We dine at the oldest restaurant in Hollywood

Est. 1919 -- still a popular restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard.

"It was starting to come down hard. The man and the woman had been driving from the desert since early morning. By the time they turned on to Hollywood Boulevard, the rain was bouncing off the windshield of their sedan. The heater was broken and the man rubbed his knuckles while the woman clutched her coat around her neck. They listened to the radio, waiting for a bulletin. The sun had gone down hours earlier and they watched the rain puddles turn from green to yellow to red from the traffic signals. They were on their way to meet a man with a brief case at the oldest restaurant in Hollywood. The driver looked at his watch as he pulled over to the curb. They were right on time.

WELCOME TO MUSSO AND FRANK
We arrived well before the dinner hour, so Capt.
Mike Andolini had plenty of time to talk.

"He parked the car and opened his door. The woman let herself out and they both rushed through the rain to the front door of the restaurant. It looked warm inside. They stepped in and the maitre ‘d greeted them.

“'Welcome to Musso and Frank,' he said."

~ “The Man with the Brief Case,” 1948 radio drama

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We had just completed the "Dearly Departed Tragical History Tour" of Hollywood, stopping at all the historic locations -- Here's where Marilyn stood on her front lawn to apologize about her separation from Joe; George Burns put his initials in the driveway, see?; that's the Black Dahlia house; John Belushi parked here, then died inside; Janis Joplin stayed in that room the night she overdosed; Sal Mineo got in a deadly fight in this alley; Natalie Wood lived here with Robert Wagner before she drowned; listen to the phone call made from this location by Michael Jackson's attendants -- you can't see the house, it's hidden behind the big hedge; Mae West bought this apartment building, lived in the penthouse; The Doors swung here; River Phoenix over dosed in there, now listen to his brother Joaquin make the desperate 911 call; the Menendez brothers plotted against their parents in that living room; Bugsy Siegel got shot through that window; and on and on.

The corner booth was always
available to Pickford, Chaplin

By now, we were totally sated with Hollywood "tragical history" and could now use a gnosh: we walked across the street to the Musso and Frank Grill, where earlier in the day Capt. Mike Andolini had invited us to return.

STEVE McQUEEN
favored this counter stool

We were too late for their famous funnel cakes, it was after 3 p.m., but we browsed down the menu and found most of the traditional fare they've been serving for decades. Prices from the 20s were posted in the hall by the john and gave us some smiles. Coffee, 10 cents; a pot, 20 cents.

We chose a booth where our waiter said he had served Rock Hudson and Raymond Burr; we passed the corner booth that was always available to Chaplin and Mary Pickford, United Artists was born there. The rat pack frequented the place; Mrs. Sinatra dined here regularly long after Frank died.

Click to enlarge old menu

Steve McQueen always sat over by the cash register, we were told.

Sean Penn dropped by the other day, but this place is more museum than trendy haute spot; the waiters are custodians of much of the history, some have witnessed it for 50 years.
Not only stars, but writers, producers and other show biz movers and shakers patronized the place for years. But times and the business have changed. "It's not like it used to be," the man who served Dean Martin his poached Eggs Benedict said, shaking his bald head. "No, it's not the same."
The food is the same. Today's special? Chicken Pot Pie. Kathleen said it was the best ever.

For more history on this classic venue, go to the official web site.

WE'RE NOT celebrities, but Sergio made us feel special anyway,  answering
our questions about the famous folks preceding us in this booth during 
his forty-years at Musso and Frank. (He's one of the younger waiters)