That Red-headed one

 That Red-headed one...





      This is a quote by cousin Kevin that Greg loved to repeat as he waxed poetic about the charms of a forgotten yet beloved Los Angeles restaurant. The wonderful place was called Dolores at Wilshire boulevard near La Cienega and it was one of the last car-hop restaurants around LA. Opened in 1946 this was one of a franchise with another over on  Sunset. Greg often extolled the truly great Jumbo-Jim Double decker hamburgers they served at Delores with a magic Z relish ingredient that made each "hamburger sandwich" unique and utterly delicious. They ground their own beef and made that burger their signature dish, although they had a pretty damn good menu. The chicken giblets were never ordered but they were supposed to be beautiful.  Greg loved the Delores hamburger so much he managed to get the truth out of one of the waiters who let him know they added onion juice to the dressing that went on these masterpieces of the hamburger craft. They also served a very fine slice of pie that was baked on the premises each day. If you were lucky enough to live nearby you could dive into "the Old Farm Breakfast" with 3 eggs, 3 pancakes, hash browns, and a choice of bacon, ham, or sausage. Trenchermen from all over the southland came to dig into the San Francisco omelette aka "Joe's Special."  Delores was a paradise for big portion eaters without a calorie care in the world. Yet, the inspiration here was inspired by one of the waiters who was about as gay as a gay man can be. He had been serving the public with a wan affect for many years and even as father time had begun to lessen the red dye in his coiffure he still flitted about like Delores was his fairy kingdom. Both Kevin and Greg loved his coquettish demeanor and nicknamed him "that red-headed one." His true name was Rusty and while he may have had ambitions to be a Hollywood star he skated and minced around Wilshire boulevard until 1981 when they sadly closed up shop and put up a stupid office building.



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