Trio of Change

Change is inevitable, and no matter how much we resist it, it typically manages to beat us over the head at some point. “They” say bad news comes in threes, so I am hoping that when it comes to favorite restaurant closures, this is it for a while. This spring, longtime favorite Hob Nob Hill closed down for good, after struggling for a year under the poor choices of the new owners. The place I originally fell in love with was fairly priced, large portions, great service, and made-from-scratch meals that tasted like mom made ’em. It was one of those staples that I ate at often, and my friends all dug it, too. No more Cincinnati Chili:



…and no more group gatherings where you didn’t feel like you needed to be ushered out. Nothing but good times, good food, and good memories.



Nearly every trip to LA featured a lunchtime stop at Mauro Cafe on Melrose, in the now defunct West Hollywood Fred Segal shopping center.



Every friend I took there raved; with both indoor and outdoor seating, you could guarantee that there would be fun people watching (and a celeb or two), delicious food, and servers who looked like they just stepped off the runway.



It was also Willis approved.





They had a lemonade slushee that was tart as could be and I LOVED it. On my most recent trip to LA, I was going to stop at the recently moved Mauro, but ran out of time. Oh well, I’ll catch it next time, I reasoned to myself. Next time is now never. It has permanently closed. Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today. So many adages today.



Yesterday, I learned that local favorite Madison in University Heights is also closing down, to replaced by who knows what.



This was another place that I typically took out-of-town guests to, including my mom. It got her stamp of approval, which is no small feat; Tony is one tough customer.



The drinks were a tasty precursor to the meal, which was followed by their awesome desserts. Presentation was a hallmark of this place:



The barrel ceiling and mod design were unique, pairing perfectly with Madison’s vibe.



Many a special occasion was celebrated here, including a birthday or two.



Good friend Mona and her husband Patrick recently went there for a belated birthday celebration. We had no idea it would be our last time there. Had I known I would have brought my camera. Another lesson - never leave the camera at home.



The moral of the story: if there are places you want to go to, or a restaurant you enjoy dining at, get your ass there. Support it. Don’t let it languish. Like anything in life, nothing lasts forever, except maybe the sting of regret.

See more San Diego photos at my main website.

Au Revoir, Sweet Lady Jane

Almost twenty years ago (yikes!), the gorgeous girl in the middle of the above photo was part of my regular visits to LA. Erin gave facials at the Ole Henriksen salon on Sunset Boulevard, and I can still say hands down that she was the BEST. On top of that, she’s a kick-ass gal that you would want on your team and as a friend. I enjoyed our conversations as much as I did the facials. On one of my visits, she told me and Doug that we HAD to try the cake at Sweet Lady Jane bakery on Melrose. When Erin spoke, we listened.



The bakery was small, but its desserts packed a wallop. They were especially known for their Triple Berry Cake. It was one of the most amazing concoctions; sweet, delicious, and light. You didn’t feel like you had gorged on something that left you in a food coma. It was out of this world and paved the way for the fame that Sweet Lady Jane experienced during their tenure. From their website:

AT SWEET LADY JANE, OUR MISSION IS TO CREATE DECADENT DESSERTS THAT LEAVE A LASTING IMPRESSION. Sweet Lady Jane first opened our doors on Melrose in 1988. Founded by Jane Lockhart, our dessert shops focused on using the best quality ingredients and simple technique to create something undeniably delicious and unique. Cakes, pies, tarts, cookies– these craveable desserts became popular throughout the Los Angeles area and more locations were soon to come. Ever since, Sweet Lady Jane is the premiere destination for every special occasion. We aim to deliver the most special and delicious centerpiece for every gathering with a focus on consistency, quality, and taste. Our beloved Triple Berry Cake has been spotted at the celebrations of friends and celebrities alike. More than three decades later, we continue to commit to crafting confections that guests love and making hosting just that much easier.

The bakery wasn’t just frequented by ordinary folks like me; it was also a favorite of Hollywood celebrities including Taylor Swift, Sophie Bush, Blake Lively, and Kim Kardashian. Whenever I had a special occasion or birthday, Sweet Lady Jane was my go-to bakery. On one occasion, I bought one of the Triple Berry Cakes to take back home to San Diego. I was staying at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and asked them to put it in their refrigerator overnight (the one in the room was too small). When it came time to checkout, the staff had no idea where the cake was and refused to compensate me. Yes, I was honked off. For a fall 2015 event I was having at the Chateau Marmont, I met with one of the Sweet Lady Jane employees to create a custom designed cake.



She couldn’t have been friendlier and the result surpassed all expectations. The lemon cake was divine and the little chocolate pawprints (for Willis) were adorable.



When it came time to celebrate Shirley Temple’s birthday anniversary after the pandemic had ended, the cake had to come from Sweet Lady Jane. Here, SJR and Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) proudly stand outside the bakery, circa April 2022:



Shirley T. herself would have been proud of the resulting Triple Berry Cake!



