact that there are MAYBE a handful of others out there.

After we were seated, we received delectable bread, a menu, a wine list, and also some backstory about this slice of Hollywood history.

I think they are a being humble and a bit modest by using the tag line "Some Place to Eat" since for decades this was THE place to eat.  And to drink.  (And as far as I'm concerned, it still retains that status.)

Another interesting read was the menu.  There is so much about this place that I adore and one of the things is the sense of family and tradition.  It is still family owned and much of the menu has gone unchanged for almost one hundred years!  Which can make for some very interesting meal choices!

In addition to offerings such as Baked Escargot, Cold Smoked Tongue Sandwiches, Calf's Liver, and Lamb Kidneys, there were also so many appetizers that we had questions about that I think we were starting to try our server's patience...  But really, you can't see an Appetizer Frank without asking what exactly that is - for the record, it is tomato slices topped with sardines and hardboiled eggs.  Or see something like Half Avocado and wonder if there is something more to it - there is not.  Perhaps if we'd been more adventurous (or had multiple Sidecars at the bar), we would have ordered the mystery items and let the chips fall where they may.  

Also, my belief that I need to come here for Brunch was solidified when I spotted Flannel Cakes on the menu.  I'm not certain what they are, but I am certain that they would pair quite nicely with a mimosa.

Items which we are not used to seeing on a menu aside, there were so many things that looked absolutely delicious that we were having quite the time trying to decide.

And then we lost our minds.

Yes, it looks ridiculous.  Yes, it was ridiculous.  And yes, Bridget almost cried when she did not have enough room to finish her steak and I wasn't that far from doing the same when I was forced to leave some of my swordfish.  A-Mazing!!!!  While the fried zucchini and the asparagus were good, the stand out sides were the creamed spinach and the potatoes au gratin!  When I think of Old School dining, those are the two vegetables I think of and Musso & Frank has PERFECTED them over the last 94 years!  Ridiculous.  Seriously.  Ridiculous.

After we'd admitted defeat and had our table cleared, we ordered some Port to enjoy while we sat and took in our surroundings/ digested our fabulous meal.

 We took in our surroundings for so long that we not only had a little tiff...

Don't worry, they print a whole set of menus each day that reflect the date and specials, this was not defacing Musso's property.

But we essentially shut the place down!  This was quite beneficial when we made friends with the waitstaff as we were leaving and they had time to give us a little tour and some fantastic tidbits of information.

As I touched on before, the now separate Back Room or Writer's Room is predominantly where the writers hung out (go figure) starting in the 1930's.  According to one article I found, the booth that we inhabited that night was the usual booth of Raymond Chandler who legend has it, penned much of The Big Sleep in that very spot.  When you are standing at the bar, it is the fist booth against the wall to your right...oh how I wish I could have found some photographic evidence of that.  In addition to Chandler, the list of authors who called Musso & Frank home is quite long:  F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, T.S. Elliot, Aldous Huxley, John Steinbeck, John O'Hara, Dorothy Parker, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut, and Charles Bukowski.  The Los Angeles Times once wrote that if you stood in the Back Room long enough, "...you would have seen every living writer you had every heard of, and some you would not know until later."  This is what Bukowski looked like on one of his visits.

Onto our tour of the Old Room.

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The first thing that they pointed out to us was the very first booth on the right if you come in from the back of the restaurant.  As Bridget and I had just watched L.A. Confidential earlier that day, we were floored when we were told this was Mickey Cohen's reserved booth!  Serendipitous!  One of the only historical characters in the novel and this is where he sat.  Please allow Bridget to Vanna White this booth for you with her fabulous sparkly clutch.

Next on the tour was the booth I was most excited about...my lady Marilyn's booth!  Too bad I was under the influence of cocktails, wine, and an absurd amount of food, or I would have been more aware of taking a fab photo.  But here is Bridget looking amazing and me looking, slightly less than amazing.  Must go back and try this again - Ooohh....Brunch in Marilyn's Booth?  I wonder if I can call in a reservation that specific?

And here, Kittens, is how a booth shot is really done.

The list of Hollywood A-List Regulars who ate and drank and held meetings and inked deals that made Hollywood history is incredibly long and spans generations:  Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Elizabeth Taylor, Steve McQueen, Jimmy Stewart, Rita Hayworth, Groucho Marx, John Barrymore, and of course, Charlie Chaplin are merely the tip of the iceberg.  Chaplin was perhaps their first regular and the first booth once you come through the front door was widely known to be his.

