Messhall Kitchen Updates Historic Los Feliz Landmark

(Gerry Furth-Sides, Roberta Deen) Messhall Kitchen in Los Feliz (4500 Los Feliz Boulevard, corner of Vermont) has a heritage to uphold as the only building left that formerly housed a Brown Derby, and in fact, in the succession of businesses, even a solo bank which is adjacent now.  Messhall Kitchen these days takes not from the entertainment business of its original legendary owner, Director Cecil B. DeMille, but from a camp experience, fitting for a place right across the way from Griffith Park – the biggest urban park in North America.  The woodsy, cabin-like décor is spare and open with a fire pit outside. A gentle breeze makes the screened-in patio feel as though it would be cool even in the blazing summers.

The outdoors is represented at Messhall Kitchen by the evergreen tree logo, found everywhere from to the whimsical paper mats to the plates.  The  layout is spacious, giving every dining group a feeling of privacy in what is generally a crowded affair.  What have come to be trendy versions of childhood favorites, from the popular mac ‘n cheese to ribs star on the menu. Colorful floral plantings with benches lead from the small and tricky-to-enter valet service. ($6 – no validation and cars can be stored for Greek Theatre concerts across the street in the park.)

Fried chicken at Messhall Kitchen, available only at dinner on week-days

Messhall Kitchen is also the only remaining structure in the former chain that was still in operation as a restaurant into the 2000s. Film mogul Cecil B. DeMille, a part owner of the Wilshire Blvd. restaurant, bought the building, a former chicken restaurant named Willard’s, and converted it into a Brown Derby in 1940. It uniquely combined a formal restaurant with a dramatic domed ceiling and a more casual drive-in cafe outside.

Brown Derby postcard circa 1940s–1950s

The California Coastal food is under the direction of relatively new Chef Charbel Adaimy, a first generation Lebanese-American who is also a native Angeleno. His love for cooking and all things food-related came from his parents, even though they really wanted him to be a doctor. He was classically trained at the Le Cordon Bleu, and quickly moved on to gain experience at the Michelin-rated fine dining room of the Ritz Carlton Pasadena.

Messhall Kitchen Executive Chef, Charbel Adaimy.

Chef Carbel’s menu features lots of small plates and a raw bar for Happy Hour (Saturday 4-6, Sunday 4-5). We tried the crisp and tender Corn Fritters with fresh salsa verde and pickled red onion, garnished with baby kale salad. The Mezcal-poached Shrimp Cocktail was  Mexican-style with diced shrimp tossed in a spicy “salad” served with a heap of fresh housemade, razor thin corn chips. We then added two versions of Los Vecinos (The Neighbors) mezcal cocktails: the tomato and the “Roll the Dice” where you choose the “spirit” and the bartender creates a personal drink for you.

Corn Fritters at Messhall Kitchen

Mezcal-poached Shrimp Cocktail at Messhall Kitchen

Dinner included a remarkably tender, yet meaty slab of flavorful short rib on an over abundance of creamy mashed potato, a drizzle of pan gravy and lollipop kale.   This dish is for both the paleo and the veggie comfort food diner.

The Blackened Catfish fillet, nicely blackened (not scorched), served on a bed of bright yellow fresh corn chowder and more of the featured kale. You can even order a “ration” of this trending “lollipop” kale with a maple-balsamic reduction, pecans and the excellent Purple Haze goat cheese, which shows the devotion to freshness and detail in the kitchen.

We shared a light fruit-forward 2017 California Proverb Rose from Modesto and a dark red  2016 Michael David Petite Petit Syrah from Lodi that stood up well against the short ribs and the spiced catfish.

The dessert menu is short and to the point with special touches. Featured are seasonal house-made sorbets, including the tart and bracing lemon and the fresh raspberry that we tried. The Banana Cream Jar Pie is the drama choice: a squat bail jar of thick, smooth vanilla cream and whipped cream, toasted almonds and beautifully crisp caramellized banana slices balanced on the lid of the jar finished with a perfect buttery shortbread cookie.

Bracing lemon and the red raspberry sorbets

The Banana Cream Jar Pie

In 1960, the building was purchased by actor Michael St. Angel (aka Steve Flagg) and became Michaels of Los Feliz. Subsequent eateries opened in the location through 1992, when it was transformed into The Derby nightclub, so successful for decades to the extent that the song, “Brown Derby Jump” was recorded on an album.  After a shooting that took place in 2009, the nightclub closed its doors.  The Derby and adjacent lots were saved in 2004 from demolition with a new buyer in 2004, and, on May 19, 2006, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to designate the entire structure an official Historic Cultural Monument of the City of Los Angeles.