famous restaurants – Page 4

January 16, 2019January 14, 2019

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant from “Clueless”

OK so I’m totally buggin’! I just found out that Paramount Pictures is in talks to reboot Clueless! This may be way harsh, but all I have to say regarding the news is ‘Whatever!’ The 1995 classic is absolute perfection AS IS and should NOT be touched! Hearing about the project did remind me of several locales from the flick that I stalked long ago, but have yet to blog about, namely Kabuki Japanese Restaurant in Burbank, aka the former Crocodile Cafe, where Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) lunched with her Beverly Hills besties Dionne (Stacey Dash) and Tai (Brittany Murphy). I had been on the lookout for the eatery for ages – pretty much since starting my blog back in 2007. It was not until 8 years later, on June 4th, 2015, that a reader named Jasmine finally solved the mystery when, in response to another reader asking about the restaurant in the comments section of my post on the Horowitz house from the movie, said, “It used to be Crocodile Cafe in Burbank on San Fernando and Orange Grove. But now it’s a Kabuki. I have no idea how I figured this out but I’m pretty sure that’s exactly where it was. The booth they sat at is right behind the hostess/cashier. I sound so stalkerish right now it’s ridiculous.” Jasmine’s comment was quite stalkerish, but in the best way possible! One look at images of the place online told me she was right. I could not have been more thrilled and ran out to stalk Kabuki just a few days later with my friend Kate who was in town visiting from Kentucky. Very shortly after that, author Jen Chaney released her fabulous book As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew which confirmed Crocodile Cafe’s appearance in the film on page 126.

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The former Crocodile Cafe actually pops up twice in Clueless – first very briefly in the opening “So, OK, you’re probably going ‘Is this, like, a Noxzema commercial or what?’” montage.

It then later appears in the scene in which Cher and Dionne take Tai out for a “calorie fest” to cheer her up after she finds out that snob-and-a-half Elton (Jeremy Sisto) isn’t into her.

Upon walking into the restaurant, I was thrilled to see that despite the changeover from Crocodile Cafe to Kabuki, it was entirely recognizable from its big screen cameo. Unfortunately, someone happened to be sitting in the exact booth utilized during filming, so I couldn’t snap any photos of it, but as you can see in the image below as compared to the screen capture, the booths remain very much the same today as they appeared in Clueless. The cushioning has been swapped out and glass partitions have since been added, but other than that, they are untouched.

The front door and hostess area also largely look the same.

Crocodile Cafe’s bar, which was visible in both Clueless scenes, was apparently gutted when Kabuki took over.

The area where it used to be located is pictured below. Thankfully, the frosted glass blocks formerly situated behind the bar are still intact, as are the wood columns that frame them.

It is not hard to see why the restaurant was chosen for the movie. With its bright pink and green color scheme and 90s-modern vibe, the place fit in perfectly with the splashy, over-the-top visual aesthetic that made up Cher’s world. Interestingly, Crocodile Cafe was not producers’ first choice, though. Per As If!, “Originally the Clueless crew was hoping to shoot the restaurant sequences at California Pizza Kitchen. But once the CPK people saw the final script, and saw how much breadstick-penis talk goes on between Cher, Dionne and Tai, they said no. Says producer Adam Schroeder: ‘I think the whole idea of talking about boy parts in CPK, that made them uncomfortable.” The default location turned out to be ideal, though.

Of Crocodile Cafe’s unique décor, Los Angeles Times writer Max Jacobson had this to say in a 1997 article, “It’s a breezy place with an open kitchen tiled in a pattern that looks like a multicolored snake. The dining room–all brick walls, high ceiling and a gallery’s worth of modern art–is narrow and noisy.” I believe the open kitchen Jacobson mentions (or at least a portion of it), which was not shown in Clueless, serves as the restaurant’s sushi counter today.

The Burbank Crocodile Cafe outpost opened its doors in July 1994, so it was new when Clueless filmed on the premises. (Though I am unsure of the exact day the scenes were lensed, the movie was shot from November 21st, 1994 through February 7th, 1995.) The eatery was the fifth in the CC chain, which was founded in Pasadena in 1987 by restauranteur Gregg Smith as a sort of casual version of his upscale and highly popular bistro Parkway Grill. I was unable to dig up the year the eatery closed, but, per a newspaper ad I came across, the shuttering took place between May 2002 and July 2005, at which time Kabuki Japanese Restaurant was already in operation. Oh, how I wish I could have seen the Croc when it was still open in all of its bright green and pink glory!

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Jasmine for finding this location!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Kabuki Japanese Restaurant, aka the former Crocodile Cafe from Clueless, is located at 201 North San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank. You can visit the eatery’s official website here. The Downtown Christmas Shopping District from “The Voice of Christmas” episode of The Brady Bunch is located a little over a block away at 100 South San Fernando.

December 7, 2018December 6, 2018

Nick’s Cafe from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”

It is not everyday that a one-minute clip gets me hooked on an entire television series, but that is exactly what happened with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. A few months back, my friend Kate texted me a hilarious highlight from a Season 5 episode in which Detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) leads a group of criminals in a rousing acapella rendition of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” during a police lineup. I had never heard of the show at that point, but, let me tell you, as soon as the first strains of “You are my fire . . . “ hit my ears, I was done for! Any procedural that incorporates boy band music into its storyline is guaranteed to be a surefire favorite with me! The Grim Cheaper and I started watching the series that very night and have been binging it ever since. Not only is the acting superb and the dialogue laugh-out-loud funny, but (bonus!) it is shot in L.A., which means plenty of stalking for me. One of its locales, the small Chinatown eatery Nick’s Cafe, I first spotted in Season 3’s “House Mouses” and then again just a few weeks later on yet another series we are obsessed with, Bosch. So I decided I just had to run out and stalk the place.