After spending a few hours here, you will feel literary, talented, and perhaps even like something of a superhero.  At the back of the Old Room, there is an old phone booth that was used in the first Superman movie.  Or was it the series?  Either way, here is our friend ripping at his jacket to reveal his superhero outfit!

In addition to the history that took place within these walls, much of the charm comes from the staff.  Many of the servers and bartenders have been here for 30, 40, even 50 years and many have become celebrities in their own right.

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Manny Aguirre has been in the restaurant business for over fifty years, with Musso & Frank Grill since 1989 and has been written up in Esquire and Eater, though I'm sure there are many more.  People come in specifically to see him as well as the other two icons behind the bar, Ruben Rueda, and Maria Gurrola.  They've even got their own FaceBook page!   

This is Hollywood and Musso & Frank Grill most definitely has the glitz of Old Hollywood that you would expect with the mahogany wood and red leather booths, coat racks, and servers wearing red jackets, but this is family.  And you can feel it.  People enjoy being here, they care for each other and about the experience you have and they are spot on with their motto of "The history will bring you in, the food and the service will keep you coming back."

This was only my second time here, but I will definitely find myself here many more times in the future.  If you are still on the fence about paying this place a visit (HOW that is possible, I have no idea), perhaps this fantastic article will sway you.  It really captures something about the experience of visiting Musso & Frank Grill.

I urge you to pay them a visit, you will not regret you did.

XOXO!!

The Best Thing About Being Sick? Boozy Tea.

Good Evening Kittens!

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been quite sick this past week.  Not sure exactly what I have, but it has not been a good time.  While I'm feeling better than I have in days, I'm still not feeling good and I had to cancel plans with some fantastic friends of mine that I do not see nearly enough in favor of a night at home.  Also, I have something truly fabulous going on tomorrow night that I need to be feeling as good as possible for.  So my plans for tonight included a bit of blogging, cuddling with Port, a mug of Boozy Tea, and an early bedtime.  It may not seem über exciting to most people, but I think it's perfect for tonight!

Each time I mention Boozy Tea, people seem fascinated and always ask me how I make it.  This used to confuse me since I view Boozy Tea as something you simply DO when you are sick.  I don't remember a time when I didn't use this as a way to make illness more tolerable.  Perhaps since Americans drink more coffee than tea, they are more familiar with Boozy Coffee than Boozy Tea.  I'm not sure about the particulars, but perhaps I should take it upon myself to educate people about Boozy Tea.

The first thing you need to know about Boozy Tea is that you should definitely drink it.  It'll make you feel better!

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Okay, it may be wrong to use photographs of little girls having tea parties while discussing Boozy Tea, so I'm going on the record to say Boozy Tea is NOT meant for these situations.  Moving on.

This is what I look like before...

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And after?  Everyone's having a swell time.  And yes, on occasion, hats do come out.

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While I am not a doctor, per se, and I'm not touting this as the cure for everything that ails you, Boozy Tea will make you feel a little better about being sick, it will help you get to sleep (like an all natural NyQuil), and it has lemon for vitamin C, honey to soothe the throat, and black tea which contains antioxidants (and who couldn't use more of those?).

Many people make a Hot Toddy while sick, but I prefer using tea instead of taking straight alcohol and adding water and then having to bother with cloves and other spices.  Perhaps it's because I am not a fan of drinking the hard stuff straight and I enjoy a nice cup of tea?  It's your choice, but if you're sick and tea is chalked full of good stuff, you probably want to drink as much of it as you can, no?

So, without further ado, my Boozy Tea fixin's!  An Earl Grey tea bag, lemon juice, honey, Brandy (Christian Brothers is Oma's favorite and I always have some on hand so that it's available as an option for her when she comes by), and Bärenjäger.  I once found a mix of Rum and Brandy which was being sold as Hot Toddy mix, so you could use that or any other dark spirit you like.  I've also been told that Grand Marnier is tasty as well, but perhaps orange doesn't go quite as well with honey as lemon does.  There is no science here, so experiment if you like.

