Chapter 1 ~ Welcome to Musso & Frank
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.
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
October 29th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
The Musso & Frank website is certainly a labor of love. It is a great tribute to a long-standing Hollywood tradition and a most beloved institution. Thanks for the greating job on the site, the colorful format and wonderful pictures. The coverage on the the waiters is quite outstanding, they must love it.
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
SUPERB !
Thanks to seeing your website, with its inherent warmth and images of history, I am absolutely determined to visit your fine establishment.
– Rob (London England)
February 18th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Thank you for this lovely tribute to my favorite dining establishment. This is an important salute. I do hope it continues to grow with lore and ephemera.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Been here several times. Best waiters, food, (especially the Diplomat desert) and atmosphere. We are planning to go again soon. One thing I wish they would have kept the original front. The new one is to plain ( no curb appeal)and does not do the place justice.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I had dinner there this past Saturday evening. I brought along a lovely first-timer. She absolutely adored the experience and the service. We sat at the grill counter near back and soaked it all in along with a couple of martinis, an order of sand dabs, a rare filet with plenty of watercress, and a side of creamed spinach. Life is good.
February 25th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Thank you for a FANTASTIC website! I really enjoy reading about all the waiters and the cast of characters that frequent this fine establishment. I try to go in there at least once a month when I am in town. What a great place. Thank you again for this wonderful website.
July 16th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
I would love to see some good photos of the bar. I hear it’s quite interesting.
September 4th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Love the historic web site you have. Last year some good friends took us by to show us the place and have an after dinner drink. We had dinner at another somewhat famous eatery. When we walked into Musso and Frank I instantly got a whiff of their steaks cooking, OMG I think I could have sat down and ate again. Yummm!
We had our after dinner drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere and talking with our bartender Ruben who has been there since 1967. Very enjoyable evening out with my wife, her sister and our good friends. Were coming back for more drinks and those fabulous steaks.
December 21st, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Great job on the website Jordan. This has been long in coming. Best of luck! Mike Barrett
January 26th, 2010 at 3:34 am
Awesome Post.
June 18th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone is famous at Musso & Frank. Sit back, have a drink and enjoy the fine company of those around you.
July 17th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Celebrated my 65th birthday at Musso & Franks’ on July 15th. Drove up from San Diego just to have dinner with Manny in the old room. I have been coming to this restaurant since 1981 and have always sat at the counter. What a pleasant evening. Just like it was yesterday when I went there for the 1st time. Manny has signed every menu since I began going there. I have over 75 now in my collection. As Manny said the other evening “…Mr. C. we are getting older and better together.” As a bonus Nicolas Cage was 3 seats down and he was very gracious to my wife and we took a picture together and signed our menu. A true gentleman.
January 15th, 2011 at 11:32 am
I’m the Des Moines Register’s restaurant reviewer, and I adored Musso and Frank. I posted some thoughts on it at:
desmoinesregister.com/diner
Thanks for this beautiful site. It brought back great memories. If anyone knows of other old-school joints like this in other places across the country, please let me know! It’s a culinary hobby of mine to seek them out.
March 27th, 2011 at 1:43 am
I had the honor of befriending Manny Felix, who was always a kick ass waiter, and as a waiter myself, Manny served as an inspiration and mentor!
-Jeff Fernandez
June 25th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
In 1956 when I was a very young ensign student at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, I was houseguest of my shipmate’s parents in E Los Angeles. My aunt’s husband, a Navy chief, had performed a great favor for RAYMOND BURR. He told them “If you and Sue are ever in L.A., look me up and I’ll show you the town.” So “shy as I was,” I paid $10 to Celebrity Service and obtained Mr. Burr’s answering service number and left a message “Mr. Burr, I am Tony Dellaca’s nephew…” I didn’t think he would call, but lo and behold, he did! He said he didn’t think that his current project would be interesting but would like to take us to lunch at Musso and Frank’s Grill. What a thrill! He had just been asked to try for “Perry Mason” by Gail Patrick and Cornwell Jackson, and he had just taken delivery on a new Thunderbird with custom seats to accommodate his height. There he introduced us to Dorothy and Bob Mitchum as well as a friend who when asked, “What’s your latest project?” replied, “I directed the Red Sea Sequence in Cecil B deMille’s “The Ten Commandments.” What a day that was!
July 8th, 2011 at 9:51 am
We ate at M and F for the first time last night. Heavenly! The atmosphere, the food, the wait staff, were all perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. This great web site is the icing on the cake. I’ll peruse the site while I’m waiting on my next trip to the wonderful Musso and Frank!