wacky tacky: Louis Armstrong

Showing posts with label Louis Armstrong. Show all posts

Friday, February 22, 2013

Chow Time: Dinah's Family Restaurant

It's a restaurant story as old as the hills (see Vince's Spaghetti), a family successfully opens up a restaurant using a tried and true, family recipe, and subsequently establishes itself as a neighborhood landmark of hearty dining. As word spreads and business grows, it becomes apparent that a second location across town would be the natural progression. That second location opens to acclaim and the manager (usually a brother, son, uncle, cousin) decides that to increase business, the menu should expand, the hours should change, and the recipes should be refined. Outraged at the young upstart, the original proprietor severs all ties with the new location and each facility runs independently of one another, refusing to change the name, the sign, or the very menu item for which the small chain became famous. In all honesty, I don't know if this is the case behind Dinah's Chicken in Glendale, CA and Dinah's Family Restaurant on the west side of Los Angeles, but it is the story I made up to appease myself when I could find no connection between the two besides the signage, the chicken bucket, and the signature fried chicken itself.

Opened in 1959, Dinah's Family Restaurant is definitely representative of its place in history. With minimal updates, this fixture of West Los Angeles casual cuisine gives patrons an opportunity to catch a glimpse of midcentury, mid-level, Southern California dining.

My favorite part of the restaurant is the stucco flying saucers suspended at staggered heights from the ceiling.

The cantilevered barstools are comfy and portions of the original
flooring are still visible. Under all that commercial-grade
carpeting lies some seriously beautiful terrazzo.

The menu is huge - both in terms of
size and quantity of available items!

Mary opted for the dish which Dinah's is most famous -
the fried chicken. Apparently, the creators of Dinah's developed
a method for fried-chicken preparation in which the final
product is completely "free of cooking oils," rendering it the
crispiest and juiciest in town.

I don't know enough about midcentury lighting to
understand this particular fixture - or why I love it.
It looks like the bell that used to ring at the end of
recess - perforated just enough to let a bit of light to
sparkle through and illuminate the rock wall.

The holiday decorations - including paper plates hung by tinsel garland -
seriously distract from the integrity of the restaurant's design. The heavy
color story doesn't help matters much either. Design dilemmas aside,
Dinah's is a good place for an inexpensive lunch.

There is no lack of merchandizing at Dinah's - mousepads, magnets,
and mugs make Mr. Tiny hungry for chicken.

If you can't find the time to stop in for a bite, be sure to drive by and get a glimpse of the iconic chicken-bucket sign. According to the website, Dinah's was the original bucket sign in Southern California and has been featured in multiple Hollywood productions, most recently in Little Miss Sunshine.

I do not have any idea what the real story is behind the two Dinah's. Although I do have a second theory that someone was in the kitchen with Dinah "Strummin' on the ol' banjo" and that led to the "Fee, Fi, Fiddle-e-i-o" that wrenched the chain in twain. If anyone has the real low down, please feel free to share. Until then, treat yourself to some mighty-fine food and a song.

"Dinah" - Louis Armstrong

Dinah's Family Restaurant

Los Angeles, CA

6521 S Sepulveda Blvd

(310)645-0456

www.dinahsrestaurant.com

Dinah's Chicken

4106 San Fernando Rd #A

Glendale, CA

(818)244-4188

www.dinahschicken.com

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Friday, October 26, 2012

Oh, You Beautiful Doll!

In a post about dolls, it just seemed a little too obvious to use the only tolerable version of "Hello, Dolly!" known to man. Leave it to Mr. Armstrong to make "tolerable" downright blissful!!!

"Hello, Dolly!" - Louis Armstrong

It used to be so that one had to become an action star in a summer blockbuster before one could be immortalized in the form of a doll. Now all it takes it having a thoughtful friend of the most creative type, who uses her skills to create incredible works of art.

Do you remember this outfit?
Although, it is the one of the very few things Mary wore
at VLV that I did NOT make; I did style it, and apparently,
it created a lasting impression.

So much so, that one of Mary's friends, Al Kray, created this
handmade doll!! Pretty unbelievable, right?!?!

Al Kray, is an artist living and creating in Canada. She works in media ranging from fabric to acrylics to papier-mache. If you follow her blog, you know that mini-Mary is just one fine example of her work.

Here, the artist presents the sculpture she created of
Wanda Jackson to the real, live, Fujiyama Mama, herself.
(photo courtesy of Al Kray)

I actually saw the doll before Mary because on the first leg of its international journey, the doll was couriered to me by none other than that one-man ball of fire, Bloodshot Bill.

