52 – OCTOBER 2019
WHAT WOULD YOU do if you had only
two years to live? That was the lease limit the
owner of Dear John’s in Culver City gave
longtime L.A. chef Hans Röckenwagner and his
wife and business partner, Patti, before he
planned to demolish the building. Their answer:
Let’s drink martinis and eat steak every night!
“ When we announced the restaurant’s
opening, we also announced the closing, and
that was intentional,” Patti says. “ We felt like
we had nothing to lose. But we had everything
to lose by not doing it.” And so they revived
the place—a famed 1960s celebrity haunt
nestled beside the studio lots—with fresh velvet
curtains and new kitchen equipment. But above
all, art. The walls are covered with vintage
paintings from gallerist Robert Berman. A nude
female matador reigns above the fireplace. A
poodle poses in front of a fountain. The paintings
warm up the dark 1,500-square-foot cavern,
where it might be 5 p.m. or 2 a.m., depending
on how many martinis you’ve had. “It’s in a
time zone of its own,” Patti says.
The menu, a collaboration between Hans
and Josiah Citrin (whose Santa Monica
spot Mélisse temporarily closed in March for
renovations), is so quintessential American
steak house it could be a movie prop. The
laminated all-caps list includes: Oysters
Rockefeller. Prime New York strip. Creamed
spinach. Lobster thermidor. Frank Sinatra’s
spaghetti and clams (it’s rumored the crooner
performed at the restaurant back in its
heyday). The martini, if you’re wondering,
is only spritzed with vermouth.
And then there’s Hank, the spotless-tuxedo-
wearing head maître d’, who fluffs tableside
Caesars as if he’s been doing it all his life—
which he very nearly has. He raises the
olive oil and allows it to aerate and emulsify.
He cranks the pepper grinder like a trained
percussionist. “ We didn’t have to teach
Hank how to make a Caesar,” Patti says.
“He embodies it.”
When the lease expires in April 2021,
Dear John’s will be bulldozed for a big new
development. But don’t mourn it. Patti says the
immediacy is part of the allure: “This is the new
business model—people don’t want anything
for 100 years. It’s a two-year pop-up party!”
So order the steak, say yes to that side of garlic
bread, and get swept up while you can.
Head maître d’
Hank Kelly watches
over a dining
room full of
paintings from the
’60s and ’70s.
Away – The Road to the Hot 10
PHOTOGRAPH BY DYLAN + JENI
The Transient
Delights of
Dear John’s
by ALEX BEGGS
NO.
17
