Hamburger Hamlet from “Parks and Recreation”

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (1 of 25)

Halfway through writing this post, I realized I probably should have saved it until February.  At that point, though, it was too late to start over, so I figured c’est la vie.  Here goes.  A few years ago, when I first saw the “Galentine’s Day” episode of Parks and Recreation, I recognized the restaurant featured in it as the Hamburger Hamlet in Pasadena.  I used to dine at the eatery fairly regularly when I lived in the area and immediately recalled its signature red leather seating, brick walling and dark wood accents while watching P&R.  It was not until a couple of a months ago that I decided to do any research on the locale, though, and when I got to comparing images of it to screen captures from the episode, I realized that, while similar, quite a bit did not match up.  I quickly surmised that “Galentine’s Day” had most likely been lensed at another of the Hamburger Hamlet chain’s many outposts and, sure enough, eventually discovered that filming had taken place at the Sherman Oaks location.

[ad]

The Hamburger Hamlet chain was established by actor Harry Lewis and his wife, Marilyn, in 1950.  The first outpost stood on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hilldale Avenue in West Hollywood and served comfort food and gourmet hamburgers.  It was insanely popular from the get-go.

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (5 of 25)

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (9 of 25)

It was not long before HH outposts were cropping up all over Los Angeles, as well as in other states.  In its heyday, 23 sister restaurants dotted the country.  The L.A. locations were known as being celebrity hot spots, attracting such legendaries as Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Diahann Carroll, Bette Davis, Danny Thomas, Mel Brooks, Warren Beatty, Ronald Reagan, Elizabeth Taylor, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Curtis, Florence Henderson, Elton John, Betty White, Nancy Sinatra, and Dean Martin.

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (13 of 25)

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (14 of 25)

Harry and Marilyn sold the chain, as well as their Beverly Hills eatery Kate Mantilini, for a whopping $30 million in 1987.  They later ended up buying Kate Mantilini back and subsequently opened up a sister location in Woodland Hills.  Both were also insanely popular with celebrities  (I once dined next to Reese Witherspoon at the Beverly Hills outpost) and non-celebrities alike, but have since, sadly, closed.

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (20 of 25)

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (22 of 25)

Recent years have not been kind to the Hamlet.  Though the eateries were still bustling with business most days, news of closures popped up regularly.  When the Pasadena outpost was shuttered in January 2014, the only HH left in the L.A. area was in Sherman Oaks.  It, too, wound up closing in June of last year, but was, thankfully, acquired by Kevin Michaels and Brett Doherty, the restaurateurs behind Killer Shrimp in Marina del Rey – another popular filming location that I I blogged about here.  The duo reopened the site, keeping many of the Hamlet’s menu staples intact, in September.

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (23 of 25)

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (25 of 25)

I have been a huge fan of the Hamlet ever since I first moved to Southern California and am happy to report that the re-opened Sherman Oaks location did not disappoint.  As always, the food was great and the service friendly.  Supposedly, the space will be undergoing a remodel at some point this year, though, so if you want to see it in its current state, I wouldn’t wait.

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (8 of 25)

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (10 of 25)

In the Season 2 episode of Parks and Recreation titled “Galentine’s Day,” which aired in 2010, Hamburger Hamlet was where Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) took her girlfriends out for their annual Galentine’s Day breakfast.  For those who did not watch P&R and are confused as to what exactly Galentine’s Day is, I’ll let Leslie explain – “Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and we just come and kick it breakfast-style.  Ladies celebrating ladies.  It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst . . . plus frittatas.”

ScreenShot1000

ScreenShot1002

Leslie and the girls returned to the Hamlet in 2012 to film another Galentine’s Day breakfast scene for Season 4’s “Operation Ann.”

ScreenShot1009

ScreenShot1010

Oddly though, a different place – Villa restaurant from Must Love Dogs, which I blogged about here – was used for the establishing shot of the restaurant in the episode.

ScreenShot1005

Villa-Restaurant-Woodland-Hills-Must-Love-Dogs-38-of-47_thumb

Fellow stalker Owen, of the When Write Is Wrong blog, also informed me that the Sherman Oaks Hamburger Hamlet was used in the Season 8 episode of The Office titled “The List” as the spot where Robert California (James Spader) took a select few Dunder Mifflin employees for lunch.

ScreenShot990

ScreenShot991

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.

Galentine's Day Restaurant Parks and Recreation (16 of 25)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Hamburger Hamlet, aka the Galentine’s Day restaurant from Parks and Recreation, is located at 4419 Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.  You can visit the eatery’s official website here.

