California Heartland
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Forget the usual Los Angeles haunts—why not pay a visit to a little hole-in-the-wall café that’s so rich in movie star history you half expect Marilyn Monroe or Clark Gable to come waltzing through the door. If the walls of the Formosa Café could talk the stories they could tell—at least one behind each of the 250 black and white photos of the stars who’ve dined there over the years.

Vince Jung, grandson of one of the original partners, gave me the cook’s tour of this hideaway bar and eatery in a tired looking part of Los Angeles. It’s situated next to Warner Studio on the corner of Santa Monica and Formosa—hence its name. Not much has changed since Lem Quan, Jung’s grandfather, and Jim Bernstein took over the place in 1939. Bernstein was a friend of mobster Mickey Cohen who ran a bookie operation out of part of the restaurant, known as the club car. It was a restored train car. To this day you can see Cohen’s floor safe next to one of the booths.

“People from the studio would come over on their lunch hour to cash their check and place bets,” Jung said. While no one’s placing bets these days the place certainly packs ‘em in.

“The Formosa is really like a Cheers Bar of Hollywood. Most of the people who come here are regulars, and that includes the staff,” Jung said.

Like Cassie Marple who has been a server at the Formosa for 25 years. “My favorite person in the whole world is Bono from the singing group U2. He only comes in here every couple of years, but he always remembers me,” said Marple. Marple even spearheaded a campaign to save the Formosa from the wrecker’s ball and have it declared a historic site. She said she can’t imagine ever retiring.

Jung has made some changes, including an updated menu using a lot of fresh California produce. It still has an Asian flair, but with a new millennium twist thanks also to Chef Hugo Vasquez, formerly of Spago.