It's Thanksgiving 1972, Which restaurant do you choose for your holiday meal in LA?

Neither. On Restaurant Row, it’s Lawry’s or go home.

The Brown Derby. I remember once running into Fred MacMurray at that place, right as they were casting "Flubber." He loved my energy, and threw a juicy part my way. Then he put me in the movie!

Those two sound the same to me except for location. The one year in 1970s we went out for Thanksgiving, we went to Wyatt's cafeteria. And to a kid like me it was tremendous.

The same menu at both? Were these two fucking?

I wonder if Cesar Romero was offering BJs along with the pumpkin pie at his place by either him, Gilbert, your very Italian Maitre D', or Anton at the piano.

Gotta go with the Lobster Barrel, simply because the Skipper himself actually worked there as the maitre 'd and apparently was happy to call the kids "Little Buddy" as he showed them to their table.

By the by, $6 in 1972 is equivalent to $43 in 2023. So this wasn't a cheap holiday meal for the family. 4 x 43 = $172, plus tax and tip.

Huh? That’s cheap as all fuck for two People on Turkey Day, much less an entire family. Where are you, Inner Mongolia?

I'm from the land of For Nearly Two Hundred Dollars I'll Cook the Bird Myself.

Let me guess, you're in SF or NYC and have a completely skewed view of how normal people live.

r7 this was in 1972 dollars

Randomly, in Kansas City—do your own work.

R9 it is cheap in 2023 dollars—that’s the point.

r11 you have more money than I do

If you add up the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner,turkey,sides,appetizers, drinks, and desserts it's a pretty good deal. Plus it spares you time and effort from shopping, cooking, and dealing with your family members.

I went to Norm's that year.

What is a relish tray? I Googled and I'm still not quite sure.

Suspiciously alike. I suspect the two restaurants have the same owner, with the celebs just figureheads.

There were underground passageways crossing over La Cienega and connecting to several kitchens. That’s the boulevard became BH’s restaurant row!

This is a relish tray, only in the 1960s and 1970s there wouldn’t have been peppers. There would have been celery instead. It came with a dip, sort of a thick, creamier version of French dressing.

According to comments below the image @ OP-

Both appear to be serving the same menu, and Google maps shows those addresses are next door to each other. Holy coincidences, little buddy!

I'm sure they share a kitchen and an owner, who was smart enough to get two celebrity spokesmen.

Underground tunnels!

I was at The Joker's, because it had dancing with Susan Anton at the piano.

Did Alan and Cesar put on a show in the back?

Mr. Romero takes all deliveries in the rear.

R15 is perilously close to stirring up the DL relish tray hornet’s nest.

I would go with the Italian place simply because I’ve found it good policy to avoid restaurants with the word “barrel” in their names.

I had to look it up.

Black olives and stuff the celery with cream cheese and roll in chopped nuts.

Pic of the interior of the the Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel from 1977

You can even buy AHLB merch on-line

Fred MacMurray, and his wife, actress June Haver, photographed with Cesar Romero at the opening of his Cappuccino Ristorante.

I remember Fred MacMurray was quoted by Rona Barrett saying that Cesar's breath smelled like "ball sweat"

He actually meant Cock Breath and the reason we all brought toothbrushes and paste to the video arcades in the 70s.

Oh, we are in Chicago for the November opening of a new restaurant called Le Perroquet.

Hope it turns out to be a good place.