Antonio’s Pizzeria – A Shannen Doherty Fave

Antonio's Pizzeria Sherman Oaks (7 of 12)

Way back in September 2011, while the Grim Cheaper and I were out and about doing some stalking in the San Fernando Valley area, we happened to drive past Antonio’s Pizzeria and the GC suggested that we pop in.  He had dined at Antonio’s several times in the past and remembered that the place had quite a few autographed headshots on the walls.  Um, autographed headshots?  Count me in!  So we immediately pulled the car over and, let me tell you, I just about died when I walked through the front doors and spotted a photograph of my girl Shannen Doherty prominently displayed!  Because the GC and I had just eaten prior to passing by Antonio’s, though, we were not able to dine there that day, unfortunately.  But I did add the restaurant to my To-Stalk list and finally made it back out there this past October, when fellow stalkers Lavonna and Kim were in town visiting from Ohio.  After watching a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the three of us headed over to the Italian eatery, with Miss Pinky Lovejoy, from the Thinking Pink blog, in tow.

[ad]

The eatery, which was first known as Miceli’s (and which I believe, but have been unable to determine, may have been opened by the same family behind the famous Miceli’s in Hollywood), was originally founded in 1957 by a man named Antonio Miceli.  At the time, it was the San Fernando Valley’s very first Italian restaurant and all of the recipes were authored by Antonio’s mother.  The pizzeria quickly became a Sherman Oaks staple and Frank Sinatra was even known to have dined there once.  In 1988, the establishment was purchased by Alexandra and Steven Lunardon.  The siblings, who were longtime Antonio’s regulars, had been looking to buy a franchise restaurant at the time, but when they learned that Antonio was selling Miceli’s, they jumped at the chance to buy it.  Antonio’s one stipulation?  That the brother-and-sister duo not change anything about the decades-old site.  Um, LOVE IT.  As you can see below, the place definitely does look like something straight out of the ‘50s, but in a good way.

Antonio's Pizzeria Sherman Oaks (10 of 12)

Antonio's Pizzeria Sherman Oaks (11 of 12)

Absolutely LOVE the vintage sign out front!

Antonio's Pizzeria Sherman Oaks (1 of 12)

Antonio's Pizzeria Sherman Oaks (2 of 12)

Because I am diabetic and carbs are on my no-no list, I could not partake in an Antonio’s pizza, which the restaurant is famous for.  Lavonna, Kim and Pinky did opt for a pie, though, and they absolutely loved it.  I instead ordered up Chicken Marsala (my fave), which was not actually on the menu.  The eatery serves a Veal Scallopini A La Marsala and because I do not like veal, I asked if they would be willing to swap it out for chicken and they happily obliged.  It was quite delicious, too.  I highly recommend stalking the place if you are in the area.

Antonio's Pizzeria Sherman Oaks (9 of 12)

Besides Shannen Doherty, other celebs who have been known to frequent Antonio’s include Adam Sandler, David Spade, Monica Potter, Keanu Reeves, Alyssa Milano, Larry Miller, Fred Willard, Kirk Cameron, Jay Leno, Alex Trebek, Jennie Garth, Peter Facinelli, Jerry Seinfeld, and Michael Richards.  Sadly though, the headshots that I so loved looking at during my first visit to the eatery have since been removed and put into storage after the one of Frank Sinatra (which was autographed!) was stolen by a patron.  Such an incredible bummer!

Antonio's Pizzeria Sherman Oaks (12 of 12)

And I just have to say here that, while I know it sounds crazy and I would never say it about any other celeb, while watching the WE tv reality series Shannen Says, I came to the conclusion that Shannen Doherty and I would most-definitely become good friends if we ever were to meet.  (Shannen, are you listening?  Winking smile)  Love that girl!  I mean look at how AWESOME she is to her fans in the clip below.  Oh, if only all celebs could be that cool.

You can find me on Facebook here and on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER.  And be sure to check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic.

Antonio's Pizzeria Sherman Oaks (4 of 12)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Antonio’s Pizzeria is located at 13619 Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.  You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.  Ironically enough, located directly next door to Antonio’s, at 13625 Ventura Boulevard, is a vacant eatery that was once the site of Prezzo’s restaurant, where Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) took Toni Marchette (Rebecca Gayheart) for their first date on fave show Beverly Hills, 90210.

Four ‘N 20 – aka JJ’s Diner from “Parks and Recreation”

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000123

A couple of weeks ago, fellow stalker Brandon (the very same stalker who told me about the Skyline Residence from fave movie Crazy, Stupid, Love., which I blogged about here) emailed me a list of over twenty Parks and Recreation locations that he had managed to track down.  The one locale on the list that intrigued me the most was the exterior of JJ’s Diner – the local Pawnee-area hangout, known for its superior waffles, that is featured regularly on the show.

[ad]

Ironically enough, the exterior of JJ’s Diner is not located in Los Angeles at all, but in Atlanta, Georgia of all places!  The restaurant used for the establishing shots of Pawnee’s most-famous breakfast joint is actually the Landmark Diner located at 2277 Cheshire Bridge Road NE.  I have no idea how producers came to use an out-of-state eatery on the series, but as you can see below, the (craptastic) Google Street View image of the restaurant matches perfectly to what appears onscreen.

