Tuesday, February 3, 1998
Staying power
WESTWOOD Stan’s Donuts, Falafel King and Mario’s reign in
Westwood
By Meghan Ward
Daily Bruin Contributor
Dining out in Westwood Village used to be a real hassle. You had
to either take the bus or drive around for hours looking for a
parking meter (because everyone knows it’s not cool to walk).
Times have changed. A new six-level parking structure on Broxton
Avenue (between Weyburn and Westwood avenues) now enables hungry
Angelenos to frequent the three oldest restaurants in Westwood,
Stan’s Donuts, Falafel King and Mario’s Italian restaurant, without
losing their cool.
Located at the intersection of Broxton and Weyburn avenues,
Stan’s has been in the same spot, "same windows, same everything,"
says Stan, for 32 years.
Lesley Siegel of Beverly Hills remembers frequenting Stan’s
Donuts in the ’70s.
"My friends and I would take the bus to Westwood, and for a
special treat, we would get a donut at Stan’s. Stan’s donuts were
unique. The peanut butter donuts were the most popular because they
were the most unusual."
According to Stan Berman, that peanut butter donut is one of
their most notorious donuts. "People come from all over the
country, all over the world for that donut."
Stan is the third generation in the Berman dynasty of pastry
chefs.
"When my mother brought me home from the hospital, she brought
me home to a bakery," Stan muses. He learned his trade in the
Danish pastry business.
He explains that most of his donuts originate from pastries.
"That pretzel-shaped donut there originally started out as a
pastry. You have it in your French pastry and your Danish pastry. I
just made it a donut."
Now step outside onto Broxton Avenue. "The village has undergone
a complete facelift," declares Patricia Evans, operations manager
of the Westwood Village Alliance. "This is really an exciting time
for Westwood."
The Streetscape Assessment, a project funded by Westwood Village
property owners, has added widened sidewalks, blue street benches
and street lamps, twinkle lights and decorative brick crosswalks to
the village.
Turn left at Mario’s and head past the blue benches and Chinese
flame trees until you reach a red awning bearing the words,
"Falafel King." Step inside and choose from an assortment of
falafel and shawarma sandwiches and plates.
The "best falafel this side of Jerusalem," according to Nick
Ancimi, the manager, is topped with Falafel King’s hand-dipped
potato chips, has endured for the past 34 years.
Ancimi describes the falafel as a patty made from chickpeas,
vegetables and spices, fried to a crispy golden hue and served with
pita bread, mixed greens, tahini dressing and Falafel King’s
delectable hand-dipped chips.
"This is the only falafel in town that you open and it’s green.
That’s the vegetables."
For a few extra pennies, hummus, cheese, avocado, rice or feta
are added. The tahini is non-dairy, so falafels are perfect for
vegans and vegetarians.
For meat-eaters, shawarma made with chicken or lamb and beef is
made by stacking slices of the meat onto a vertical spit which
stands next to an open flame, roasting the meat to a tender juicy
perfection. Sliced vertically, the meat is served like the falafel,
with mixed greens, tahini and hand-dipped chips.
The red vinyl booths in Falafel King are aligned next to walls
plastered with giant photos of people eating and drinking outdoors
on a sunny day.
"The pictures on the walls were commissioned," Ancimi said.
"Most of them are in Israel, some are in Westwood. They give
customers something to look at while they are eating."
After a hard afternoon of shopping, when you are ready for that
little snack, head back up Broxton to Mario’s.
Owned by the Angelini family, Mario’s has been serving customers
for a record-breaking 37 years.
Maitre d’ Jose Dias, employed by the Angelini family for 20
years, will show you to your seat. Dias describes Mario’s
specialty, the Linguini Sorrento Al Cartoccio, as a flat spaghetti
with seafood cooked in a red sauce with garlic. "It is one of the
original creations at Mario’s. We also have veal and chicken," Dias
adds.
The dim lights and romantic decor make Mario’s a cozy little
haven away from the hustle and bustle of Wilshire and Westwood
boulevards.
According to Dias, many of the waiters at Mario’s have been
there for 15 to 20 years. "Miss Angelini’s family is lovely. We
know most of our customers. We have a lot of regulars."
Anna Maria Angelini and her daughter, Marina, have run the
family-owned business since Mario, the patron of the family, passed
away several years ago.
Photos courtesy of Meghan Ward
(Top) Patrons, sitting outside observing the sites of Westwood
Village, enjoy a meal from Falafel King. (Above) Stan Berman kneads
dough at the world-famous Stan’s Donuts, home of the peanut butter
donut.