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A veritable city institution, Nick’s Cafe (not to be confused with Nick’s Coffee Shop & Deli on Pico) was founded way back in 1948 by Navy vet Nick Viropolous.

In an unusual move, Nick chose to operate the place sans a name for the four decades that he owned it. As longtime waitress Lois Fuentes recalled in a 1995 Los Angeles Times article, “We went 41 years without a name. People would call it the Corner Cafe, the Ham House, all sorts of things. Nick was afraid if he gave it a name it might bring in more people. ‘Then you gotta hire more help,’ he’d say.”

The Ham House moniker, which is still sometimes used today, came about thanks to the bone-in ham, sliced to order, that Nick displayed daily on the eatery’s U-shaped counter.

Amazingly, the original counter is still intact today, seventy years after the restaurant first opened!

In the mid-90s, Viropolous sold the eatery to two LAPD homicide detectives who finally gave the place a name – Nick’s Cafe, in honor of its founder. The duo also installed a train track around the perimeter of the ceiling with a running model train that would circle the diner during open hours. Those tracks remain on display today (you can see them in the photos below), though the locomotive cars no longer operate.

Considering the profession of the new owners, it is not surprising that Nick’s became immensely popular with local police following the change of hands. As such, the restaurant has since been featured on numerous detective shows. But more on that in a bit.

In 2009, the cafe was taken over by a man named Rod Davis and it is still going strong today, largely thanks to the fact that little has been altered over the years. Not only is much of the décor original, but many of Nick’s recipes are still in use today.

I opted for a grilled cheese sandwich during my visit and it was honestly one of the best I’ve ever had. Granted, a grilled cheese is pretty hard to mess up, but the one served at Nick’s is stellar, with perfectly buttered toast and thick layers of two different kinds of cheese.

Most hours of the day at Nick’s are standing-room only, due to both its popularity and small size – the only available seating is at the counter, which is lined by a scant 25 stools, though the outside patio can accommodate an additional 25.

In the Season 3 episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine titled “House Mouses,” which aired in 2016, Jake convinces fellow detectives Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) to take over his drug case by buying them lunch at Nick’s.

The restaurant’s filming history far pre-dates Brooklyn Nine-Nine, though.

In 1997, Nick’s was the setting for the Depeche Mode video “It’s No Good,” which you can watch here.

Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) and Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) visit Nick’s Cafe while investigating a terror suspect in the Season 3 episode of NCIS: Los Angeles titled “Patriot Acts,” which aired in 2012.

That same year, on yet another procedural, Detective Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) counsels Officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) about not getting emotionally attached to cases while standing in line at Nick’s in the Season 4 episode of Southland titled “Risk.”

The diner is the site of an armed robbery in DJ Snake and Justin Bieber’s 2016 “Let Me Love You” music video, which you can watch here.

Fellow stalker Geoff, of the 90210Locations website, informed me that the same year Ian Gallagher (Cameron Monaghan) and Lip Gallagher (Jeremy Allen White) lunched outside of Nick’s in the Season 7 episode of Shameless titled “Swipe, F***, Leave.”

As I mentioned earlier, Nick’s also appeared on Bosch. In Season 3’s “Clear Shot,” which aired in 2017, Detective Santiago Robertson (Paul Calderon) discusses a recent case with Terry Drake (Barry Shabaka Henley) at the eatery.

And in yet another police-related production, Ponch (Michael Peña) meets some local CHP officers at Nick’s in the 2017 comedy CHIPS.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Nick’s Cafe, from the “House Mouses” episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, is located at 1300 Spring Street in Chinatown. You can visit the restaurant’s official website here. The eatery closes at 3 p.m. each day, so please plan accordingly.

October 5, 2018October 16, 2019

Chabelita Tacos from “Truth or Dare”

Roadside taco stands don’t usually conjure up images of the macabre. Today’s locale is no different. In fact, the eatery – Chabelita Tacos – is a bright and colorful addition to the Harvard Heights skyline. But since it did appear in a memorable scene in the 2018 horror flick Truth or Dare, I thought it was only appropriate to include it in my Haunted Hollywood postings.

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Chabelita Tacos pops up toward the end of Truth or Dare, in the scene in which Markie Cameron (Violett Beane) receives a truth challenge from her father, Roy Cameron (Brady Smith), via an old iPhone video while she is sitting alone at a desolate outdoor restaurant.

Thanks to a street sign reading “Western” visible in the background of the segment, pinpointing the eatery was a snap. I had already tracked down the pad where Markie lived with her friends Olivia Barron (Lucy Hale) and Penelope Amari (Sophia Ali) in the movie to 2233 West 21st Street and figured the restaurant was likely nearby. So I opened up Google maps to where Western runs through that area and found Chabelita Tacos almost immediately, literally right around the corner from the house!

I dragged the Grim Cheaper out to stalk it a few days later.

