Category Archives: Food and Drink

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide: A Brief History of the Tom and Jerry

Posted on December 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

A recipe for the Tom and Jerry from the San Francisco Call, June 30, 1912. Over on Facebook, Christopher McPherson asked whether the Tom and Jerry was named for the MGM cartoon characters. I said I suspected the opposite was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1862, Books and Authors, Food and Drink | Tagged 1862, Books and Authors, food and drink | 2 Comments

The L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide

Posted on December 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

A set of five Tom and Jerry mugs listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $20. We don’t keep a bottle of Scotch in our desk in the city room of the L.A. Daily Mirror. In fact, we are … Continue reading →

Posted in 1945, Food and Drink | Tagged 1945, food and drink | 1 Comment

PROHIBITION ENDS!

Posted on December 5, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Times marks the end of Prohibition with a front page cartoon by Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale, who quit in 1934 and went to the Examiner in a dispute over The Times’ editorial policies. Dec. 5, 1933: With the passage … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood | Tagged #prohibition, 1933, comics, film, hollywood, liquor | 4 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Bonner Fruit Co. Cans San Fernando Valley’s Peaches

Posted on December 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

The San Fernando Valley has experienced a great evolution over the last several centuries from bucolic fields to economic powerhouse. Quiet and peaceful for years, it served as Southern California’s breadbasket for decades until Angelenos looked to its empty vistas … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Food and Drink, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged food and drink, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Comments Off

Matzo Brawl!

Posted on November 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project and I’m reposting it for newer readers. Nov. 29, 1907 Oh Those Shriners: Recall, if you will, the grisly train wreck that killed a large number of Shriners … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Religion, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, food and drink, religion | 1 Comment

An 1890s Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

Here’s a traditional roast turkey recipe from the “Every-Day Cook-Book and Family Compendium,” written about 1890 by Miss E. Neill. Be sure your fire is bright and clear and watch out for the gall-bag.

Posted in 1890, Food and Drink, From the Stacks | Tagged #1890s, #cookbooks, #recipes, #Thanksgiving, #turkey | Comments Off

L.A. Celebrates a Wartime Thanksgiving, 1943

Posted on November 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

A wartime Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, with many service personnel welcomed into people’s homes for a holiday meal. The Times published cooking tips for war workers, advising cooks who were otherwise engaged “for the duration” to use prepared mixes, packaged … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Food and Drink, World War II | Tagged #Thanksgiving, 1943, World War II | Comments Off

Rediscovering Los Angeles — El Capricho de los Dorados

Posted on October 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 2, 1935: In this installment of Rediscovering Los Angeles, Times artist Charles Owens and columnist Timothy Turner visit El Capricho de los Dorados, a tiny Mexican restaurant on Aliso “below Alameda Street.” Turner says: “These little places are generally … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Downtown, Food and Drink, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged #Charles Owens, 1935, Books and Authors, downtown, Rediscovering Los Angeles, Timothy Turner | Comments Off

Dining at the Van Nuys Hotel

Posted on October 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

Last month, I posted an image of the Cafe Bristol in the basement of the Hellman Building. Here’s another postcard, stamped 1911, of a downtown restaurant: the cafe at the Van Nuys Hotel at 4th and Main streets. The card … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Main Street | Tagged #EBay, #Main Street, 1911, downtown, food and drink | 1 Comment

Cafe Bristol Revisited

Posted on September 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

If you’ll recall from yesterday’s post on the Cafe Bristol, the main entrances were two marble staircases off 4th Street. The door on 4th Street was locked, alas, but I was able to get these shots of the two staircases. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1904, Downtown, Food and Drink, Spring Street | Tagged #DTLA, #restaurants, 1904, Hellman Building | 1 Comment

Cafe Bristol – Downtown Los Angeles

Posted on September 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

I came across another program from the Mason Opera House listed on EBay, this one from 1909. Here’s an ad for the Cafe Bristol, which was in the basement of the Hellman Building at 4th and Spring. It’s listed as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1904, 1909, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Spring Street, Theaters | Tagged #DTLA, #EBay, #restaurants, #Spring Street, 1904, 1909 | 2 Comments