That summer, to honor my friend Will’s birthday, a decadent chocolate ganache cake was ordered. Decadent is an understatement.



Last April, I returned once again to Sweet Lady Jane for a Shirley Cake.



The interior, as snapped by Melissa:



Sea Salt Brownies were added to the mix of sweets; oh how I could use one now! They melted in your mouth and had just the right amount of salty mixed in with the sweet chocolate.



Shirley’s rich cake and brownies are shown below. I also loved the elegant gold candles that Sweet Lady Jane gave out with their cakes. Well, they didn’t exactly give them out. I paid for them.



Lighting the candles:



Have you got a picture of how I feel about Sweet Lady Jane yet? Now maybe you can understand how it hit me when a friend told me that this favorite LA tradition was no more. From their January 1, 2024 Instagram announcement:

Dear Community, After 35 years we are closing our doors. Our last day of business was December 31, 2023. We did not come to this decision lightly nor quickly. While the support and loyalty of our customers has been strong, sales are not enough to continue doing business in the state of California, allowing us to service our lease obligations and pay our treasured employees a living wage without passing those costs directly on to you. For more than three decades, we didn’t just build a loyal customer base, we created a real community. It has been a privilege to be included in your sweetest moments. Big and small. LA’s most beloved Triple Berry Cake will live on in your memories, and in ours. Thank you. Sweet Lady Jane

From Blake Lively:

No. No. No. heartbroken sending love and gratitude for the years of joy and deliciousness. Come open in NY. We need you here :)

The comments were a mixed bag of sadness from former customers and also some nasty snipes from what might perhaps be called social media trolls:

I have loved your cakes for years but to blame California for your over expansion and the woes that come with that is unfair. Where else in the country except NY can you charge $100 for a cake? So California and Los Angeles were good to you all these years in making your business, now it’s to blame. Sorry - It’s on you! So sorry for your employees and that they got no warning of this.

*

It’s baffling to attribute the issues to California. If you believe that fairly compensating your employees led to your downfall, perhaps you don’t truly value their contribution. We invested in your pricey cakes, a luxury not available in many states, yet you can’t prioritize a decent minimum wage for the ones who shaped your business’s success over the years. Quite disappointing.

A rebuttal:

They can but if after paying a decent wage they have $0 profit why stay open? They are not a vessel for employees and government taxes, they are a business, meaning they had to make over $200k profit in California per location to stay viable.

I took Lady Jane’s surprising announcement at face value, assuming their downfall was a combination of a too-quick expansion, faltering economy, and California’s high cost of living/crazy taxes. Apparently there was more to the story as there so often is. Edited from a January 13th LA Times Article:

For nearly seven months, the companies behind Sweet Lady Jane have been embroiled in a class-action lawsuit filed by an employee who alleged wage theft, according to court documents reviewed by The Times. Employees also said the company suffered from mismanagement. Blanca Juarez, who worked at the bakery for about two months in 2022, alleged that Sweet Lady Jane LLC and SLJ Wholesale LLC did not compensate her for all hours worked, including overtime, as well as for missed meal periods and rest breaks, according to a complaint filed June 30 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. “Defendants engaged in a pattern and practice of wage abuse against their hourly-paid or non-exempt employees,” the lawsuit reads. Juarez also accused the bakery of not keeping accurate payroll records and of failing to provide “reimbursement for necessary business-related expenses,” according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that Sweet Lady Jane had the ability to pay but “willfully, knowingly, and intentionally failed to do so” in an effort to “increase Defendants’ profits.” In court filings, the bakery chain denied Juarez’s allegations and called the complaint “unverified.” Lawyers wrote that Juarez and other employees who could join the lawsuit have been paid “all sums earned by them that are due.” In a court document filed Tuesday, lawyers said the companies intend to file for a state alternative to bankruptcy, which could allow creditors, including former employees, to try to recover what they are owed. Some former workers have been offered severance packages, according to documents obtained by The Times. The documents say that if employees sign the deal, they must agree not to join lawsuits “seeking any additional amounts of money or to participate in any class, collective or representative actions.” Concerns over finances predated the companywide closure. Phoebe Davidson, who was employed from summer 2021 to summer 2022, said Sweet Lady Jane had been cutting back on its menu and hitching up prices. When a 9-inch cake had cost about $90, Davidson said, customers would often round up to $100 for a tip. But the company raised the price to $100. “Then people wouldn’t tip us,” Davidson said. “And we started asking for raises, and they were like, ‘Well, there’s no money for raises.’ How’s that possible when we’re selling thousands of dollars worth of cake a day?”

Davidson’s comment is typical of those who don’t run a business themselves. When a company overextends itself financially with expansion and remodeling, the money to cover those expenses has to come from somewhere, and that’s why the products have to exponentially increase in price. Sweet Lady Jane’s $100 cakes surpassed the general customer’s pain threshold and the business had to close. Sad, but this is not atypical of business in general. This one just happened to play out publicly.