While signage in the windows proclaims that the restaurant serves the “Best Mexican Food in L.A.” (a sentiment Chowhounders wholeheartedly back up, though Yelpers do not), we had already eaten when we arrived on the premises, so we did not get to sample any of the fare.

Though technically a walk-up taco stand . . .

. . . the place has quite a bit of interior seating.

Surprisingly, aside from the fact that it has been around since at least 1992, I could not find much information about the history of Chabelita Tacos posted anywhere online – nor was I able to figure out what “Chabelita” translates to in English.

In the Truth or Dare scene, Markie is seated outside of Chabelita Tacos at one of the metal tables positioned along West 20th Street . . .

. . . on the same bench that I am sitting on in the photo below (though I am facing the opposite direction). How cool is it that the image of the divided food plate visible on the wall behind Markie in the bottom screen capture above is still painted on Chabelita’s wall?!

The area used is pictured below, though from a different vantage point than what was shown onscreen.

While the segment shot on the premises was brief, it was seriously creepy thanks to the iPhone video of Roy, whose face became warped when the demon Calax took over his body.

Chabelita Tacos was also featured in the opening scene of the 2003 comedy National Security as the spot where Hank Rafferty (Steve Zahn) and Charlie Reed (Timothy Busfield) grab a late night bite.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Chabelita Tacos, from Truth or Dare, is located at 2001 South Western Avenue in Harvard Heights. Olivia, Markie and Penelope’s house from the movie is right around the corner at 2233 West 21st Street.

September 10, 2018September 7, 2018

Le Chene French Cuisine from “Sharp Objects”

I am a very black and white person. Opinions typically come to me immediately and tend to swing towards either loving or hating something. I don’t deal much in grey. For some reason, though, I cannot decide if I like Sharp Objects. I thoroughly enjoyed the Gillian Flynn novel on which the new HBO series is based (it is my favorite out of all of her books) and could not have been more excited to watch, especially when I heard it being referred to as “the next Big Little Lies.” But five episodes in and I’m still on the fence. The show’s acting is indisputably top-notch and its storyline gripping, but I also find it slow-moving, bleak, and all-around odd. I was thrilled to learn, though, that while set in the fictional town of Wind Gap, Missouri, filming largely took place in Southern California. I was also thrilled to recognize one spot that I stalked a few years ago, but never blogged about – Le Chene French Cuisine. The Grim Cheaper and I happened by the Santa Clarita eatery way back in March 2013 while doing some stalking nearby and I recalled its unique exterior from its many appearances in film location books and websites chronicling its cameo in 1971’s Duel. So we promptly pulled over to snap some pics. Though the place went right out of my mind and into my stalking backlog, as soon as it showed up on Sharp Objects, I knew I had to dedicate a post to it.

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Le Chene French Cuisine was originally established as the Oaks Garage gas station by mechanic William A. Dodrill and his wife, Rachel Swanson, in 1917. The initial structure that stood on the premises was not much more than a small wooden shack with an adjacent concession stand that offered cold sodas to passersby. You can check out a photo of what it looked like at the time here.

In 1923, the couple decided to broaden their budding enterprise by adding an eatery to the site. Boulders were brought in from Big Rock Creek in Palmdale to cover the new restaurant’s exterior. The unique façade earned the place the nickname “rock house,” as well as “Castle Oaks Garage and Café” thanks to its castle-like appearance.

During the 1940s, the business was acquired by Chester and Marie Lamar and became a hotbed of celebrity activity. Just a few of the well-knowns who popped in while filming in the area or passing by on their way to local attractions include Gregory Peck, Lee Marvin, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Wallace Beery, William Boyd, Jane Wyman, Keenan Wynn, Mickey Cohan, and Clark Gable (who was not the best customer, reportedly).

Since the Lamars’ tenure ended in 1957, the property has been bought and sold several times. It was finally leased by Juan Alonso in 1980. The Spanish-born chef transformed the site into upscale French eatery Le Chene, which translates to “the oak.”

Despite the fact that it is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the restaurant quickly became a popular dining spot and Alonso purchased it in 1981. Years later, when the need to expand arose, he gutted the former garage and turned it into a banquet room. He has since enlarged the kitchen and main dining room, remodeled the bar, and added a large garden and a 6-acre vineyard. Today, the eatery boasts a whopping 8,900 square feet.

Le Chene popped up in the fourth episode of Sharp Objects, titled “Ripe,” as the supposed Wind Gap restaurant La Mere, where Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) meets with some of her mother’s friends including Jackie O’Neill (Elizabeth Perkins) and Annie B (Beth Broderick). Both the exterior . . .

. . . and interior of the site appear in the episode. Sadly, Le Chene was closed when we dropped by, so I did not get to see the inside, but you can check out some photos of it here.

In the television movie Duel, which has the distinction of being Steven Spielberg’s first foray into full-length film directing, Le Chene portrays Chuck’s Café, where David Mann (Dennis Weaver) crashes his car after being chased by a menacing truck driver (played by Carey Loftin).

After the collision, David ventures into the restaurant (which looked much different at the time the flick was lensed in 1971) to clean himself up and soon discovers that the truck driver has followed him inside to terrorize him further.

Though an old LoopNet listing for the property suggests that additional filming has taken place the premises, I have been unable to dig up any other productions the place has appeared in.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Le Chene French Cuisine, aka La Mere from Sharp Objects, is located at 12625 Sierra Highway in Santa Clarita. You can visit the restaurant’s official website here. The eatery is only open for dinner most days (on Sunday, brunch is served), so plan accordingly.

