JOHN-O's Mid-Century Guide to the San Gabriel Valley, CA - Tiki Travel

J JOHN-O Tiki Socialite Dogtown, USA Joined: May 16, 2008 Posts: 2721	J JOHN-O Posted posted on Thu, Oct 1, 2009 6:22 PM OK, so mention the 2 cities of Rosemead and Whittier, CA to your average person. You're likely to get the response of "Why would I ever go there?" After all it's not like they're major tourist destinations like Santa Monica or Hollywood. A Tiki-phile however will immediately recognize them as the otherwise obscure cities for the Bahooka and Oceanic Arts. Now people making the trek out to Tiki-Ti (Hollywood/Silverlake), Trader Vic’s (Downtown LA) and Don the Beachcomber (Huntington Beach) will have no problem finding other interesting places to visit. I have a feeling, however, that when Tiki fans schlep out to Rosemead and Whittier from Orange County, Northern Cal, or even New York or Germany, they ask themselves the same question. What else is there to do around here? The greater San Gabriel Valley gets no respect. Even in tourist guides, the Bahooka gets lumped into the Pasadena section. It's like anyplace that isn't the beach, Hollywood, downtown LA, or the Westside doesn't exist. Now I know Tiki people have an appreciation for the mid-century historic, kitschy and divey. That was the point of my Las Vegas guide: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30590&forum=1&52 What I'd like to do in this post is point out all of the cool mid-century (or otherwise unique) spots that survive in the SGV. It is after all where I grew up (I went to high school across from the Bahooka.) You'll find that most of these places fly low under the radar since they're not located in hipster neighborhoods like Silver Lake or Echo Park. If they were, you'd have the skinny jeans crowd queued up down the block to get their "ironic" old-school experience. Why do you think Tiki-Ti gets so crowded on weekend nights? (Beside the drinks that knock them on their ass.) Let's start with the area surrounding Rosemead. North Woods Inn (1959) This place is a tribute to the days when restaurants were shaped like hot dogs, derby hats, and chili bowls. The building itself is almost the point of the visit. Things really get surreal in the summer when you're entering into a "snow" covered log cabin and the outside temperature is 90+ degrees. FYI, kids love this place. The interior is as kitschy as the exterior, and you can throw your used peanut shells on the floor. The North Woods Inn is located 3 miles from the Bahooka at 7247 Rosemead Blvd, San Gabriel. The Hat (1951) This greasy pastrami joint is SGV's answer to LA's Johnnie's Pastrami (or Pink's or Tommy's.) There are several branches but the original is located 4 miles from the Bahooka at 1 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra. (There’s also a much closer location at 5505 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City.) It's like they dropped a 1950's American hamburger stand in the middle of Taiwan. Don't know what I'm talking about? Keep reading. BTW this is great drunk food, they stay open until 1am. "Who says Tiki-philes have to eat bad faux Chinese food?" If you didn't know, the SGV neighborhoods of Monterey Park, Alhambra, and San Gabriel are home to the word's first suburban Chinatown. There are several hundred (!!) dim sum, seafood, dumpling, etc. restaurants in the area. I won't even begin to make a specific recommendation here. You can "Yelp" it as places tend to go in and out of favor as quickly as chefs jump ship. What's that you say? You only like exotic things after they've gone through an American strainer (like Tiki). Ok, let's talk about Italian food, what’s more American than that? Di Pilla’s Italian Restaurant (1967) This place is near and dear to my heart. I’ve been eating their pizza since Kindergarten when the owners’ 5-year old daughter passed out business cards to all the kids. This food is imprinted on to my DNA. The old-school cuisine is great and the décor is classic Italian restaurant clichés (plastic grape vines, exposed brick walls, vintage photos, etc.) Another nearby SGV institution is Petrillo’s (1954). Growing up, the classic argument was Di Pilla’s vs. Petrillo’s. I was always a Di Pilla’s man. Di Pilla’s is located 1 mile from the Bahooka at 9013 Valley Blvd, Rosemead. OK, enough childhood nostalgia, I’m sure every (lucky) suburban neighborhood has pizza places like these. Let’s jump into something a little more unique in nearby Monterey Park. Venice Room (1957) This dark bar definitely vibes old-school with its Venetian murals, red vinyl booths, and gilded wallpaper. What’s really unique is that you can grill your own steaks in the adjoining dining room and