Latest news with #Musso&FrankGrill
Los Angeles Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Dine with history at L.A.'s landmark restaurants, founded in 1935 or earlier
Is a restaurant worth a visit simply because it's been around longer than that bottle of yellow mustard in your refrigerator? Longer than your oldest living relative? Maybe. Proper respect should be paid to an institution. Los Angeles is home to restaurants celebrating a century in business. About 36,500 days in operation. The feat alone is something to marvel at. What is Hollywood without the martini culture built around Musso & Frank Grill? The Long Beach bar scene without the Schooners of cold beer and pickled eggs at Joe Jost's? A South Pasadena stretch of Route 66 without milkshakes and phospate sodas at Fair Oaks Pharmacy? Over decades in business, these restaurants have become landmarks synonymous with the cities themselves. Some of L.A.'s most popular attractions are our food halls, with Grand Central Market in downtown and the Original Farmers Market in Fairfax drawing millions of visitors each year. Grand Central Market opened in 1917 with nearly 100 food merchants. Its oldest running restaurant is the China Cafe, with a 22-seat counter that's been around since 1959. In 1934, about a dozen farmers and other vendors started selling produce at the corner of 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue, where the Original Farmers Market still operates today. Magee's Kitchen, its oldest restaurant, began when Blanche Magee started serving lunch to the farmers in the '30s. Many of the restaurants on this list were built by immigrants from every corner of the world, their American dreams realized in a mochi shop in Little Tokyo, a French restaurant in downtown L.A. and a taste of Jalisco, Mexico, in Pasadena. If you're looking for the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles County, you'll find it in Santa Clarita, a city about 30 miles northwest of downtown. Originally called the Saugus Eating House when it opened as part of a railway station in 1886, the Saugus Cafe boasts a history rich with Hollywood film stars, U.S. presidents and a train network that helped establish towns across the state. In 1916, the cafe moved across the street to where it sits now, one long, narrow building that includes a dining room and a bar. It has closed, reopened and changed hands numerous times over the last 139 years. Longtime employee Alfredo Mercado now owns the restaurant. It's a place that exists in a cocoon of nostalgia. The history embedded in the walls, the decor and the friendly staff are the main draw. If you're searching for the best breakfast in town, you may want to keep looking. The following are decades-old restaurants that have stood the test of time, shrinking wallets and fickle diners. In operation for 90 years or longer, these 17 destinations (listed from oldest to newest) are worth the trip for both the history, and whatever you decide to order.
Los Angeles Times
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
In ‘Suits LA,' John Amos gets his flowers — and a moving episode inspired by his legacy
NBC's 'Suits LA' has said its final farewell to John Amos, months after the screen legend died late last summer. The 'Suits' spinoff on Sunday paid tribute to the prolific 'Coming to America' and 'Roots' star with a moving episode inspired by and dedicated to his legacy. Amos, in the final role before his death in August, guest starred in 'Suits LA' as a version of himself. In the latest episode, titled 'Good Times' (a clear nod to Amos' popular 1970s sitcom), lawyers Ted (Stephen Amell) and Rick (Bryan Greenberg) reunite to celebrate the life of Amos, a longtime client and friend who died off-screen. 'He's gone and he's still putting us back together,' Ted tells Rick in his toast to Amos. 'America's father.' After several rounds of drinks at Musso & Frank Grill, Ted and Rick decide they want to secure a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Amos, who never received one in real life. The former partners meet with a contact who sits on the board of the Walk of Fame, hoping to expedite the process. Ted, upon learning it would take a least two years before the landmark becomes a reality, lashes out at the board member who was oblivious to Amos' career. 'The man's a legend. He's an icon,' Ted says. 'John Amos was the Sidney Poitier of television,' he continues. 'He broke new ground for Black America and he was a father figure for all of America. He should've had a star decades ago and if you can't recognize that you're in the wrong goddamned business.' After the fiery lunch meeting, Rick informs Ted that Amos will still get a star in Hollywood — but it still would be a couple of years until it happens. Ted, concerned about people forgetting Amos, opens up to Rick about the final conversation he had with the late 'Roots' star. Near the end of the episode, Ted and Rick separately find comfort in a more immediate manner of honoring Amos: watching him in an episode of 'Good Times.' Ted, private investigator Kevin (Troy Winbush), Rick and fellow lawyer Erica (Lex Scott Davis) watch the sitcom teary-eyed. They see Amos deliver a powerful performance as tough-loving James Evans in the 'Good Times' episode 'The Gang: Part 2.' Sunday's episode ended with a simple message: 'Dedicated to John Amos.' Amos died of natural causes Aug. 21, 2024 but his publicist announced his death in October. He was 84. The actor, former professional football player and TV writer was also known for his work on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' and 'The West Wing.'
