Which
Came First? The
Character or the
Restaurant?
The name of this
joint does beg
the question,
but as
Dan Tana’s
Restaurant
has been around
since 1964, and
Robert Urich’s
character on the
TV show Vegas
hit the small
screen in 1978,
that question is
an easy one to
answer. The
shows producers
were regulars,
and asked
permission from
the owner to
name their lead
character after
this favorite
eatery of the
entertainment
set.
And though quite
the industry
hang, DT’s is
not trendy on
the menu side;
this is a red
meat, red sauce,
hanging Chianti
bottles from the
ceiling, whiskey
kind of place -
Italian with a
capital I –
nothing fancy,
but plenty of
delicious
classics. You
will pay more
here for a plate
of pasta than
most other
places, but
given the
possible wow
factor of dining
next to The
Hilton’s,
consider it a
fair price for
dinner and a
show.
Yes, celebrity
sightings and
star gazing are
always on the
menu, from the
movie business
to the music
industry you are
almost always
guaranteed to
see somebody
known for
something at a
checkered
tablecloth red
vinyl booth. But
you will have to
look hard - the
lights are dim
and the corners
many.
Dan Tana’s is a
local’s
landmark, where
the regulars
rule, to be
considered one
you are coming
in once or twice
a week. If you
are not, then
take your
chances at
getting a table,
even with
reservations,
and a star
pedigree. But
waiting at the
small bar can be
ok, especially
when knocking
back a martini
and chatting up
George, as in
Clooney. Such a
regular he has a
Veal Cutlet
Milanese named
after him on the
menu.
Dan Tana’s is oh
so many cool
things, one of
them being they
are open late,
perfect for
breezing in
after a show at
the Troubadour,
just 2 doors
down, and
ordering up
their famous
steak, named
after Dabney
Coleman, because
he eats it that
much. One bite
and you just
might too. In
the words of
Chili Palmer,
you want to go
to Dan Tana’s?
The answer is
yes, you do.
~ Fallon
Milligan
Where:
Dan Tana's Restaurant, 9071
Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood / Beverly
Hills
When:
Hours 5pm - 1:30am Daily; Dinner & Late
Supper nightly
Cost:
Appetizers & Salads $8 to $18; Pasta
Entrée’s $22 to $27; Other Entrée’s $27 to
$57; Desserts $8 to $10
