Saturday, April 16, 2005

Perino's No More



Maria and I passed by the old Perino's on Wilshire earlier today -- and I'm sad to report that the building that once housed the restaurant, once a staple of classic Hollywood, is gone.

As planned, the pink building -- in recent years the home of countless film shoots and events -- was demolished to make way for an apartment building.

Sigh. I'm now not looking forward to the day I pass by the Ambassador Hotel, also on Wilshire, and see that it too has finally succumbed to the wrecking ball. (That day is coming.)

Maria and I got a chance last year to see the restaurant up close one last time last April, thanks to a performance there by the Collage Dance Theater. (Of course, we took a camera and poked around after.)

Movies such as "Scarface,'' "Bugsy," "Chaplin" and "Mulholland Falls" all shot at Perinos. The Ray Romano/Kevin James action comedy "Grilled" was the last movie to film there.