ScreenShot4995

ScreenShot5001

Once I found out that the exterior of JJ’s was located in Georgia, I became just a wee-bit obsessed with tracking down the restaurant used for the interior.  I ended up finding it thanks to the unique botanical pattern visible on the booths in the background of the many JJ’s scenes.  I had a hunch that the eatery was located in or around Van Nuys, where the series seems to do most of its filming, so I began searching through images of cafes in that area on Yelp (which is such a fabulous stalking tool, by the way!) looking for booths with that pattern.  Sure enough, it was not long before I came across one on the Yelp page for Four ‘N 20 restaurant in Sherman Oaks.  Yay!  So I dragged the Grim Cheaper right on out to stalk the place a few days later.

ScreenShot4998

Once I saw the outside of Four ‘N 20 in person, I found it even more odd that producers had opted to use the Landmark Diner for JJ’s exterior because, as you can see below, Four ‘N 20 definitely has a Midwestern feel to it.

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000130

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000121

The interior also has a Midwestern feel and it is not too hard to see how it came to be used on Parks and Recreation.  According to a commenter named Kiwi on the Chowhound website, when Four ‘N 20 first opened in 1969, it was located a few blocks north of where it is now.  When that spot was demolished to make way for a car dealership sometime during the ‘90s, Four ‘N 20 moved to its current location, which had formerly been the site of “Chicken, Steak and Chocolate Cake” – a buffet-style restaurant where guests were charged based on their weight!  Not kidding!  Apparently there was a large scale that diners would have to step on before being rung up!  Now if that doesn’t scream “Pawnee” – a city’s whose slogan is “First in Friendship, Fourth in Obesity” – than I don’t know what does!  A CS&CC-style restaurant so needs to be added to a future storyline!  P&R writers, are you listening?

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000114

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000115

At the time that Four ‘N 20 first opened, it mainly served pies – hence the name, which the GC did not understand.  I am not sure who his nursery school teacher was, but he/she obviously did not do a very good job!  For those not in the know, the Four ‘N 20 name comes from the “Sing a Song of Sixpence” nursery rhyme, which goes like this: “Sing a song of sixpence, A pocket full of rye; Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie.  When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing; Was that not a dainty dish, To set before the king?”  Over the years, Four ‘N 20 expanded its menu choices and also opened up a sister restaurant in nearby Valley Village, but the place is still best-known for its pies.  CBSLosAngeles even named the diner’s pumpkin pie one of the “Best of L.A.”

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000113

The Four ‘N 20 menu is wide and diverse with many comfort food offerings, as well as vegetarian and vegan options – and there’s even a “Fitness Menu” for the Chris Traegers in your life.  Winking smile Glaringly missing from the Four ‘N 20 menu, though, were waffles!  I almost fell out of the booth when I realized that the restaurant did not serve them and just had to make a suggestion to the manager that he add them to the menu – stat!  Heck, he could even create a whole “Pawnee Specials” section!  Man, why do I always have to be the one to think of everything?!? Winking smile For my lunch, I opted for the Crispy Chicken salad which, as you can see below, was amazeballs!  I literally do not think there was one scrap left on my plate by the time I was done with that thing!

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000112

The GC and I had a fabulous time at Four ‘N 20 and the staff could not have been more friendly, although I think a few of them found it odd that we were only dining there because of the place’s many Parks and Recreation appearances. (Check out the super-nice cop we met during our lunch who couldn’t stop photo-bombing me! LOL)

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000109

Four ‘N 20 has appeared in numerous episodes of Parks and Recreation, including Season 2’s “The Master Plan” and Season 3’s “Flu Season” and “Ron and Tammy: Part Two”, just to name a few.  On the show, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) describes JJ’s, which is owned by JJ Lipscomb (Brent Briscoe), as “the unofficial meeting place of Pawnee’s political elite”.

ScreenShot4997

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000105

ScreenShot5007

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000106

JJ’s Diner and its waffles are also mentioned regularly on the series.  In the Season 3 episode titled “Time Capsule”, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) puts one of JJ’s menus in the Pawnee time capsule because, as he says, the restaurant is a “Pawnee institution” and “home of the world’s best breakfast dish, ‘the Four Horsemeals of the Eggsporkalypse.’” Just another item that Four ‘N 20 could add to its “Pawnee Specials” menu section! Winking smile

ScreenShot5006

Oddly enough, though, a different restaurant – Kountry Folks at 8501 Sepulveda Boulevard in North Hills, which I have yet to stalk – was used as JJ’s during the show’s first season.  As you can see below, it looks nothing like Four ‘N 20.