With my 60th around the corner, where will my cake come from now? I don’t think Sweet Lady Jane’s cannabis friendly neighbor on Melrose is going to be the solution:



Erin, I am relying on you to find the next best alternative!



See more photos at my main website.

The RKO Globe: Up close and (semi) personal

Any classic cinema fan worth their salt is familiar with the RKO Radio Picture trademark that was featured at the beginning of their films. Maybe you are familiar with “Citizen Kane,” “Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life”? The globe and radio tower weren’t just part of celluloid; they actually existed at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Gower Street in Hollywood, on top of Stage 21.



Now a part of Paramount Studios, the radio tower is gone, but the globe remains, barely visible from below as cars and pedestrians pass by.



As fate would have it, I had the opportunity to see the globe at eye level recently, and fortunately I had my camera.



Could you get a better framed detail view? The Hollywood sign AND the globe!



The old RKO studios where bought out by Desilu (“I Love Lucy”) in 1957, then sold to Paramount ten years later. It appears that the Globe was threatened back in 2015. According to the Los Angeles Visionaries Association:

Paramount’s new Master Plan calls for demolition of eight stages and multiple other ancillary buildings. One of the stages intended for demolition is Stage 21 at the corner of Melrose and Gower. The historic RKO Radio Pictures Studio Globe that sits atop Stage 21 is currently slated for demolition.

I’m not sure of the behind-the-scenes status, but I am glad it’s still there!

See more photos at my main website.

Shirley Palooza Four Pt. 3: Paramount Pictures

The best days start with bacon, so Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) and I shared a huge plate of the Chateau Marmont’s bacon. It is the best EVER.

Paramount was the only major movie studio left that I hadn’t done a tour of, and Melissa rectified that by arranging a VIP Tour for those interested. The Melrose Gate, named after Melrose Avenue where it is located. Duh!





The waiting area for the tour had a number of interesting pieces of Paramount history including an outfit for Anjelica Huston by Theoni V. Aldridge from “Addams Family Values” (1993):



A prosthetic Brad Pitt head from “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008):



The first Best Picture Oscar for “Wings,” 1927/1928:



And then our guide arrived and we were on our way to the iconic Bronson Gate:



A souvenir shot of our group was snapped for us:



Every studio HAS to have an elegant theater, and Paramount is no exception:



One of the movies that premiered here was “Forrest Gump” with Tom Hanks. The photo gallery in the lobby included a portrait of Hanks from the film:



Outside the theater you can see the Bench that he sat on:



In the 1950 Billy Wilder classic “Sunset Boulevard,” Gloria Swanson’s character, Norma Desmond, comes roaring up to the Bronson Gate in her Isotta-Fraschini:



then greets director Cecil B. DeMille who is filming on Soundstage 18:



Still there today!



In the same movie, Nancy Olson and Bill Holden begin their characters’ love affair in the writing offices of Paramount:



Yup…still there!



One of the real insider treats of the tour was getting to visit the Sign Department:



Signs are appropriately aged here:



…and fake cereal boxes are created:



For me though, nothing compares to the backlot. I LOVE seeing these buildings that have served so many purposes in film after film. Welcome to New York, via Hollywood!



A few vintage cars were being towed around the lot for an upcoming shoot:



Looks realistic on the outside:



…but is completely empty on the inside. Just like so many people in La La Land!



No real bricks were harmed here!



A break for lunch included this delicious buffet. I couldn’t believe how tasty it was, as my expectations from other studio tours was very low!



And then it was onto wardrobe! Dinah Manoff’s Pink Ladies jacket from “Grease” (1978) designed by Albert Wolsky:



Are you ready to audition for the Rydell High cheerleading squad? Here’s one of the original outfits:



This one blew me away. The iconic outfit worn by Barbara Stanwyck in 1944’s “Double Indemnity”:





A pair of sandals worn by Anne Baxter in “The Ten Commandments.” I can just hear her saying “Moses, Moses…”



And then onto one of the many vaults where the film itself is actually stored.



This is not just any Movieola machine:



It’s the one used for “I Love Lucy.” See the Desilu etched on there?



Melissa had an emotional moment when we reached the soundstage where “Little House on the Prairie” was filmed.



Can you guess what was famous scene was filmed on this parking lot with the painted blue sky background?



If you guessed the parting of the Red Sea from “The Ten Commandments” you would be correct! The huge area also doubles as a filming area, and can be filled up with water.



The prop warehouse had a few interesting pieces on display.



The 1962 Cadillac de Ville used in “Dream Girls” (2008):



A clock from “Benjamin Button”:



Good thing I had been going to the gym.



After the tour, we trekked across the street from Paramount to Hollywood Forever Cemetery to pay our respects to Judy.



Appropriately, there was a rainbow on the floor in front of her crypt.



What a memorable day! Still more to come!

See more Paramount Pictures photos at my main website.