I understand they serve free tamales and menudo on Sunday mornings. Even though it borders a Chinese neighborhood, it primarily draws in a middle-class Mexican American clientele. Check out weekend nights for the popular karaoke and Latina cougars on the prowl. This scene could only exist in LA. The Venice Room is located 7 miles from the Bahooka at 2428 S Garfield Ave, Monterey Park. (FYI, even though they serve food, this is a bar. 21 and over please.) Now it's time to move towards the southern border of the SGV where Oceanic Arts is located. Now I know some of you might be saying “John-O, most of your suggestions around the Bahooka are pointless since we’ll already be eating and drinking there”. (FYI, I may drink there but I never eat there.) Well that might be true for a Bahooka visit but the last time I checked, OA wasn’t serving Mai Tais. In which case, I recommend the following mid-century gem to get your drink on after a hard day of Tiki shopping. Embers Lounge (1963) This is the dive bar from Hell (literally). This place is famous for its murals and portraits of nubile devil girls tempting men into the service of Satan. The artist was Frank Bowers who in the 1930’s did murals for public spaces like the South Gate City Hall (I’ve included an image.) What a contrast !! This guy might have experienced his own personal descent into Hell as the Embers paintings were his last work before he died in 1964. During the day this is a friendly enough place frequented by local bar flies. I understand in the evenings though, the crowd can get a little rough. Last year, a woman got stabbed in a cat fight near the restrooms. So if you should happen to visit after dark and find yourself getting the (unlikely) stink eye from OG veteranos at the bar, you might want to grab some BBQ at next door Chris & Pitts instead. Embers Lounge is located only 2 miles from OA at 11332 Washington Blvd, Whittier. They open for drinks at 11am !! For more info on Frank Bowers, please go to: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=34053&forum=16&20 Tamarack Inn (1961) Imagine if Clifton’s Cafeteria had a bar, this would be it. (Thanks to Kim Cooper of 1947project for the analogy. She nailed it.) It's like drinking in a cozy forest cabin. What, you’ve never been to Clifton’s on Broadway in downtown LA before ?? !! You need to knock 5 points off your LA mid-century pop culture credibility. You're just a Tiki poseur. :) In addition to the bar, they serve a BBQ menu. The Tamarack Inn is located 3 miles from OA at 9257 Slauson Ave, Pico Rivera. They open at 11:30am Tu-Sa and 3:00pm Su-Mo (I’d call to verify.) Dal Rae (1958) So what kind of place is the Dal Rae? Let’s say the year is early 1960, and Frank Sinatra is planning a big Tiki bash at his groovy Palm Springs pad for (the then) Senator John F. Kennedy. The booze and broads are lined up but a Tiki party needs tikis. Frank and Peter Lawford jump in the caddy and head out to Oceanic Arts where they pick out the goodies and arrange for a delivery. In the mood for a steak and 3-martini lunch, where do they decide to go? The most swinging place in close proximity – the Dal Rae. Dino and Sammy drop by later. Did this really happen? Maybe not, but if the Rat Pack ever did visit OA, you can bet they would have ended up at the Dal Rae. It’s that kind of place. The Dal Rae is located 3 miles from OA at 9023 Washington Blvd, Pico Rivera. They open for lunch at 11am M-F and dinner at 5pm nightly. Steak N’ Stein (1946) Not Frankenstein, I said Steak N’ Stein. Brought to you by Clearman's, the good people behind the North Woods Inn. Besides the Dal Rae, this is the other place in Pico Rivera to get an old-school steakhouse experience. While the Dal Rae is upscale 1950's modern, Steak N' Stein is 1940's dark and rustic. Check out that circular lounge around the flaming fire pit !! This is truly a great mid-century time machine and arguably better value than the more expensive Dal Rae. Steak N’ Stein is located 3 miles from OA at 9545 Whittier Blvd, Pico Rivera. They open for dinner at 5pm. So there you have it. Sometimes you just need to get out of that Tiki ghetto and try out some other mid-century fun. I hope you find these recommendations useful. Please feel free to add your own suggestions. JOHN-O [ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-07-06 00:20 ]

OK, so mention the 2 cities of Rosemead and Whittier, CA to your average person. You're likely to get the response of "Why would I ever go there?" After all it's not like they're major tourist destinations like Santa Monica or Hollywood. A Tiki-phile however will immediately recognize them as the otherwise obscure cities for the Bahooka and Oceanic Arts.

