Dan Tana's!
All Roads Lead to Dan Tana’s
|
|
At Tana’s, the warm colors and wood beams transport you to a house on a prairie, an Italian ski lodge, or perhaps an illegal card game -- all attentively monitored by Dan Tana himself, the restaurant’s 1964 founder and consummate restaurateur, and under the watchful eye of Sonja, the restaurant’s elegant impresario and owner. There is no music, only a soundtrack produced by boisterous and bantering customers discussing the day’s events, or arguing about which sports team won’t survive the playoffs. It’s like being among family – animated, unpretentious, ready-to-rib-you family. The energy makes a wedding reception look like an insurance seminar.
Formality is replaced by familiarity, hubris by humor, and discipline by self-indulgence. Nobody counts calories or pennies, but openly shares cappuccino ice cream with anyone wielding a spoon. The lighting—I refer to it as “flattering dim”—makes you less self-aware, unlike some restaurants’ glaring light. There are few inhibitions: sharing and comparing entrees is the protocol for regulars and tourists, as others collectively return their empty shot glasses to the bar.
Dan Tana’s doesn’t merely appeal to your taste buds, it appeals to your emotions. Fellow regulars I’ve come to know have shared years of personal and public milestones, including tears at weddings, funerals, or prolonged laughter. I watched the Centennial Olympic Park bombing air on their television, the report of TWA Flight 800 exploding over the Atlantic, experienced more than one mild earthquake, and witnessed scores of championship sporting events. There is more nostalgia and memories in Tana’s than silverware. That’s the gravitational pull.
Heading to the restroom, you pass framed photos from the 70’s, and movie posters weathered by years of customers shimmying through the narrow hallway. They still have a payphone; the cigarette machine was removed only after the non-smoking ordinance passed, and the cash register looks like was pilfered from the set of It’s a Wonderful Life. If there is such a thing as a culinary time warp, this is it. It’s a scene to make a set designer and an interior designer swoon . . . for different reasons. Amid hanging Chianti bottles and vintage memorabilia, a large picture of a Dan Tana astride a horse seems quite appropriate. In the words of Robert Herrick, there is “delight in disorder,” and people are comfortable arriving fresh from the golf course, or after receiving an Academy Award.
I still arrive for dinner with the enthusiasm and anticipation of a friend’s surprise party. I’ve met too many celebrities there to name, but I’m never disappointed if the fabulous and famous don’t arrive. I love the food, but I grew up on my mother’s great Italian cooking. I love the ambiance, but I have dimmer switches at home. Most gratifying and satisfying for me is the cast of characters that run the joint, and the regulars who participate from the audience -- eating, drinking, and applauding the performance.
-Ken Lodi
Dan Tana's
Dan Tana's restaurant isn't named after the TV character - it's the other way around. The producers of "Vega$" liked the name so much that they got permission from the owner of the restaurant to use the name.Dan Tana's local landmark
Dan Tana's is something of a local landmark, dating back to 1964. Located just two doors down from the famous Troubadour nightclub (where Elton John made his debut in 1970), this old-fashioned, checkered-tablecloth Italian restaurant in West Hollywood been open for business for thirty years, and is a favorite hangout for the Hollywood set - a virtual club for many in the movie & music business.Dan Tana's as hiding place
In part, that's because the food here is good (and perhaps partially because publicity-shy celebrities like Bob Dylan can hide in the shadows of its dimly-lit interior).Dan Tana's and George Clooney
George Clooney has been coming here for 25 years. Regular Dabney Coleman ("Madman of the People") even had the one-pound New York steak named after him (it will set you back $39). John Cusak and Linda Fiorentino were spotted here together. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon chose the restaurant for an early interview to hype "Good Will Hunting." Drew Barrymore loves the place, and says "I had my diapers changed here!"Dan Tana's and Jerry West
Lakers chief Jerry West says it's his favorite restaurant. So does Corey Feldman. Steve Schirripa, Jim Belushi likes it because it reminds him of his hometown, Chicago. For others, it reminds them of New York. Cramped and dark, with a noisy bar, it has that kind of old-fashioned feel.Dan Tana's and Phil Spector
In Feb 2, 2003, famed record producer Phil Spector had dinner here (the bill was $55 and he left a $500 tip). Then he went to the House of Blues for a concert., where he met actress Lana Clarkson. They went home together, shots were fired, and Spector was arrested for her Murder.Dan Tana's and Leonardo DiCaprio
According to Army Archerd, in 2002, Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted at Dan Tana's picking up an order of chicken Parmigiana, chicken piccata, New York steak, French fries and two Dan Tana salads. Later, in August, Nicole Kidman was spotted entertaining a fleet of agents.Dan Tana's and Brad Pitt
Other sightings include Brad Pitt, Meg Ryan, Benicio Del Toro, Piper Perabo, Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow,...Dan Tana's and 9/11
Following the 2001 Telethon for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, a number of the stars from that telethon stopped at Dan Tana's to watch the (tape-delayed) show on the restaurant's TVs. They included "Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, Kip Addotta, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Lucy Liu, Jim Woods and Benecio Del Toro."Dan Tana's and Jay Leno
Jay Leno also dines here. (According the Army Archerd, Jay was dining near the columnist when a man came over and thanked him for helping to push his disabled car off the road and trying to start it for him!)Dan Tana's and James Woods
Recently, James Woods and Lauren Holly were spotted at Dan's. So was Alec Baldwin. In 1999, Jerry Seinfeld celebrated his 45th birthday there with friends including Garry Shandling, and while he was there his table was visited by Milton Berle and George Clooney<.Dan Tana's, Never Trendy
Never trendy, its a red meat & whisky place, dimly-lit with red leather booths and wine bottles hanging from the ceiling. When you look under "Pasta" on this menu, you won't find "angel hair with sun-dried tomatoes" - you'll find spaghetti with meatballs and lasagna. Expect steaks & chops, and expect to pay about $70 for dinner for two. Says Variety columnist Army Archerd: "It remains one of the favorites with Hollywood's taste-conscious. One of the best places for steaks in the U.S."Dan Tana's Seven Days a Week
Dan Tana's is open for dinner seven days a week from 5 PM to 1 AM. Dress is reasonably casual, and they offer valet parking.