September 7, 2018September 8, 2018

McGee’s Pub – The Inspiration for MacLaren’s on “How I Met Your Mother”

I have never been a film location purist. I am just as happy visiting spots that have appeared onscreen as I am touring those that have provided inspiration for sets – as evidenced here, here and here. So while in New York in April 2016 I just had to pop by McGee’s Pub, aka the watering hole that MacLaren’s Pub from How I Met Your Mother was based upon. I first learned about the place and its small screen cachet while penning this article for Los Angeles magazine in 2014 and promptly added it to my NYC To-Stalk List. Though I later discovered that Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan) and Barney Stinson’s (Neil Patrick Harris) favorite hangout was actually modeled after four different Manhattan bars, since McGee’s is the only one still in operation today (well, in its original state, at least) and the one most often associated with the show, I figured it was worthy of its own post.

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How I Met Your Mother was the brainchild of producing partners Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, who, like main characters Ted and Marshall, met while attending Wesleyan University. After graduation, the duo moved to New York together and landed a gig writing for the Late Show with David Letterman in 1997. During their five-year stint there, they would often grab drinks at McGee’s, located right around the corner from the Ed Sullivan Theater where Letterman was lensed. In 2002, the two headed to Los Angeles with the hopes of helming a television series. They pitched How I Met Your Mother to CBS in 2005 and the rest is history.

In a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bays explained that he and Thomas followed a common adage when penning the series – “Write what you know, not what you think you want to see.” As such, they based the two main characters on themselves – Ted is modeled after Carter and Marshall after Craig – and styled their regular hangout like several places the duo patronized while living in NYC. As chronicled in an April 2008 CBS Watch article, McHale’s (a Times Square favorite at 750 8th Avenue that closed in 2006 – you can see photos of it here and here) “lent its dark atmosphere,” Chumley’s (a beloved onetime speakeasy at 86 Bedford Street in the West Village that suffered severe structural damage in 2007, was gutted, redesigned, and finally reopened 9 years later looking much different than its original self) “inspired some of MacLaren’s more rustic touches,” Fez (an Upper West Side Moroccan eatery at 2330 Broadway that shuttered in 2006) “gave the writers the idea to put a few round booths at the back of their TV bar,” and McGee’s “features the model for MacLaren’s WPA-era mural on its back wall.” (McGee’s mural and the one it inspired are both pictured below. Surprisingly, they don’t really resemble each other at all.) Bay and Thomas named their fictional watering hole after Bay’s production assistant, Carl MacLaren.

McGee’s Pub and Restaurant, christened in honor of Ed Sullivan Show cameraman Willie McGee, was originally founded in a small space on the bottom floor of the Ed Sullivan Theater at 1697 Broadway in 1983. You can see what it looked like at the time here. (That site is now home to Angelo’s Pizza.) When Letterman moved into the venue, the theater was extensively renovated and, in conjunction, McGee’s was forced to vacate in July 1995 in order to make way for a more high end restaurant. Owner Pete Fitzpatrick subsequently found a new, larger space right around the corner at 240 West 55th Street.

Though the more ritzy eatery brought in to replace McGee’s folded in a scant 22 months, McGee’s is still going strong today. The 3-story restaurant boasts 22 TVs, 2 bars, an internet jukebox, and a private events suite known as the Symphony Room.

While the bar’s exterior looks nothing like the exterior of MacLaren’s Pub (which was just a façade on the 20th Century Fox Studios backlot in Century City) . . .

. . . the interior of McGee’s is very reminiscent of its onscreen counterpart.

While not exactly carbon copies, MacLaren’s and McGee’s have a decidedly similar atmosphere.

Thanks to its red booths, low lighting, and heavily adorned walls, I truly felt like I was hanging out at Ted and Marshall’s favorite place while at McGee’s. Though I have to say that the original Chumley’s was a place I visited regularly when it was in operation and it, too, had an extremely similar ambiance to MacLaren’s. So Carter and Thomas did a superb job of incorporating the aura of both sites into their set design.

For those location purists unlike me who think a visit to McGee’s is a waste of time being that How I Met Your Mother never actually filmed on the premises, there are countless photos displayed of the cast hanging out at the bar (like the one below which comes from the restaurant’s Facebook page), autographs and clippings galore, as well as a myriad of HIMYM-inspired menu items, such as The Accidental Curly Fry Basket, The Bro Code Combo, and the Suit Up Sandwich, to satisfy any true fan.

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On a How I Met Your Mother side-note – Thanks to my friend Marie, I got to visit 20th Century Fox Studios back in November 2014. The lot isn’t typically open to the public and being there was definitely one of the highlights of my stalking career thus far. During the tour, we were even taken by the MacLaren’s exterior. Though the series had ceased filming almost a year prior, I was thrilled to see that the façade still looked much the same as it did onscreen.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: McGee’s Pub, which served as the inspiration for MacLaren’s Pub on How I Met Your Mother, is located at 240 West 55th Street in New York’s Midtown West neighborhood. You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.