An Anniversary for Musso & Frank

Posted on July 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Oct. 11, 1919: Frank’s Cafe at 6669 Hollywood Blvd. is meeting with fine success, from Holly Leaves. July 28, 1923: The opening of Musso & Frank Grill, in Holly Leaves, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Mary Mallory notes that Musso & … Continue reading →

Posted in 1919, 1923, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Mary Mallory | Tagged #restaurants, hollywood, Mary Mallory, Musso & Frank | 2 Comments

The Death of Ted Healy — Part 7

Posted on June 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 20, 1934: The Cafe Trocadero opens at “8610 Boulevard de la Sunset.” Before going further into the death of Ted Healy, I thought it would be interesting to look at the club where the incident occurred, The Trocadero, which … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, 1937, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood | Tagged #Wikipedia, 1937, Ted Healy, Thelma Todd, Three Stooges, Trocadero | 9 Comments

Los Angeles Theatre — Business and Preservation

Posted on May 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

In passing the Los Angeles Theatre last night, I saw a notice of June 6 hearing on several business being proposed for the structure. The big question is what exactly would be done to the interior and how much the … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, Film, Food and Drink, Nightclubs, Preservation, Theaters | Tagged #DTLA, Broadway, preservation, theaters | 5 Comments

Dining With Jerry Lewis — Found on EBay

Posted on May 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

Longtime Daily Mirror readers may recall that Jerry Lewis briefly operated a restaurant on the Sunset Strip in the early 1960s. A menu from his business has been listed on EBay. Notice “Chili and Beans, Jerry Lewis” for $1.75. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Film, Food and Drink | Tagged #EBay, #restaurants, film, Jerry Lewis, Sunset Strip | 1 Comment

What Cheer Saloon

Posted on April 16, 2013 by lmharnisch

The entire issue of the Los Angeles Star is available via USC, scanned from a copy at the Huntington. April 11, 1863: Very slim pickings for local news this week as nearly the entire issue of the Los Angeles Star … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Animals, Civil War, Food and Drink, Main Street | Tagged #Civil War, #DTLA, #Lincoln, 1863, 213, Animals, food and drink | 1 Comment

Japanese Lieutenant Killed at Guadalcanal Went to USC

Posted on April 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1943: And here begins one of my favorite “Li’l Abner” episodes: Zoot Suit Yokum. The Times reports a strange encounter on Guadalcanal in which an unidentified Marine took a rifle from a wounded Japanese lieutenant. According to Torrance … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Comics, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged #communists, #guns, #zoot suits, 1943, black list, comics | 1 Comment

Mobs Storm Butchers Trying to Beat Ration Deadline

Posted on March 28, 2013 by lmharnisch

People line up outside a meat market at 2100 N. Broadway. 2100 N. Broadway via Google Street View. March 28, 1943: And did the “Greatest Generation” meekly, humbly and patriotically accept meat rationing for the war effort? They did not. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Books and Authors, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Food and Drink, World War II | Tagged #food, 1943, books, Rationing, World War II | Comments Off

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Studio City’s La Fonda Wayside Inn

Posted on February 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

The bread-and-butter businesses of most municipalities are those providing goods and services, with restaurants near the top of the list. Running a restaurant is extremely difficult, because costs are high, profit margins are low and public tastes can often be … Continue reading →

Posted in 1927, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged #restaurants, #Studio City, 818, dining, hollywood, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley, Ventura Boulevard | 5 Comments

Good Fellows Grotto – Found on EBay

Posted on February 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

At left, Good Fellows Grotto on Main Street in Los Angeles in a photo from the restaurant’s menu. Somebody swiped a teapot from Good Fellows Grotto, the famed Los Angeles restaurant. It’s listed on EBay with bids starting at $78.

Posted in Architecture, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Main Street | Tagged #DTLA, #EBay, #Main Street, #restaurants, 213 | Comments Off