About 10 or so years ago, I was visiting a childhood friend who had relocated to L.A., and he brought me here, knowing of my reverence for the cinematic past. As I remember it, Musso and Frank didn't look like it had changed much over the decades in terms of its decor, which certainly was a point in its favor, as far as I was concerned. I've never been a big fan of steak, but it seemed the appropriate item to order, given the location (I couldn't imagine that Barrymore, Garfield, and Tracy had been "fans" of Tofu and bean sprouts; I'm sure they were regular consumers of steak and various other red meats). My friend, who was a real entrepreneur, spent most of his time on the telephone, which was ok with me, as it left me more time alone with the shades of Barrymore, Garfield, Tracy and the other immortals who used to patronize the place. One celebrity dining there at the same time I was was Tom Snyder, who took an out-of-the-way table in the corner. I debated approaching him for an autograph (although I wasn't a particularly big fan), but decided the man probably just wanted to have his meal in peace, and so I left him undisturbed. Had he been Brando or DeNiro or even Klaus Kinski, it might have been a different story.