Step 1 - Brew your tea.  I like to let mine steep covered.  It might be my imagination that the tea turns out stronger, but it is not my imagination that it prevents the tea from cooling as quickly.

 Why Mr. Grey, what a fetching hat!

Step 2 - Remove your tea bag and add your Brandy, Bärenjäger, honey, and lemon to taste.  I usually just pour, but for this post, I measured out 1oz of Brandy and Bärenjäger and 1 1/2 teaspoons honey.  You can also cheat and use lemon juice from the store if you don't feel like juicing a lemon.  It was strong, but good!

Most of you have probably never heard of Bärenjäger before.  It is a rather tasty honey liqueur that is not really useful in most instances, but is PERFECT here!  Because it is something that is rarely used, I actually forgot I had it until I was trying to get to the Brandy as I also rarely use that.

A large mug of Boozy Tea and a few chocolate chip cookies which Bridget (BEST. NEIGHBOR. EVER.) made for me from scratch yesterday was just what the doctor ordered.  I feel better already!

Good Night, Kittens!  I'm sure I'll be sleeping like a baby tonight!

XOXO!!

Celebrating One Hundred Posts with an Iconic Hollywood Excursion

Good Evening Kittens!

And thank you for being here with me for my 100th post!  Normally, I make a rather big to-do when celebrating your contributions to my little blog in the way of pageviews, but this is really the first time that I'm hitting a milestone in the number of posts that I've managed to put together.  One Hundred.  Yup, One Hundred!  I think that's a pretty significant accomplishment.  Normally, I'd pour myself a glass of wine, but I woke up a few days ago terribly sick, so I'm celebrating (?) tonight with a cup of boozy tea.  Though, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love boozy tea!

It's not completely tragic since on Saturday night, which provided the content for the teaser of this milestone post, I had enough cocktails to celebrate MANY things...it happens.  Bridget found herself alone last weekend as her financé, Mike, was off on his bachelor party weekend.  Since he was celebrating, we thought we should as well and when I asked her what she wanted to do, her answer solidified why we have become friends.  "A Classy Hollywood Night."  Done and done.  Many aspects of the evening seemed to be serendipitous, the first of which was a Facebook post from a fabulous clothing site, Unique Vintage.  Not only was the photo fabulous, but the caption was beyond perfect!

Show the boys how it's done tonight, Gals!

And we did.  The two of us got all glammed up and started with cocktails and dinner at an institution - the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, Musso & Frank Grill, which has been open since 1919.

After a fabulous time at Musso & Frank's, we headed across Hollywood Boulevard to Boardner's, another iconic spot for a few more (amazing) cocktails.  Boardner's has been doing business under that name since 1942, but the space has been operating as a bar since 1927.

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These are two of Hollywood's oldest establishments and A) because I don't feel well, and B) because both of these venues have such FABULOUS histories, I will be posting about each of them separately, because really, who doesn't love some good Hollywood lore?

I'm quite excited about these two posts, but because my boozy tea is doing the trick, I'm heading to bed in hopes that I actually get a good night's sleep and feel somewhat human in the morning... Such a tease, I know, but trust me Kittens, they'll be worth it!

Sweet dreams!
XOXO

L.A. Confidential - The Cinematic Experience & Book Club Meeting

L.A. Confidential

James Elroy, 1990

Hello Lovelies!

As with the Book Club Meeting for Post Office, I had initially planned to have our meeting over Brunch.  I thought a diner in Hollywood for L.A. Confidential would be perfect.  Sadly, that did not work out as planned, although I did find two really great little eateries that have been added to my list of Brunch places to try, so it wasn't a total loss.

Instead of a separate Book Club Meeting Brunch and movie night, Bridget and I combined the two.  The only other member of my book club (what will it take to convince the rest of you to join?!?) came up on Saturday morning for Brunch and a movie and it was fabulous!

If you didn't read this book, I highly suggest you do so if you can devote a good amount of time to it.  I say that because it's an epic read - 496 pages in my copy.  At first, I was not a fan of Ellroy's writing...he jumps around a lot and incorporates SO many characters, but at a certain point in the novel, his writing style started making sense.  A lot of sense.  He gives you so much backstory and has so many different story lines going for so many different characters that when it all starts to come together, you realize that he'd been weaving this rich tapestry the whole time but you hadn't yet noticed.  It was so lush and incorporated so many different elements that if you are not someone who becomes fully immersed in a story, he probably isn't the author for you, but I loved it!

