Chasen's Chili

If you moved to Los Angeles after 1995, you may not know about Chasen’s—although the restaurant had the stuff Hollywood legends are made of. Located at 9039 Beverly Boulevard near Beverly Hills, Chasen’s opened in December 1936 and quickly became the culinary hangout of Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Lana Turner, and Groucho Marx. Jimmy Stewart held his bachelor party here, Howard Hughes was seen constantly on the house phone, Alfred Hitchcock routinely fell asleep at his table. After Johnny Carson won his third Emmy in as many years, he took all of the show’s insiders for a celebratory dinner at Chasen’s. Donna Summer wrote her hit “She Works Hard For the Money” on toilet paper in the bathroom—that was Chasen’s for you.

The restaurant, which was run by Maude Chasen and her husband Dave until his death in 1973, focused on hearty American/Continental cuisine and became as famous for its colossal seafood platters, hobo steak, a buffet that offered beluga caviar, and delicious cheese toast appetizers as its clientele. When Elizabeth Taylor was filming Cleopatra in Rome she craved their chili so much that she reportedly had her studio pay big bucks to have it shipped to Italy twice a month. For years the recipe remained a closely guarded secret, David Chasen was rumored to come the restaurant every Sunday to privately cook up a batch for the week.

I was fortunate enough to experience the sophisticated atmosphere and sip on Shirley Temples during random trips to the restaurant with my parents, and I was heartbroken when it closed to make way for a Bristol Farms in 1995. Luckily, my family and I went closing night.  It was a bittersweet gathering. I was always in awe to be standing in the exact spots where I had seen photos of Humphrey Bogart and W.C Fields. Many celebrities came out for the closing including Ethel Kennedy, and I remember spotting  Jack Lemmon in the lobby wearing a tuxedo. At the end of the night I grabbed a menu and had longtime manager Ronnie Clint sign it. It continues to be one of my most prized possessions.

After Chasen’s closed, an auction was held in one of its banquet rooms to sell off nearly 60 years’ worth of memorabilia. I watched all the silverware, light fixtures, and autographed photos get snapped up. 

As if that wasn’t delicious enough news, in recognition of the site’s history, Bristol Farms will be handing out free samples and selling Chasen’s “original recipe” chili for a limited time beginning this Thursday for $13.99/quart. (After December 11, Chasen’s chili lovers can place special orders with the chain’s catering department at (310) 248-2804.) See you there?I assumed what was left of Chasen’s was scattered for good, but while walking the isles of Bristol Farms recently, I located several high back leather booths in the cafe area area—and a market source has confirmed they are Chasen’s originals!

- See more at: http://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/vintage-los-angeles-the-hidden-remains-of-chasens-restaurant/#sthash.QGtXqmWF.dpufLiz Taylor's gusto for life was never more evident than in her love of food. Liz liked rich foods, foods with character and taste. According to one biographer, "She loved not only beluga caviar and champagne but American fare like cheeseburgers, French fries, and of course, chili from Chasen's." 
Her obsession with Chasen's chili knew no bounds, and she had it flown to her all over the world, most famously to her palatial Roman villa during the filming of Cleopatra. She and her third husband, the producer Mike Todd, had been regulars at Chasen's during the '50s, where they regularly ate with their best friends --
 In 1936 Dave Chasen was a hardscrabble, personable former vaudevillian and stand-in for the Three Stooges who one day happened to perfect a chili recipe in director Frank Capra's kitchen. On the strength of that chili, with the help of famous friends, he opened a downscale restaurant in Beverly Hills that quickly became a casual hangout for folks like Scott Fitzgerald and Clark Gable.

By the 1950s Chasen's had morphed into the tony, clubby go-to spot for the Rat Pack generation, where it was always "celebration time." By the '60s Elizabeth Taylor's prodigious appetites made Chasen's world famous, when she had chili from the restaurant shipped to her every two weeks while filming the costly epic Cleopatra.

The Cellar in Fullerton, where Burton proposed to Taylor a second time. The restaurant was made by the same craftsmen who designed Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride

Mike Todd died in a plane crash in 1958, and a year later Liz and Eddie Fisher were married. This foolish marriage soon gave way for the love of Elizabeth's -- and the 20th century tabloid media's -- life. In 1961, on the set of the movie Cleopatra, Liz met her match in the great Richard Burton. They quickly forged a vagabonding, jet-setting life: one night having pork sausages from London's Fortnum and Mason sent to Paris, another feasting on Elizabeth's homemade specialty of grilled chicken breast with a cream, avocado, and cognac sauce. In his delightfully frank diaries, Burton reported:

Both E and I went mad last night and started eating Callard and Bowsers Licorice Fingers. I must have eaten a pound or so and E somewhat less.