Now people making the trek out to Tiki-Ti (Hollywood/Silverlake), Trader Vic’s (Downtown LA) and Don the Beachcomber (Huntington Beach) will have no problem finding other interesting places to visit. I have a feeling, however, that when Tiki fans schlep out to Rosemead and Whittier from Orange County, Northern Cal, or even New York or Germany, they ask themselves the same question. What else is there to do around here?

The greater San Gabriel Valley gets no respect. Even in tourist guides, the Bahooka gets lumped into the Pasadena section. It's like anyplace that isn't the beach, Hollywood, downtown LA, or the Westside doesn't exist. Now I know Tiki people have an appreciation for the mid-century historic, kitschy and divey. That was the point of my Las Vegas guide:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30590&forum=1&52

What I'd like to do in this post is point out all of the cool mid-century (or otherwise unique) spots that survive in the SGV. It is after all where I grew up (I went to high school across from the Bahooka.) You'll find that most of these places fly low under the radar since they're not located in hipster neighborhoods like Silver Lake or Echo Park. If they were, you'd have the skinny jeans crowd queued up down the block to get their "ironic" old-school experience. Why do you think Tiki-Ti gets so crowded on weekend nights? (Beside the drinks that knock them on their ass.)

Let's start with the area surrounding Rosemead.

North Woods Inn (1959)

This place is a tribute to the days when restaurants were shaped like hot dogs, derby hats, and chili bowls. The building itself is almost the point of the visit. Things really get surreal in the summer when you're entering into a "snow" covered log cabin and the outside temperature is 90+ degrees. FYI, kids love this place. The interior is as kitschy as the exterior, and you can throw your used peanut shells on the floor.

The North Woods Inn is located 3 miles from the Bahooka at 7247 Rosemead Blvd, San Gabriel.

The Hat (1951)

This greasy pastrami joint is SGV's answer to LA's Johnnie's Pastrami (or Pink's or Tommy's.) There are several branches but the original is located 4 miles from the Bahooka at 1 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra. (There’s also a much closer location at 5505 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City.) It's like they dropped a 1950's American hamburger stand in the middle of Taiwan. Don't know what I'm talking about? Keep reading. BTW this is great drunk food, they stay open until 1am.

"Who says Tiki-philes have to eat bad faux Chinese food?"

If you didn't know, the SGV neighborhoods of Monterey Park, Alhambra, and San Gabriel are home to the word's first suburban Chinatown. There are several hundred (!!) dim sum, seafood, dumpling, etc. restaurants in the area. I won't even begin to make a specific recommendation here. You can "Yelp" it as places tend to go in and out of favor as quickly as chefs jump ship.

What's that you say? You only like exotic things after they've gone through an American strainer (like Tiki). Ok, let's talk about Italian food, what’s more American than that?

Di Pilla’s Italian Restaurant (1967)

This place is near and dear to my heart. I’ve been eating their pizza since Kindergarten when the owners’ 5-year old daughter passed out business cards to all the kids. This food is imprinted on to my DNA. The old-school cuisine is great and the décor is classic Italian restaurant clichés (plastic grape vines, exposed brick walls, vintage photos, etc.) Another nearby SGV institution is Petrillo’s (1954). Growing up, the classic argument was Di Pilla’s vs. Petrillo’s. I was always a Di Pilla’s man.

Di Pilla’s is located 1 mile from the Bahooka at 9013 Valley Blvd, Rosemead.

OK, enough childhood nostalgia, I’m sure every (lucky) suburban neighborhood has pizza places like these. Let’s jump into something a little more unique in nearby Monterey Park.

Venice Room (1957)

This dark bar definitely vibes old-school with its Venetian murals, red vinyl booths, and gilded wallpaper. What’s really unique is that you can grill your own steaks in the adjoining dining room and I understand they serve free tamales and menudo on Sunday mornings. Even though it borders a Chinese neighborhood, it primarily draws in a middle-class Mexican American clientele. Check out weekend nights for the popular karaoke and Latina cougars on the prowl. This scene could only exist in LA.

