Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Pal
[...]
 L.A. Magazine article
2013
Formosa Café: Interior
7156 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
This 90-year-old restaurant enjoys city landmark status, which protects the building, but not the ancient booths, lanterns, and funk inside that made this a favorite of film location scouts and fans of old Hollywood noir. A remodeling in July stripped the interior and replaced it with less.
A commenter (Scott Frank) says:
The Formosa renovation is absolutely horrible - it's like they removed all traces of personality and made it as bland as possible. It's doesn't even look like a McBar, it looks like whoever renovated it couldn't be bothered to do any decorating at all, it's almost blank inside. The situation is weird, since the personalityof the interior was really the only reason you went. Now...no reason to go at all.
Article link: HERE.
[...] |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Pal
|
2019
A friend and I have been planning to get to the remodeled Formosa Cafe, but haven't made it yet, but it's gotten rave reviews. After the disastrous remodeling (stripping) in 2012 or 13, which took away everything that anyone liked about the old place, this 1933 Group stepped in and brought it back to the past!
The 1933 Group spent two-and-a-half years and a reported $2.4 million resurrecting the landmark property. The team brought in master craftsmen to meticulously restore what remained of the original Formosa–which operated from 1945 until 2016–while staying true to the look from the spot’s mid-century heyday. They located and kept many of the most memorable bits of decor, from the autographed black-and-white photos, to the silk lanterns, to that green neon script along Route 66.
The new menu by chef David Kuo harks back to the last owner, Vince Jung, grandson of Lem Quon. Quon’s Cantonese fare is updated with Chinese-American dishes like General Tso's cauliflower, orange chicken, and beef with broccoli. Handcrafted old fashioned Hollywood cocktails are part of the restored restaurant menu as well.
Above: It opened in 1939, so not sure of the 1945-2016 reference in that paragraph.
Info above from KTLA; link has news videos of the reopening:
https://ktla.com/2019/06/24/formosa-...est-hollywood/
Bobby Green, designer and co-owner of the 1933 Group gives a little tour of the remodeled Formosa Cafe.
• Video Link
He references the bar from the Yee Mee Loo location, see below.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
[edited]
"The absolute king of all small bars is also the bar where I was served my first drink. Although it no longer exists it was located in the Chinatown section of downtown Los Angeles. It was attached to a restaurant called Yee Mee Loo.
The bar was probably 25 feet long and no wider than a large automobile. It was long, narrow and dark as night any time of day. There were no windows and the ornately carved bar with Chinese motif was itself a work of art. It was the bar where time stood still.
-a vanishing world - the world's smallest bars
Here's a look at Yee Mee Loo in the 1940's.
LAPL
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Is this what's being described? He says they bought the Yee Mee Loo bar from the owner.
The Formosa Cafe