August 24, 2018August 23, 2018

Cameron’s Seafood from “Say Anything . . . “

The restaurant business is an insanely fickle one. So when I set out to find the eatery where Diane Court (Ione Skye) lunched with her mom, Mrs. Court (Lois Chiles), and her mom’s boyfriend, Ray (Stephen Shortridge), in the 1989 flick Say Anything . . . a few years back, I never dreamed it would be a place still in operation that I could actually stalk. It wasn’t until partnering with Greg Mariotti, from The Uncool website, to write our joint article about the movie’s Los Angeles locations in 2017 that I learned the scene had been filmed at Cameron’s Seafood (no relation to director Cameron Crowe Winking smile ) at 1978 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. When I inputted the restaurant’s name into Google, I was shocked to not only discover that the joint was still open, but that it was a place I was very familiar with. Though I had never dined there, I drove by it regularly during the 10+ years I lived in Crown City and was always struck by its resemblance to The Fish Market outposts, a favorite restaurant chain of my parents. (You can check out what a couple of those places look like here and here.) So to the top of my To-Stalk List Cameron’s went and the Grim Cheaper and I headed right on over there for lunch a few days later.

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Cameron’s Seafood opened its doors in 1984.

Originally founded by John Cameron (hence the name), it was taken over just two year later by Peter Gallanis, who still owns it to this day.

Cameron’s quickly became a neighborhood staple – the go-to spot in Pasadena for fresh seafood. Per a 2003 The Conduit article, the popular eatery averages a whopping 400 patrons on weekdays and 900 on weekends.

The sprawling 9,800-square-foot space features an exhibition-style kitchen . . .

. . . a large main dining room . . .

. . . a front bar . . .

. . . a rear bar . . .

. . . an on-site fish market . . .

. . . and nautical décor throughout.

The GC and I both loved our lunch at Cameron’s and are now kicking ourselves for not frequenting the place regularly when we lived in the area. The crab cakes I ordered were divine, the ambiance warm and inviting, and the bartender who served us could not have been more friendly. The cherry on top of our meal, though, was when I asked said bartender if she was aware of any filming done at the restaurant, and she replied, “A movie was shot here once, but that was a really long time ago – in the ‘80s.” Shocked, I inquired if she was talking about Say Anything . . . and was floored when she responded in the affirmative. In my experience, it is a rare occasion for employees to know any filming information, even if the filming is iconic (case in point – the concierge at the Plaza Hotel New York who had no idea Home Alone 2 had been lensed on the premises), so for her to be aware of a relatively short scene shot at Cameron’s almost thirty years prior was downright phenomenal!

In Say Anything . . . , Cameron’s Seafood is the site of a rather terse luncheon during which Diane pleads with her mother to tell the IRS nice things about her father, who is being investigated on embezzlement charges.

In the scene, Diane, her mother, and Ray sit at the rear of Cameron’s main dining room, just beyond the counter that overlooks the exhibition kitchen. Though I didn’t get a close-up photo of that area of the restaurant, it is visible in the far back of my picture below.

With its nautical-themed décor, it is not very hard to see how Cameron’s came to be used Say Anything . . . , which was set in Seattle. Amazingly, the place still looks much the same today as it did onscreen 29 years ago.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Cameron’s Seafood, from Say Anything . . . , is located at 1978 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.

August 3, 2018August 3, 2018

The Great Wall Chinese Restaurant from “I Love You, Man”

In Pretty Woman, Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) states that very few people surprise him. I could say the same about filming locations. One that did recently surprise me, though, was The Great Wall Chinese Restaurant in Reseda. For years I had been under the impression that the engagement party scene from the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man had been shot at Hop Louie. But when I sat down to write my post about the landmark Chinatown eatery back in March, I realized that, despite a misleading establishing shot pictured at the beginning of the segment, the restaurant’s interior most certainly did not match what was shown onscreen. What the wha? I got to Googling and eventually discovered that filming had actually taken place at The Great Wall. What’s more, the eatery’s official website noted several other productions lensed on the premises! So it, of course, went straight to the top of my To-Stalk List and the Grim Cheaper and I headed out there for lunch a few weeks later.

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The Great Wall Chinese Restaurant is one of those rarest of Los Angeles anomalies – an eatery that has been around for multiple decades.

Originally established in 1984, the Mandarin/Szechwan restaurant is a neighborhood landmark.

The site’s rather drab exterior (excluding those fabulous red doors pictured above) belies little of the grandiosity of its interior.

Featuring Mandarin décor . . .

. . . and a striking gilded ceiling, the place is absolutely stunning!

I mean, look at that chandelier!

The restaurant is also much larger than its exterior would have you believe and consists of three areas – a massive main dining room;

a rear banquet room;

and a bar area situated near the entrance.

The eatery is extremely old school – in the best way possible.

The GC and I both commented on the fact that we hadn’t seen a Chinese restaurant like it in ages.

The place even has a Lazy Susan and serves hot tea via ceramic teapots upon entering! Talk about bringing me back to my childhood!

Per LoopNet, The Great Wall, which appears to be for sale, raked in $38,350 in filming income last year alone! And it is not very hard to see why. The restaurant is just begging to be photographed! Somehow, it even manages to come across more beautifully in pictures than it does in real life. As such, location managers flock to it.

Though an establishing shot of Hop Louie was shown at the beginning of I Love You, Man’s engagement party scene and the restaurant was even referred to by that name in the segment . . .

. . . all actual filming took place at The Great Wall.

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) and Zooey Rice’s (Rashida Jones) friends and family first gather in the bar area in the scene . . .

. . . and then head to the rear banquet room for dinner.

The interior of The Great Wall also pops up a few times as the inside of the Golden Wonton Restaurant & Orphanage in the 2007 comedy Norbit.