The atmosphere inside Chasen's was like an A-list Applebee's. A painting of regular patron W.C. Fields dressed as Queen Victoria (Jack Lemmon owned a smaller version) greeted tipsy patrons. A model TWA airplane hung over the dark bar, and autographed photos and knick knacks covered the walls. Leather booths were reserved for regulars like Alfred Hitchcock and Spencer Tracy, and the waiters were beloved-tuxedo wearing contemporaries of the old guard, ready with a light, a joke and an aperitif. If you were a favored guest, regal joint mistress Maude Chasen would invite you into her office for pre-dinner drinks, served from a hidden bar that lowered from the ceiling.

The place had a decidedly masculine vibe. One waiter of 30+ years claimed his wife never set foot in the restaurant. The food was heavy: the famous "hobo steak" was flame broiled in front of you, and the vegetables were covered in cream. The drinks were strong and elaborate and the dinner crowd loud and boisterous, filled with "saloon people" like Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles, Gregory Peck and Frank Sinatra. Two little people jumped out of a cake at Jimmy Stewart's bachelor party in the banquet room, and Orson Welles once threw a piece of hobo steak at John Houseman on the main floor during a fight.

Chasen's retained its relevance into the '70s -- in the 1930s Shirley Temple complained that she couldn't drink like the adults, so a bartender whipped up the famous namesake drink in her honor. Forty years later, Donna Summer wrote "She Works Hard for the Money" about Onetta, the long-time female bathroom attendant, on a piece of Chasen's toilet paper.It is perhaps not surprising that presidents, especially Nixon and Reagan, loved Chasen's and its raucous boardroom vibe. Reagan proposed to Nancy in his favorite booth, which is now at the Reagan Library. Queen Elizabeth sipped gin martinis here when she was in town, and one night the mobster Micky Cohen and J. Edgar Hoover stared each other down while downing cocktails at opposite ends of the room.

Chasen's continued on until 1995, and its loyal patrons and staff grew old together. The Chasen's of the '80s and '90s was a place frozen in time, where the Rat Pack still ruled. The charm of such a heavy atmosphere and heavier food was lost on the modern generation. But the film producer David Brown said it best, when he mused on Chasen's closing and the death of his rambunctious, gluttonous, mid-century generation: "There are no more eaters. People want to be thin and they hope to live longer, but I don't think they'll live as well or have nearly as much fun.''

Chasen's Chili

Prepping the Ingredients

1/2 pound dried pinto beans

water

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cups onions, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup butter

2 pounds beef chuck, coarsely chopped

1 pound pork shoulder, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup Gebhardt's chili powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Farmer Brothers ground cumin

1. Rinse the beans, picking out debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid. 
2. Rinse beans again. Add enough fresh water to cover beans. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for one hour or until tender.
3. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Simmer five minutes. In a large skillet saute bell pepper in oil for five minutes. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and parsley. Add mixture to bean mixture. Using the same skillet, melt the butter and saute beef and pork chuck until browned. Drain. Add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin.
4. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for one hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency. Chili shouldn't be too thick - it should be somewhat liquid but not runny like soup. Skim off excess fat and serve.

Makes 10 cups, or six main dish servings.

Simmering and Sauteing 

During the late 17th century, the Dutch system of producing these cast metal cooking vessels was more advanced than the English system. The Dutch used dry sand to make their molds, giving their pots a smoother surface. Consequently, metal cooking vessels produced in the Netherlands were imported into Britain. In 1704, an Englishman named Abraham Darby decided to go to The Netherlands to observe the Dutch system for making these cooking vessels. Four years later, back in England, Darby patented a casting procedure similar to the Dutch process and began to produce cast-metal cooking vessels for Britain and her new American colonies. It is possible that because Darby’s patent was based upon his research into the Dutch foundry system that the cooking vessels he produced came to be referred to as “Dutch” ovens.Other researchers believe that this term may have come from the itinerant Dutch traders who sold cooking vessels out of their wagons as they traveled from town to town and door to door. In any event, the term “Dutch oven” has endured for over 300 years, since at least 1710.Over time, the Dutch oven used in the American colonies began to change. The pot became shallower and legs were added to hold the oven above the coals. A flange was added to the lid to keep the coals on the lid and out of the food.

The cast-iron cookware was loved by colonists and settlers because of its versatility and durability. It could be used for boiling, baking, stews, frying, roasting, and just about any other use. The ovens were so valuable that wills in the 18th and 19th centuries frequently spelled out the desired inheritor of the cast iron cookware. For example, Mary Ball Washington (mother of President George Washington) specified in her will, dated 20 May 1788, that one-half of her "iron kitchen furniture" should go to her grandson, Fielding Lewis, and the other half to Betty Carter, a granddaughter. Several Dutch ovens were among Mary’s “iron kitchen furniture.”