Although beautifully constructed, this IS a crime novel and Ellroy has described it as, "...a book for the whole family, if the name of your fucking family is the Charles Manson family!"

It is a gritty, grisly read at times, but the major characters really pull you in and don't let go.  In the beginning, you don't really identify or care for any of them, but as time goes on and you get the backstory to understand who they are, you find yourself rooting for each of them individually.  Or at least I did.  This classic crime novel focuses on three separate crimes that you come to discover are all interwoven:  a 1950 shootout for legendary gangster Mickey Cohen's heroine, the 1951 'Bloody Christmas' beating at the Hollywood Police Station, and the 1953 'Night Owl Massacre' multiple homicide at the Night Owl coffee shop.

The heroine shootout establishes the tone and the writing style for L.A. Confidential, while the 'Bloody Christmas' incident in lockup at the police station begins establishing the characters of the novel.  The Christmas beatings of four Hispanic men arrested for assaulting two police officers was fueled by the fact that the officers were having a Christmas party and had been drinking heavily.  Understandably they were upset about two of their own being beaten, but you soon learn that the police department was no stranger to using violence to solve most matters.  Some of the arrestees later recanted their testimony and Officer Bud White asks Captain Dudley Smith how he got them to do that.  He responded with no words, but instead,  "Smith laid brass knucks on the table: chipped, caked with blood."

Though the violence of this novel is in the forefront, the underlying theme here is the idea that nothing is as it seems.  Everyone has something to hide and what you see is rarely the truth.  "And the thing about secrets, Jack, is that everybody's got them.  Including you."  Every character in this novel is hiding something, fighting demons from their past, and putting up façades.  Well before the 1950's in which this novel is set and well into the present, façades and illusion have been an integral part of Los Angeles' history and identity and that is nowhere more apparent than in Pierce Patchett's business of running call girls:
"What Terry Lux does do is alter girls for Pierce's little studio.  There's Ava and Kate and Rita and Betty.  Read that as Gardner, Hepburn, Hayworth, and Grable.  Pierce finds girls with middling resemblances to movie stars, Terry performs plastic surgery for exact resemblances...Perverse?  Perhaps."
"Lux cut you to look like Veronica Lake?"
"No, I refused...I'm really a brunette, but the rest is me."

Ironically, the only character in this novel that knows exactly who she is the one that has to pretend to be someone else.  Lynn Bracken is Patchett's Veronica Lake and is the shining beacon of glamour in the dark world that Ellroy has created.  I've always been fascinated with the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles and this novel perfectly captures the element of this city and its history that is so often swept under the rug.  L.A. Confidential is a very serious read that is peppered with the humor and the stereotypical lingo of the day.  The great balance is that Ellroy confines this to the excepts from the tabloid magazine Hush Hush:  "The Mick also ran bookmaking, loansharking, gambling, prostitution, and dope rackets and killed an average of a dozen people a year.  Nobody's perfect, right, Hepcat?  You leave your toenail trimmings on the bathroom floor, Mickey sends people on the night train to Slice City.  Dig it, Hepcat: people also tried to kill Mickey!!!  A mensch like that?- No!!!  Yes, Hepcat, what goes around comes around."

After a few mimosas and a veggie scramble, Bridget and I settled in for the 1997 adaptation of Ellroy's novel.  This film was nominated for nine Academy awards but only took home two - Best Supporting Actress (Kim Basinger) and Best Adapted Screenplay.  Unfortunately this was the year of Titanic, which means it lost Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Dramatic Score, and Best Sound Mixing...all to Titanic.  Yes, I never saw it (seriously), but how a Film Noir of this caliber did not take home Best Cinematography, I will never know.  It was breathtakingly beautiful.  Time ranked L.A. Confidential the best film of 1997.  Smart cookies.  And while it did not win the Academy Award for Best Picture, is has been at the top of MULTIPLE film lists for that year and was also voted by the Los Angeles Times as the best film set in Los Angeles in the past 25 years.

Watch the trailer.