Bloodshot Bill, the one-man band, became a duo when his likeness joined him on stage.
(photo courtesy of Al Kray)

When he was last in town I had the pleasure of attending his show, and as he is the significant other of Al, he was responsible for smuggling the doll over the border. Although, in the shadows of the alley behind the bar it felt a bit like a drug deal, I was truly amazed when I opened the mysterious bundle and saw a miniature version of Mary!!!

Not willing to let the honor go unacknowledged, Mary suited up in her VLV gear
and had some beautiful photographs taken by another of her extremely-gifted friends,
photographer, Genevieve Davis. From pin-ups to portraiture, do yourself a favor and
check out her amazing work on tumblr.

I'm telling you, the secret to success is surrounding yourself with awesome,
talented people and just hoping that some of it rubs off on you!

Every time I see the doll, I just get more impressed - Al really couldn't have chosen a more complicated outfit to recreate. A dress would have been so much easier, but the doll maker instead chose a printed jumpsuit, an armful of bangles and a coolie hat. The ability to source the material for the doll is crazy enough, but then she had the amazing talent to sew it into a recognizable form! The first song that popped into my mind was "Oh, You Beautiful Doll."

"Oh, You Beautiful Doll"

A cartoon with Harpo, Bob Hope, living toys, and a sing-
a-long? This could be my favorite thing I've ever seen.

How incredibly flattering to have a "graven image" of yourself! However, if Mary's not careful we may turn it into a voodoo doll - she's just lucky that I could never bring myself to stick a pin in anything that cool! I must say after seeing the doll, I was kind of hoping for a tiny Mr. Tiny but I know I have to wait as the entire textile industrial complex of India works around the clock to mill enough material for that particular project...wah-wah....

For more information on Al's art or to order your very own custom doll, be sure to visit her blog, like her on Facebook, and email inquiries to alkrayart{at}gmail.com.

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

That's Why They Call Me Shine!

One of my very favorite places in Los Angeles is the original Farmers Market. Founded in 1934, Farmers Market has become a Southern California institution and a major tourist destination. Truly, it deserves an entire post of its own as it is such a beautiful landmark. On any given day, visitors can buy fresh produce, sample foods from all over the world, and visit Shine Gallery!

I guess I am a bit of a junking/treasure hunting/thrifting snob. I don't really feel like I have found a treasure unless I have unearthed it from among a pile dirty clothes, chipped ceramics, and broken electronics. There is something about sleuthing in a thrift store, bargaining at an estate sale, or broiling under the California sun at a swap meet/flea market that makes me feel like I have earned the artifact - a less-handsome, less-rugged, less-adventurous, trash-digging Indian Jones. For that reason, I resent stores where cool things are abundant and out in the open for everyone to see. Shine Gallery is really no exception to my nutty neuroticism, but I can't help but love it. Shine is a wonderland of dead stock novelties and collectibles and every time I go to Farmers Market, I come away with something awesome from Shine. This post is just a bunch a photos that hopefully, will have you making your way to Farmers Market for some food, fun, and treasure hunting!

Mary (Mary-Go-Round) & Jessie (Jessica Stopnik Photography)
at Shine Gallery

An interior view of the store.
Don't let the giant $1.50 sign fool you; not everything at Shine
comes at dime store prices. I go there for inspiration but usually
find a few things that fit my miniscule budget.

Vintage Fold-Away shopping baskets
make loading up a heck-of-a-lot easier.

I love the way the store is designed/merchandised. It is very clean and but far from sterile as the goods are so colorful. They even use those Fold-Away shopping baskets to stage items for sale.

They're doing nothing to quell my fixation with pennants!

Pennants and the circus!!!!

For reasons that will be forthcoming shortly, my most recent obsession is vintage circus/carnival memorabilia. I realize I am either very late to jump on the bandwagon or very early for the next

go-round.

The oversized, novelty, name buttons are a hit with me; I have two already. Unfortunately, they don't have any that say "Mr. Tiny." One day I hope to achieve "Picture Patch" status. Sadly, I think I've passed my teen idol years. Dick Clark, Ricky Nelson, and Fabian have nothing to worry about.

3 great reasons to START smoking with you new Finger Cigarette Ring:
"Hold your cigarette while your hand relaxes,
No hazard of dropping cigarette while fatigued,
No more nicotine finger stains"