Miceli’s Restaurant

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After watching Kyra Sedgwick’s Star Ceremony last week, my friend Blaze and I headed over to Hollywood’s oldest pizzeria, better known as Miceli’s Restaurant,  to grab a bite to eat.   Miceli’s – pronounced Micheli’s – opened its doors way back in 1949 and has the distinction of being known as Hollywood’s first pizza house.  The restaurant was started by an Italian couple named Carmen and Sylvia Miceli, along with four of their siblings, who brought their family recipes all the way from Sicily to Los Angeles.  The restaurant is still owned and operated by the Miceli family and apparently, most nights, Carmen, himself, is on hand to great his guests!  Because of the restaurants’ storied Hollywood history, I just HAD to stalk the place.  🙂

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And I wasn’t disappointed!!  The second you walk through Miceli’s front doors you are immediately transported back in time!  With its dimly lit interior, red leather booths, and black and white photographs of celebrities of yesteryear lining the entryway, the restaurant definitely gives off an Old Hollywood vibe.  It is such  a cool place!!!!  My favorite part of Miceli’s had to be the intricately carved wood and red leather booths.  I’ve never seen booths like that in my entire life!  Ironically, the booths originally belonged to the old Pig N’ Whistle restaurant, which I blogged about yesterday.   When the Pig N’ Whistle closed its doors in 1949, its gorgeous wooden booths were sold to Miceli’s, where they remain to this day. 

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I was also pretty obsessed with the ceilings at Miceli’s.  🙂  I don’t know what it is with me and ceilings lately, but every time I walk into a historic building my eyes always go directly up to the roof.  Nine times out of ten, the ceilings of old buildings are like works of art.  And Miceli’s ceiling certainly did not disappoint.  Intricate wrought iron chandeliers hang from gorgeous carved wooden beams throughout the restaurant.  Unfortunately, because Miceli’s is so dimly lit, my photographs of the interior did not come out very well.  🙁 

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Not surprisingly, Miceli’s Restaurant has always been popular with celebrities.  During Hollywood’s Golden Era, stars like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, my girl Marilyn Monroe, and Presidents Nixon and JFK all dined at Miceli’s.  In more recent years, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, The Beatles, and Julia Roberts have all been spotted at the eatery. 

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And, yes, Miceli’s is also a filming location!  In 2007’s Knocked Up, Seth Rogan takes his baby momma, Katherine Heigl, to the historic restaurant on a date.

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I HIGHLY recommend stalking Miceli’s!   The place is worth a trip just for the ambiance alone!   But besides the decor, the food at Miceli’s is also EXCELLENT and the portions are ginormous!   I just about died over the restaurant’s garlic toast!!   Sadly, though, since we ate at Miceli’s during lunchtime, we missed the “singing waiters” which the Italian restaurant is famous for.  🙁   Every night, the Miceli servers step up to the piano to serenade diners with authentic Italian arias, show tunes, and the standards.  Sometimes patrons are even invited to get up and sing a note or two themselves.  Since karaoke is one of my very favorite past times, I am definitely planning on dragging my fiance there for a nighttime visit!  🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: Miceli’s Restaurant is located at 1646 North Las Palmas in Hollywood.

Pig N’ Whistle Restaurant

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Last week, before seeing the Dirty Dancing stage show, my fiance and I grabbed a bite to eat at the historic Hollywood restaurant named the Pig N’ Whistle.  I had wanted to visit the celebrated Hollywood eatery ever since it appeared on a Fourth Season episode of The Bachelor back in 2003.  🙂  And, let me tell you, it was well worth the wait.  🙂  

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The Pig N’ Whistle first opened it doors on Hollywood Boulevard on July 22, 1927.  The restaurant was part of a small chain of twelve cafes that dotted the West Coast from Los Angeles to Seattle.  The Hollywood location was designed by renowned architectural firm Morgan, Walls & Clements, who were also responsible for building the El Capitan, Wiltern, and Old Globe Theatres.  The restaurant was built in an elegant Gothic style, featuring hand-painted tiles, carved wooden ceilings, and stained glass windows.  The Pig N’ Whistle was so beautiful that it was even featured in a 1928 issue of Architectural Digest.  The restaurant, which was built before the days of movie theatre concession stands, was located directly next door to the famed Egyptian Theatre. It became popular with theatregoers who wanted to grab a pre- or post-show ice cream or drink at the restaurant’s soda fountain or some candy at it’s candy counter.   

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During its heyday, which ran from 1927 to 1949, the Pig N’ Whistle was extremely popular with the Hollywood set.  Stars like Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Barbara Stanwyck, Spencer Tracy, Howard Hughes, Loretta Young, Jane Wyman, and even Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dhalia, were spotted dining there. 

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But that all changed when the restaurant closed its doors in 1949.  The former Pig N’ Whistle space went through a succession of different owners, including a Numero Uno pizzeria and a clothing store, and a succession of remodels until two restaurateurs decided to rescue it and restore it to its former grandeur.  In 1999, Chris Breed and Alan Hajjar (the team who was also behind the wildly popular Sunset Room restaurant and bar) masterminded a two year, $1.5 million restoration of the former restaurant.  The duo unearthed the building’s original hand-carved ceilings, stained glass windows, and molded sconces.  The new Pig N’ Whistle opened its doors once again in March of 2001.  And it is an absolutely beautiful place!!!!! 

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The restaurant is also no stranger to the silver screen.  🙂  On the Fourth Season of The Bachelor, the Pig N’ Whistle hosted a group date for Bachelor Bob Guiney and five female contestants.  The group partied in the restaurant’s back room and even competed in a small karaoke contest. 🙂  According to our waitress, the Hollywood restaurant is featured constantly in productions, but, unfortunately, she could not remember which ones.  Isn’t that always the case??  What is wrong with these people?  LOL 

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The Pig N’ Whistle is a FABULOUS restaurant and I HIGHLY recommend stalking it.  Besides the beautiful Old Hollywood ambiance, the restaurant serves up some GREAT food in HUGE portions.  The French Fries and Cobb Salad were to die for!!  I absolutely cannot wait to eat there again!!!!  🙂  

 Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The Pig N’ Whistle is located at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.  A DJ is on hand every Thursday through Saturday night from 9 p.m. onward, so if you were hoping for a quiet meal, make sure you arrive before that time.  🙂 You can visit the Pig N’ Whistle website here.