That same year, the restaurant appeared in Lucky You as the spot where Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) takes Billie Offer (Drew Barrymore) for a celebratory dinner.

Though the place isn’t referred to by name and is supposedly located in Las Vegas in the flick, “The Great Wall Restaurant” is visible on the menu Huck is holding in the scene.

At the end of the 2011 drama Drive, Driver (Ryan Gosling) meets with Bernie Rose (an unrecognizable Albert Brooks) at The Great Wall.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, from I Love You, Man, is located at 18331 Sherman Way in Reseda. You can visit the eatery’s official website here.

July 23, 2018July 26, 2018

The Trails Café from “The Catch”

Today’s locale required a ridiculous amount of stalking – of myself. A few months back, while scanning through a television show making screen captures for a post, I spotted what I thought was the side of The Trails Café, one of my favorite L.A. eateries. A quick look at Google Street View’s imagery of the restaurant confirmed my hunch. Distracted by the piece I was writing, I failed to jot down the information, though, and promptly forgot about it. Flash forward to last weekend when the Grim Cheaper and I found ourselves hungry during a stalking trip to Griffith Park. I suggested we pop by The Trails and, while enjoying our scrumptious egg salad sandwich, was reminded of the place’s onscreen appearance. The only trouble was I could not for the life of me recall what show I had seen it in. Figuring it would come to me eventually, I snapped photos of The Trails and added it to my To-Blog List. Days later, though, I was still at a loss. The only remedy I could think of was a deep dive through my browser history. That dive turned out to be far deeper than I had envisioned. With the GC as my guide, I pulled up my search history, inputted “Trails Café” and quickly discerned that I made the discovery of the restaurant’s cameo on January 9th. As I backtracked through all of the other queries I performed on that date, I felt like I was entering A Beautiful Mind territory. I don’t normally consider myself as having ADD tendencies, but my online habits are evidence to the contrary. At no time that day did I have less than ten windows open – often on multiple browsers. Using the disjointed information to pinpoint what show The Trails had appeared in proved extremely time consuming (and a bit unnerving), but I eventually hit pay dirt – the eatery was featured in the pilot episode of The Catch, which I had discovered while making screen captures for my post on Emerson College Los Angeles. Phew!

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The Trails Café was founded by Grammy-winning music producer Mickey Petralia and television executive Frank Lentz in June 2005. The venture might seem an unusual one for two people with backgrounds so widely removed from the culinary world, but as Petralia told L.A. Weekly in a 2010 interview, “When I first started putting this place together, I code-named it ‘Operation Exit Strategy.’ The record industry had started to change, and I was pretty certain it was never going to get back to where it was. It’s hard to sustain a house and two kids on music alone now.”

Situated just steps from the idyllic Ferndell Nature Center, another one of my favorite L.A. spots, the structure that now houses The Trails was originally a city-owned concession stand that served mediocre burgers. By the time that Petralia and Lentz got their hands on the place, it had long been sitting vacant and boarded up and had grown run-down.

The duo spent about nine months cleaning up the property and transforming it into a charmingly rustic eatery, all of which was done during off time from their day jobs.

While the menu was originally helmed by musician Aaron Sperske, at some point pastry chef Jenny Park came on board as a co-owner and the mastermind behind The Trails’ delectable offerings including pastries, sandwiches and salads, all of which are made from scratch each day on the premises.

The tiny café (it measures less than 400 square feet!) quickly became an area staple, with hungry patrons flocking there like bees to honey. Most days you’ll find the colorful picnic tables packed and throngs of people waiting at the order window.

It is not hard to see why The Trails is so beloved. Not only is the fare amazing, but the setting is absolutely idyllic. Sitting there, you half expect woodland fairies to come flying by, sprinkling pixie dust in their wake.

The restaurant is also something of a celebrity hot spot. Such stars as Amanda Seyfried, Flea, Minka Kelly, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jayma Mays, Drew Barrymore, Alia Shawkat, and Paul Adelstein have all popped by for a bite to eat. Mandy Moore even did a photo shoot at The Trails for How You Glow.

Considering its celebrity clientele and gorgeous aesthetic, it is no surprise that the eatery wound up onscreen.

In the pilot episode of The Catch, private investigator Alice Vaughan (Mireille Enos) discovers that her fiancé, Christopher Hall (Peter Krause), is a fraud who has made off with her entire life savings. Her team decides to try to ensnare him, but, as her employee Danny Yoon (Jay Hayden) laments, “This guy was good – like really good. His entire web presence is gone. No archived search items, no photos. I don’t even know how to start investigating.” Alice assures him that she has photographs of Christopher, but when she heads to her computer to bring them up she realizes that his face is obscured or turned away from the camera in every single one. Two of the pictures she scans through in the scene were taken at The Trails Café. The restaurant’s appearance is fleeting at best in the segment, which is perhaps why I had such a hard time recalling it.

Alice and Christopher are sitting on the café’s southern side in the images, in the area pictured below.

The Trails Café was also featured in the Season 14 episode of Visiting . . . with Huell Howser titled “Ferndell,” which aired in 2006.

In the episode, which you can watch here, we are given a glimpse of what the eatery looked like when Petralia and Lentz first took it over in 2004. The industrial shack is quite a stark contrast to the whimsical café that exists now.