When the young American country began to spread westward across the North American continent, so did the Dutch oven. A Dutch oven was among the gear Lewis and Clark carried when they explored the great American Northwest in 1804–1806. The pioneers who settled the American West also took along their Dutch ovens. In fact, a statue raised to honor the Mormon handcart companies who entered Utah’s Salt Lake Valley in the 1850s proudly displays a Dutch oven hanging from the front of the handcart. The Dutch oven is also the official state cooking pot of Utah.

Mountain men exploring the great American frontier used Dutch ovens into the late 19th century. Dutch oven cooking was also prominent among those who took part in the western cattle drives that lasted from the mid-19th century into the early 20th century.

 Types of Dutch ovens
 camping, cowboy, or chuckwagon Dutch oven has three legs, a wire bail handle, and a slightly concave, rimmed lid so that coals from the cooking fire can be placed on top as well as below. This provides more uniform internal heat and lets the inside act as an oven. These ovens are typically made of bare cast iron, although some are aluminum. Dutch ovens are often used in Scouting outdoor activities.

 A cast-iron Wagner dutch oven on a trivet ) and an enameled "French" oven by Le Creuset

Modern Dutch ovens designed for use on the cooktop or in the oven are typically smooth-bottomed. Two French manufacturers of enameled Dutch ovens, Le Creuset and Le Chasseur, refer to their ovens as "French ovens", or in the UK as "casserole dishes".

Some older styles, such as the unglazed ovens by Lodge, Griswold, CampChef, and Wagner, retain the bale handle, while others, such as the enameled versions by Staub, Sante, and le Creuset, have two loop handles. Modern ovens may also be made of thick cast aluminum or ceramic.

 Cookware descended from Dutch Ovens Bedourie ovenMain article: Bedourie oven

In Australia, a bedourie camp oven is a steel cookpot shaped and used like a dutch oven. Named after Bedourie, Queensland, the Bedourie ovens were developed as a more robust (non-breakable) alternative to the more fragile cast iron dutch ovens

 Potjiekos

A cast iron potjie on a fire‎In South Africa, a potjie directly translated "small pot"[from Afrikaans or Dutch, is a traditional round, cast iron, three-legged (tripod) pot. It is similar in appearance to a cauldron and is usually black. It is used to cook potjiekos over an open fire.

Among the South African indigenous tribes these pots also became known as phutu pots.

"Potjie" can also refer to the technique of cooking potjiekos. This tradition originated in the Netherlands during the Siege of Leiden and was brought to South Africa by Dutch immigrants.It persisted over the years with the Voortrekkers and survives today

 

Written by Joe D on October 31st, 2007

Another gem from this wonderful noir collection.

Decoy is a great little film, in a similar vein to Edgar G. Ulmer’s Detour. Low budget but bursting at the seams with creativity, Decoy was recently re-discovered by a neighbor of mine, Bill Rush, who works at Warner Brothers. It hadn’t been seen since 1970 and it’s screening at the American Cinematheque Noir Program caused a sensation. Okay let’s begin at the beginning! A great weird opening! Close up on a battered, chipped porcelain sink, dirty hands come into frame, turn on hot water, steam blasts into the sink! Cold water will do, pan to a roll of paper towels suspended on a piece of twine, pan and tilt to a chunk of broken mirror revealing a disheveled zombie looking guy. We later find out he’s a dishonored doctor(Herbert Rudley).

Is this a Zombie Movie or a Film Noir?

He exits the gas station rest room, stumbling like the undead, ignoring the cheerful good morning patter from the pump jockey, Hitching a ride into the city. He goes into a snazzy apartment building , followed closely but not close enough by Sheldon Leonard who plays Sgt. JoJo Portugal. By the way Leonard looks exactly like Mickey Cohen in this movie, his hat, his suit, his manner.

Chilli, another recipe

Ingredients

Splash olive oil
1 large onion
1 red pepper
1 small pack button mushrooms
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp dried marjoram (optional)
3-4 tsp hot chilli powder
500g  Beef Mince
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g baked beans
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 beef stock cube mixed with ½ pint boiling water
400g can kidney beans
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in wok/ large pan. Soften onions for 3 minutes.

2. Add the peppers, mushrooms and crushed garlic cloves. Cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the paprika, cumin, and marjoram and chilli powder. Cook for another 3 minutes.

4. Add the mince. Fry until browned (about 10 minutes). Separate with spatula and mix with vegetables and spices as you cook.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, baked beans, beef stock and water and seasoning to taste. Cook for 15 minutes on a medium heat (simmer).

6. Drain the kidney beans before adding to the chilli. At this point taste the chilli and add more seasoning/chilli powder if required. Cook for another 15 minutes.

7. Serve with jacket potatoes, butter and salad or rice, tortilla crisps and sour cream.