If you were looking for a good time in Los Angeles in the mid 1910s, you’d do well by driving to the Ocean Park section of Santa Monica. At the end of Hollister Ave you’d find Bristol Pier, which was renamed Crystal Pier where successful actor, vaudevillian, and bon-vivant-around-town, Nat Goodwin, opened his eponymous Café Nat Goodwin. It was more than just a café, it was also a cabaret, ballroom, and gardens. It was no wonder that he billed it the “Most Beautiful Café Over The Sea In The World.” Goodwin later sold it to the ubiquitous Baron Long, who renamed it the Sunset Inn. Neither the building nor the pier still exist.
“Please can we go there for just one afternoon,” he said longingly.
Can I come too, Gordon?
Some days l long for a Stuffed Tomato Surprise. Just how surprised can a tomato be?
Well, now, that depends on what inside the tomato.
Even a “June Gloom” brunch in this beautiful cafe would be just… heaven.
It would be, wouldn’t it? And we wouldn’t have to battle the 405 freeway to get there!