It had been a very long time since I watched this film and I had forgotten most of the particulars.  After reading such a long, involved novel with so many characters and subplots, I was trying to remember how they had turned the novel into a cohesive film.  In watching the special features afterwards, even James Ellroy thought his work was unadaptable!  But the screenwriters, Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson (who also directed the film) did an amazing job!!  The film introduces the three main characters in a very matter of fact way that, in retrospect, is the first clue that this film's plot is much more streamlined and cohesive than the novel's because it focused only on the three main crimes and the three main characters.  As Ellroy stated in the special features, he was very happy with how the film turned out and since so much had to be cut from his original story, he felt that 80% was still specific to the book, which in a way kept it separate and special.

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The casting in this film is superb!  When this film was made in 1997, two of the three main roles went to unknowns - Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce.  This was done partially due to financial constraints since these types of films usually do not do well at the box office and had to be done on a relatively small budget.  Another reason for casting relative unknowns in these two roles was so that the audience wouldn't have any preconceived notions about these two characters since what you see is not what you get.

Both Russell Crowe as Bud White and Guy Pierce as Ed Exley are great, but Kevin Spacey as Jack Vincennes and James Cromwell as Dudley Smith are truly spectacular!

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Another perfect choice is the casting of Kim Basinger as Lynn Bracken.  Lynn is the Veronica Lake of Pierce's little studio and she ended up looking so much like her it was crazy!

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Just like in the novel, Lynn brought so much glamour to this film.  While I own almost no white clothing and absolutely no white furniture, this dress and her apartment made me rethink those choices.  How incredibly fabulous is this?  Everything surrounding this character is soft and is dripping with 1940's glamour which is so starkly different from the rest of the film.

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Another perfect casting choice was Brenda Bakke as Lana Turner!  This scene where Exley thinks she is just one of Patchett's girls is one of the film's highlights!
"A two-bit hooker cut to look like Lana Tuner is still a hooker."
"That IS Lana Turner."
Cue Lana Turner throwing her drink in Exley's face!  This interaction was not in the book, and I feel like Ellroy kicked himself for not having thought of it himself.  It was hilarious!!

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The costuming and the casting really bring you into this world and into the story.  And the amazing locations really put it over the top!  Perhaps a post just dedicated to the many locations is necessary.  Actually, there were a few kismet moments later that very night, so stay tuned - it's going to be fabulous!

While the film is not nearly as saturated with characters and sub-plots as the novel, I'm not going to delve into much more except to say that watching it again reminded me why I consider this one of my favorites!  After a while, I tend to forget certain details, but I remember the impact that a novel or a film have on me in a very visceral way.  L.A. Confidential is one of those experiences for me each time I watch it!

What do you think Lovelies?  Did you read the novel on your own?  Have you watched the film recently?  Does it affect you in the same way?

XOXO!!

September Book Club Selection

Good Evening Lovelies and Happy Long Weekend!

Per usual, I'm slightly behind in posting.  There are some Book Club related items which I need to share with you, and since I do not want to find myself even further behind, I am keeping on schedule with the September selection for The Vintage Project Book Club!

As I did earlier this year, I started doing some research and came up with a list of potential novels for the next few months.  I do love a good tie-in, and since the October selection will be a nice compliment to the spirit of Halloween that I will be immersing myself in, I thought I would also chose something slightly darker, a bit macabre or morbid in its sensibilities for September since we will be holding that Book Club meeting in October.  While September's novel is not overtly grisly or gory, it is a beautifully haunting and disturbing work of Gothic fiction, meaning it contains elements of both horror and romance.  I thought it was perfect!

Behold, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde!

The first publication of this novel was in the July 1890 edition of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine

While I have read this before, I have been meaning to re-read it for a while and I thought it would be a great title to introduce you to if you are not already familiar.  I have come to learn that Wilde's original text was only published in Lippincott's and the first edition which was published only a year later was heavily edited in order to be considered less vulgar and immoral.  This 1891 version was still met with outrage in England's Victorian society and was edited numerous times in the first few printings.  The original version was only released within the last few years and essentially all the copies floating around are based off the heavily edited (and much longer) version.  Since that is the version that I already own, I will be reading both that version and also the uncensored version that I just purchased.  I am looking forward to comparing the two!  Super nerdy, I know.

Mild by today's standards, why not join me in September in reading what the British press of 1891 called "vulgar", "unclean", and "poisonous"?  It's going to be oh so much fun!

XOXO