Thanks to fellow stalker Justin, I learned that The Trails also appears as The Tummy Pleaser concession stand in the Season 1 episode of Salute Your Shorts titled “Cheeseburgers in Paradise,” which aired in 1991.

Quite an extensive scene was shot there affording us a fabulous look at the property in its original state.

I cannot say enough good things about The Trails Café. There’s a reason I included the place in My Guide to L.A. – Coffee post. It is definitely one of the best spots in the city to grab a latte and enjoy a shaded respite.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Trails Café, from the pilot episode of The Catch, is located at 2333 Fern Dell Drive in Griffith Park. The entrance to Ferndell Nature Center, my favorite L.A. walking trail, can be found just south of the restaurant at the intersection of Fern Dell and Black Oak Drives.

July 18, 2018July 16, 2018

Via Quadronno from “Sex and the City”

Nothing makes me miss New York more than photographs of croissants. That’s a weird sentiment, I know – especially considering I don’t even really like croissants. But during one of my first trips to the Big Apple, I dragged my family to Upper East Side café Via Quadronno for breakfast after coming across a brief mention of the place and its fabulous cappuccinos in Real City: New York City (Real City Guides). Though I opted for a liquid meal consisting of a creamy iced latte (which was absolute perfection) that morning, my mom ordered a croissant and, upon biting in and proclaiming it was one of the best she’d ever had, implored me to taste it. I indulged her and was shocked at the outcome – the flaky pastry was one of the most delectable treats I’d ever sampled. I promptly ordered one for myself and then proceeded to head right back to Via Quadronno the following morning and every morning the rest of our trip – and every subsequent trip, as well, including my 2016 visit to the Big Apple with the Grim Cheaper. I cannot get enough of the place! So even though I briefly blogged about the charming eatery way back in 2008, I figured it was most-definitely worthy of a redux.

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Via Quadronno was originally founded by Italian native Paolo Della Puppa in 1999. A music publisher by trade, Puppa relocated to NYC in 1983, but continued to run his Italian-based company, Anyway Music, from afar. After about a decade abroad, he found himself falling victim to poor conversion rates and in need of a new vocation. So he turned to fellow Italian expat Hans Pauli, owner of the popular Sant Ambroeus café chain and former proprietor of the popular Milan paninoteca Bar Quadronno, which, thanks to chef/baker Giuseppe Tusi, became known for revolutionizing the panini.

Paolo trained under Hans at Sant Ambroeus for several years before the two eventually partnered up to establish Via Quadronno, which opened its doors on September 9th, 1999. Giuseppe was, of course, on hand to teach the staff his magical version of panini-making.

It did not take long for the cozy, intimate spot (the seating capacity is only 40!) to become a neighborhood icon with locals, tourists and celebrities alike all popping in for freshly baked goods, steaming cappuccinos, and those famous paninis. Just a few of the stars known to frequent the eatery include Katie Holmes (along with Suri Cruise), Aviva Drescher, Christine Baranski, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Martha Stewart, Dylan Lauren, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Rutherford, Jerry Seinfeld, Sean Connery, Madonna, Robin Williams, Scarlett Johansson, Alex Rodriguez, Tom Hanks, and Matt Dillon.

It is not very hard to see why Via Quadronno has become such a local favorite. Not only is the dining room one of the most adorable in New York with tiny wooden tables and chairs, cheerful murals, and Italian posters dotting the walls, but the restaurant’s offerings are out of this world! It is no surprise that the place has won countless “best of” awards over the years. Heck, Martha Stewart even headed there when she wanted to learn how to make the perfect cappuccino.

Via Quadronno is also a filming location – from two of my favorite shows, no less!

In the Season 1 episode of Sex and the City titled “Models and Mortals,” Skipper Johnston (Ben Weber) forces Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) to call Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon) while standing outside of the restaurant to find out if he still has a chance with her.

At the time the episode was shot in 1998, the Via Quadronno space housed a sweets shop named La Maison Du Chocolat, which opened on the premises in 1990. Despite the change in tenancy, the site is still recognizable from its onscreen stint. I find it incredible that Reinstein|Ross Goldsmiths, the fine jewelry store situated next door to the café whose signage was visible in Sex and the City, is still alive and well and operating in the same location twenty years after the fact!

Via Quadronno also popped up on Gossip Girl. In the Season 2 episode titled “Remains of the J,” which aired in 2009, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) heads to the café to pick up breakfast for Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), whom she has just secretly started dating again, and narrowly misses running into Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively).

The Season 10 episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee titled “Kate McKinnon: A Brain in a Jar,” which hit Netflix earlier this month, was filmed at Via Quadronno’s other location at 1228 Madison Avenue in NYC’s Carnegie Hill neighborhood (which Yelpers are reporting is now closed).

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Via Quadronno, from the “Models and Mortals” episode of Sex and the City, is located at 25 East 73rd Street on New York’s Upper East Side. You can visit the eatery’s official website here. The Via Quadronno outpost from the “Kate McKinnon: A Brain in a Jar” episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee can be found at 1228 Madison Avenue in NYC’s Carnegie Hill neighborhood, though per Yelp that location is now closed.

