L'Italo-Americano

N o t e v e r y o n e knows that the famous Ameri- c a n n o v e l i s t Michael Con- nelly, thriller author and cre- ator of the literary detective Harry Bosch, is a regular cus- tomer at the historic Musso & Frank restaurant in Hol- lywood. His only request? Being able to sit and sip a martini in the same booth w h e r e w r i t e r R a y m o n d Chandler sat in the 1930s. The latter, author of the fic- tional character Philippe Mar- lowe, was one of the many writers who, over the years since its opening in 1919, have routinely frequented the icon- ic venue located on the Holly- wood Boulevard. " T e n n e s s e W i l l i a m s , C h a r l e s B u k o w s k i , J o h n Steinback, T.S. Elliot, they all w e n t t o d r i n k a t M u s s o & Frank because the Writers Guild of America, which is the writers' union, was next door," Andrea Scuto, gener- al manager of Musso & Frank since 2017, tells me. "At the time, writers from all over America came here to try and sell their stories so that they were adapted for cinema. Very often, however, their stories were changed and so they would go to complain to the union. It didn't always go as they hoped so they ended up going to Musso & Frank to have a drink on it." Roman, passionate about m u s i c , r e s t a u r a n t s , a n d American literature, Scuto opens the doors of the most famous club in Los Angeles for me and tells me all the secrets of what has been a lit- erary temple. "I started work- ing here for several reasons: I wasn't only because I loved the place, what it represents and represented. Speaking w i t h t h e o w n e r s , t h e Echeverria family (owners and managers since 1927), I found myself very in tune with their way of conceiving hospi- tality and catering. It is no coincidence that they are a family of Italian origins." T h e s t o r y o f M u s s o & Frank begins in 1919 when the entrepreneur Frank Toulet opens a place called Frank's Café. Soon, a restaurateur of Italian origin, Joseph Musso, joins him in the venture. At the beginning of the 1920s a Piedmontese gentleman who w o r k e d f o r F I A T i n I t a l y , Giovanni Mosso, moved to the United States and, being an expert in cars, he opened a body shop in Long Beach, w h i c h h e g o t t i r e d o f . D e t e r m i n e d t o e n t e r t h e restaurant business, in 1927 he bought Musso & Frank t o g e t h e r w i t h a p a r t n e r , Joseph Carissimi. Since then, other generations have fol- lowed, up to the present day with Giovanni Mosso's grand- daughters and their families w h o m a k e u p t h e c u r r e n t Board of Directors of Musso & Frank. Andrea, the place has remained almost identi- cal since it opened, does this also contribute to the charm of Musso & Frank? More than charm, this is the philosophy of Musso & Frank. The changes were very minimal, one of these in 1934 when the restaurant moved to t h e b u i l d i n g n e x t d o o r because Mosso and Carissimi wanted to open a high-level restaurant, with wooden walls and with the iconic red booths that still exist nowadays. What is the most spe- cial feature of the menu? The chef who has been here for 53 years shaped the menu we still use today, even though s o m e r e c i p e s h a v e b e e n a d a p t e d t o t h e t i m e s a n d updated for quality. Some dishes such as the "Chicken Pot Pie" (a chicken and veg- etable flan in béchamel) and the "Short Ribs," beef ribs braised in red wine, have been around since the 1930s. In the b e g i n n i n g , t h e m e n u w a s structured by the chef of the t i m e , w h o w a s F r e n c h . H o l l y w o o d w a s a l r e a d y a crossroads of people and the focal point of the film indus- try. He tried to create an offer t h a t i n c l u d e d s e v e r a l European cuisines. Being faithful to our ideals of honesty and quality is what m a d e a n d k e p t M u s s o & Frank what it is today. The family that has run it since 1927 has very clear ideas. Integrity, honesty, and respect for customers. Often there are four generations of the same family at the same table. E v e n a t a s t r u c t u r a l level, almost nothing has changed: entering Musso & Frank feels like a blast from the past. Exactly, even the wallpaper we have is the original one f r o m t h e 1 9 3 0 s . I n r e c e n t years it has been renovated by an Italian restorer, Dr. Sandra Bianchi. This is to say how much we care about making sure things stay the same. Whenever something breaks we hire a prop-master who w o r k s i n t h e c i n e m a a n d comes to make repairs, trying to avoid making changes as much as possible. We don't take anything away, every- thing is maintained with a lot of love and a lot of passion. Martini is a symbol of M u s s o & F r a n k . H o w come? Our Martini is mentioned in every cocktail book. It is famous for the peculiar way we serve it, which is unique. Martini is usually served in the classic 6.5-ounce glass, with vermouth. We use a 4.5- o u n c e g l a s s , w i t h o u t v e r - mouth. But the peculiarity lies i n t h e f a c t t h a t w e d o n o t shake it, but we mix it. In doing so, the ice does not break but slowly dilutes. The consistency of the drink is silkier and more velvety. In addition, a smaller glass is used and the rest is placed in a glass cruet which is placed in a small metal container with ice so that the temperature of the alcohol always remains l o w ; v o d k a a n d g i n w h e n heated end up changing the flavor. Instead, we make sure that the martini stays cold. Even your cheesecake h a s a v e r y p a r t i c u l a r story, linked to a great Italian-American figure, Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra was a regular customer, he had his own booth, the 224, and he just wanted to sit there. He also had his specific tastes and one day he said he particularly liked a cheesecake made from a p a t i s s e r i e i n P e t a l u m a , California; he asked to order exactly the same for him and so it was done. Even when he d i e d , t h e c h e e s e c a k e remained on the menu, and it is the only dessert we buy because the others are made in-house. Any other celebrities with special requests? Charlie Chaplin wanted to sit at the only table that was by the window, from which he could watch his horse, that he would ride from his studies in L a B r e a - t o d a y k n o w n a s Hanson Studio - all the way to Musso & Frank. He would r a c e w i t h a c t o r R o d o l f o V a l e n t i n o , a n d w h o e v e r arrived last paid the bill. He ate only one thing: grilled lamb kidney. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones also orders only one thing, liver with onions. Many Hollywood stars have been frequenting the venue for many years. Is that so? Y e s , J o h n n y D e p p f o r example has always been a regular, even at the beginning of his career when he was still a penniless actor. Mr. Mosso's d a u g h t e r a t t h e t i m e h a d taken a liking to him and did not make him pay the bill. Depp had written on his busi- n e s s c a r d s t h e t e l e p h o n e number of one of the three telephone booths that were inside the venue and which are still there today. One of these was the first public tele- p h o n e b o o t h i n s t a l l e d i n Hollywood. He would sit at the table closest to the booth and when the phone rang, he would answer and pretend to be in the office. In addition to main- taining the traditions that help protect this atmos- phere, what are Musso & F r a n k o t h e r w i n n i n g points? Our strength is that we can create interpersonal relation- ships with customers but also with our employees and sell- ers: with some of them, we have relationships that have b e e n l a s t i n g f o r d e c a d e s . Without the team, there is no Musso & Frank. For example, our chef, JP Amateau, is the son of a screenwriter who was very famous in the 50s and 60s, Rod Amateau. One of the most popular shows he wrote was the Dukes of Hazard, also very popular in Italy. He, like other writers, was a regular at Musso & Frank and took JP as a child to lunch with him. Now, decades later, JP is the restaurant's executive chef, and in Musso's history, he is o n l y t h e t h i r d t o h a v e achieved this title! Italian General Manager at Musso & Frank tells us about the iconic restaurant's curiosities SILVIA GIUDICI Musso & Frank's owners and staff photo (Photo courtesy of Tina Whatcott Echeverria) THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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