ScreenShot5004

ScreenShot5005

Be sure to “Like” IAMNOTASTALKER on Facebook here and “Friend” me on my personal page here.  You can also check out the IAMNOTASTALKER About Me page here.  And you can follow me on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER.

JJ's Diner- Parks and Recreation-1000131

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Brandon for finding the location of JJ’s exterior. Smile

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The interior of JJ’s Diner on Parks and Recreation is actually Four ‘N 20 located at 5530 Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.  You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.  The exterior of JJ’s is the Landmark Diner, which is located at 2277 Cheshire Bridge Road NE in Atlanta, Georgia.  You can check out the Landmark’s official website here.

The El Torito Grill from “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”

P1020233

As I have mentioned numerous times before on this blog, this stalker has absolutely obsessed herself silly over the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love. So when I discovered, thanks to the flick’s exceedingly extensive production notes, that a couple of scenes had been filmed at the El Torito Grill in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, I immediately added the place to my “To-Stalk” list and dragged the Grim Cheaper right on out there to grab some lunch this past weekend.  And I could not have been more excited to do so because if there is one thing this stalker loves more than Crazy, Stupid, Love., it’s Mexican food!  And I would just like to mention here how much I appreciate the abundant efforts the author (or authors) of the CSL production notes put into writing them.  I am currently searching for the gorgeous bar that was featured in the opening scene of 2003’s Bad Santa and am having absolutely no luck whatsoever in finding it.  If only the filmmakers had followed Crazy, Stupid, Love.’s example and published some decent production notes, I would have been able to stalk the place in time for Christmas.  Hmph!  But I digress.

P1020243 P1020245

P1020246 P1020249

Oddly enough, when the Grim Cheaper and I first ventured into the El Torito Grill, it did not look familiar to me at all.  In Crazy, Stupid, Love., the place appeared to be fairly small and intimate, but, as you can see above, in real life it is very large and consists of one huge open room with a smaller anteroom off to the side.  The restaurant was so unrecognizable, in fact, that I had to ask the bartender to pinpoint the exact area where filming took place so that I could take the proper photographs.  It was just slightly disheartening – I mean, am I losing my touch here?  Winking smile

P1020247 P1020248

And while unrecognizable from Crazy, Stupid, Love., I am very happy to report that the El Torito Grill serves up some FABULOUS food!  I ordered the Tableside Grilled Fajitas Salad, which was mixed right in front me, and, ohmygod, was it delicious!  Honestly one of the best salads that I have ever had in my entire life!  Yum, yum, yum!  And contrary to what has been reported in numerous Yelp reviews, El Torito Grill does in fact serve chips and salsa, both of which are also fantastic!  Man, I am in love with this place!  And I am not the only one – such stars as Paula Abdul, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, and Miley Cyrus have all been spotted dining there at one time or another.

[ad]

ScreenShot2382 ScreenShot2384

ScreenShot2383 ScreenShot2381

The El Torito Grill in Sherman Oaks, which is made to seem as if it is located inside of the Westfield Century City Shopping Mall, shows up twice in Crazy, Stupid, Love. It first pops up in the scene in which Richard (aka Josh Groban) takes his girlfriend “Hannah Banana” (aka Emma Stone) and her friends and co-workers out for a pre-bar-exam dinner.  It is during this scene that one of my very favorite lines from the entire movie is uttered.  When Richard announces that he is also going to host Hannah’s post-bar-exam celebratory dinner at the El Torito Grill and that it is going to be a “special night”, Hannah turns to her best friend Liz (aka the hilarious Liza Lapira) to ask if she thinks Richard is planning on proposing to which Liz responds, “At the El Torito Grill?  God, I hope not!”  LOL LOL LOL  LOVE it!

ScreenShot2386 ScreenShot2391

ScreenShot2389 ScreenShot2390

The El Torito Grill next appears in the scene featuring the aforementioned post-bar-exam celebratory dinner, during which Richard does not, in fact, propose, leaving Hannah in a hilarious state of shock.

ScreenShot2392 P1020251

The exterior of the restaurant is also shown in that scene.

P1020240 P1020244

P1020241 P1020242

Both of Hannah’s dinner scenes were shot in the very front of the El Torito Grill, just behind the main entrance, at a large table that is, for some odd reason, usually surrounded by a sheer circular curtain.  I would say that the curtain contains a VIP section of some sort, but because it is completely transparent and VIP sections are usually private, that would not make much sense.  Anyway, for the filming, which according to the Before the Trailer website took place on April 26th and 27th of 2010, producers removed the curtain and also attached some multi-color sombreros to the walls.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The El Torito Grill from Crazy, Stupid, Love. is located at 15301 Ventura Boulevard, inside of the Sherman Oaks Galleria, in Sherman Oaks.  You can visit the chain’s official website here.