Often on this blog, I've made mention of Andre's, a little Italian cafeteria here in Los Angeles that serves very, very good pasta and pizza and a few other dishes for very, very reasonable prices. I've been eating there since I was a tot and it's just a great place — not fancy but fun.
Sad to say, Chef Andre passed away Monday morning at the age of 99. He was an important L.A. restaurateur who for many years had a popular fancy place in Beverly Hills. My parents took me there too once or twice and one time around 1967, I saw and exchanged waves there with Robert Kennedy. Andre's of Beverly Hills was the kind of place where you saw important people.
Domenic Andreone was a native of Northern Italy and he studied his art/craft at the world-famous Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris, France. Andre's of Beverly Hills, which he opened on Wilshire Boulevard in 1959 was an immediate hit and with the profits, he opened several smaller, family places around Southern California. The one I frequent — the only Andre's of his that remains — opened in 1963 and is nestled in a shopping center across the street from the famed Farmers Market.
A few years ago, the proprietors of that shopping center were planning major renovations that would have razed the building in which Andre's is located. There were protests and I even went in and spoke before something called the Mid City West Community Council, urging them to take action that might keep Andre's open and catering to the folks who flock to the place.
I don't know if the Council did it or the business plans fell through or if COVID had anything to do with it but Andre's, which once looked like it had but months to live, is still open and thriving. If you're ever near the corner of Fairfax Avenue and 3rd Street and crave great spaghetti or pizza or chicken parm, stop in. The menu, hours and address can be found here.
You can also honor the memory of Chef Andre and enjoy his recipes if you're out in Canoga Park. Another fun, inexpensive restaurant called Grandi Italiani was opened a few years ago by a gent named Aron Celnik, who was Chef Andre's protégé and the manager of Andre's near me for many years. With the Chef's blessing, he offers the same menu there. Here's the info on it. We may have lost Chef Andre himself but his cuisine lives on.