The Venice Room is located 7 miles from the Bahooka at 2428 S Garfield Ave, Monterey Park. (FYI, even though they serve food, this is a bar. 21 and over please.)

Now it's time to move towards the southern border of the SGV where Oceanic Arts is located. Now I know some of you might be saying “John-O, most of your suggestions around the Bahooka are pointless since we’ll already be eating and drinking there”. (FYI, I may drink there but I never eat there.)

Well that might be true for a Bahooka visit but the last time I checked, OA wasn’t serving Mai Tais. In which case, I recommend the following mid-century gem to get your drink on after a hard day of Tiki shopping.

Embers Lounge (1963)

This is the dive bar from Hell (literally).

This place is famous for its murals and portraits of nubile devil girls tempting men into the service of Satan. The artist was Frank Bowers who in the 1930’s did murals for public spaces like the South Gate City Hall (I’ve included an image.) What a contrast !! This guy might have experienced his own personal descent into Hell as the Embers paintings were his last work before he died in 1964.

During the day this is a friendly enough place frequented by local bar flies. I understand in the evenings though, the crowd can get a little rough. Last year, a woman got stabbed in a cat fight near the restrooms. So if you should happen to visit after dark and find yourself getting the (unlikely) stink eye from OG veteranos at the bar, you might want to grab some BBQ at next door Chris & Pitts instead.

Embers Lounge is located only 2 miles from OA at 11332 Washington Blvd, Whittier. They open for drinks at 11am !!

For more info on Frank Bowers, please go to:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=34053&forum=16&20

Tamarack Inn (1961)

Imagine if Clifton’s Cafeteria had a bar, this would be it. (Thanks to Kim Cooper of 1947project for the analogy. She nailed it.) It's like drinking in a cozy forest cabin.

What, you’ve never been to Clifton’s on Broadway in downtown LA before ?? !! You need to knock 5 points off your LA mid-century pop culture credibility. You're just a Tiki poseur. :)

In addition to the bar, they serve a BBQ menu.

The Tamarack Inn is located 3 miles from OA at 9257 Slauson Ave, Pico Rivera. They open at 11:30am Tu-Sa and 3:00pm Su-Mo (I’d call to verify.)

Dal Rae (1958)

So what kind of place is the Dal Rae? Let’s say the year is early 1960, and Frank Sinatra is planning a big Tiki bash at his groovy Palm Springs pad for (the then) Senator John F. Kennedy. The booze and broads are lined up but a Tiki party needs tikis. Frank and Peter Lawford jump in the caddy and head out to Oceanic Arts where they pick out the goodies and arrange for a delivery. In the mood for a steak and 3-martini lunch, where do they decide to go? The most swinging place in close proximity – the Dal Rae. Dino and Sammy drop by later.

Did this really happen? Maybe not, but if the Rat Pack ever did visit OA, you can bet they would have ended up at the Dal Rae. It’s that kind of place.

The Dal Rae is located 3 miles from OA at 9023 Washington Blvd, Pico Rivera. They open for lunch at 11am M-F and dinner at 5pm nightly.

Steak N’ Stein (1946)

Not Frankenstein, I said Steak N’ Stein. Brought to you by Clearman's, the good people behind the North Woods Inn. Besides the Dal Rae, this is the other place in Pico Rivera to get an old-school steakhouse experience. While the Dal Rae is upscale 1950's modern, Steak N' Stein is 1940's dark and rustic. Check out that circular lounge around the flaming fire pit !! This is truly a great mid-century time machine and arguably better value than the more expensive Dal Rae.

Steak N’ Stein is located 3 miles from OA at 9545 Whittier Blvd, Pico Rivera. They open for dinner at 5pm.

So there you have it. Sometimes you just need to get out of that Tiki ghetto and try out some other mid-century fun. I hope you find these recommendations useful. Please feel free to add your own suggestions.

JOHN-O

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-07-06 00:20 ]

Post #486021 by JOHN-O on Thu, Oct 1, 2009 6:22 PM