July 13, 2018July 12, 2018

TomTom from “Vanderpump Rules”

The Instagram world was set on fire (well, my Instagram world, at least) Wednesday night when the cast of Vanderpump Rules, along with other Bravolebrities and reality TV stars, began posting photos of the DailyMail.com & DailyMailTV Summer Party which took place at TomTom, the highly anticipated new bar venture by husband and wife restauranteurs Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd and their protégés/employees/junior partners Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz. The soirée served as a soft opening for the West Hollywood watering hole (per several sources the official opening won’t take place for three weeks) and I could not have been more excited to see the completed space, which VP fans witnessed the progress of throughout the show’s most recent season. I actually popped by TomTom in mid-May with my friends Kim and Katie, who were in town visiting from Kentucky. Though the site was just a construction zone at the time, it was an absolute thrill to see in person – especially because we wound up running into the entire Vanderpump/Todd family while there and were given a sneak peak at the place’s interior!

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The opening of TomTom has been a project years in the making. Ken first leased the WeHo space that now houses the bar way back in 2015 – without Lisa’s knowledge or consent. At the time, the site was home to an adult boutique named Chi Chi LaRue’s. The couple subsequently rented the place out short term to Showtime Clothing while deciding what they ultimately wanted to do with it. Per various building reports, it seems an eatery named Pinky’s Restaurant was originally going to be established there, but that plan was scrapped in 2016 as the idea for TomTom began to take shape.

There seems to be some confusion regarding the square footage of the TomTom space floating around online. In 2013, a comparable summary report noted the 1935 structure as consisting of 3,360 square feet, but a leasing brochure from 2017 listed it at 1,508. Either way, the property’s useable space has grown considerably since Lisa and Ken acquired it thanks to the addition of an upstairs kitchen area, as well as a large elevated back patio that overlooks West Hollywood Park.

When Vanderpump and Todd took over the site, it was incredibly non-descript – basically just four walls and a ceiling, as you can see here. What it has been transformed into is nothing short of spectacular. I cannot wait to head out there to experience the finished product in person. I was elated to see it all boarded up with black plywood back in May, though, being that it popped up countless times throughout Vanderpump Rules’ sixth season in the same state.

Audiences were actually given their first glimpse of the TomTom space on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, not Vanderpump Rules. In the Season 6 episode titled “Busted BBQ,” which aired in 2016, Ken brings Lisa to tour the site, which he has just leased out. The unique wares and décor of then occupant Chi Chi LaRue’s make transforming the space into a restaurant a bit hard for Lisa to envision. As she approaches the front doors, she says, “I don’t think I want to go in there. There are things in the window that make my eyes water. I’ve got my dark glasses on to protect myself.”

While Ken thinks the site is the perfect prospect for their next culinary venture, Lisa is more interested in some mini whips she finds on the shelves that she wants to bring home to her pet ponies.

The TomTom space does not appear on Vanderpump Rules until the December 2017 Season 6 premiere titled “Masquerade,” in which Sandoval and Schwartz tour the now vacant and gutted site with Lisa and Ken.

Sandoval really dresses the part for the occasion, but, come on, like anyone believes that tape measure is actually going to be used! Nice try, Sandoval.

During their tour, Sandoval gets quite the tongue lashing from Lisa over his negativity, arrogance, and unwanted advice on the venture. As she sarcastically pans, “What were we thinking? Doing 33 restaurants without Tom Sandoval. How the f*ck did we do it?”

The TomTom space is featured in numerous additional episodes throughout the season, including “It’s Not About the Pasta” in which the two Toms attempt to invest some sweat equity in the restaurant. (If only they can figure out how to put on their dust masks!)

It also appears in “Karma’s a Bitch,” in which Sandoval calls Lisa from Vegas to discuss hosting a “progress party” at the site for all of his friends . . .

. . . and “Reiki Breaky Heart,” in which Tom and Tom discuss the upcoming progress party . . .

. . . and Sandoval gets down on one knee, presents Schwartz with a rose gold and diamond “TT” lapel pin, and officially asks him to be his partner in the restaurant, which elicits this speech from Schwartz, “Katie’s my wife in life, but in business Tom is my wife and I’m ready to make that commitment and I hope we have beautiful business babies together.” Those two are so ridiculous, I swear.

The bar site gets its most screen time in the Season 6 finale titled “Welcome to TomTom,” in which the highly anticipated “progress party” takes place.

The space was still very much a work-in-progress at the time. It is truly amazing how far it has come.

As I mentioned above, while we were stalking TomTom, we had the pleasure of running into Ken. He could not have been more gracious and kind and not only posed for a photo with us, but opened up the front door so that we could take a peek inside the bar. Though it was still under construction, its beauty was apparent. As we were glimpsing the interior, a car pulled up out front and Ken informed us that Lisa was inside, but that she was not in the best of spirits as her brother had passed away just days before. We had not been aware of that fact prior to Ken telling us, otherwise we most certainly would not have approached him, let alone ask for a picture. When Lisa walked up, with Pandora in tow, we offered our condolences and she could not have been nicer and even talked with us for a bit before heading inside TomTom. As we ventured away from the bar, excitedly chatting about our good fortune of getting to see the inside of the space and meeting Ken and Lisa, who should walk by but their son, Max! Talk about crazy timing. (And no, we did not approach him, considering the circumstances.)

In another only-in-L.A. moment, minutes after this all took place, our group headed over to the Starbucks across the street (natch) and were floored to run into Jared Haibon from The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise! It was definitely a stellar day for celebrity sightings!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: TomTom, from Vanderpump Rules, is located at 8932 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The bar is not open to the public yet, but per several sources is set to open in about three weeks.