Longtime patrons of a classic steakery that opens in a new location typically ask whether the cuts of meat are the same, and the size of the lobster tails, and if their favorite potatoes are still available as a side.
Customers, however, rarely ask after the walls of the new restaurant, except in one prominent case: The Palm.
The famous boutique chain of swanky steakhouses has become famed over the decades for its colorful caricatures of celebrities, and when The Palm in West Hollywood shuttered at the end of September, fans wondered if the new Palm, set for its November bow in Beverly Hills, would be as charmingly illustrated, booth-to-ceiling-style.
Fear no more, filet mignon-seekers of Southern California: Your porterhouse still arrives with a side of powerhouse, in the form of caricatures depicting movie stars and industry players.
Nope, the new Beverly Hills Palm, which opened earlier in November, isn't nearly as laden with lively portraits as West Hollywood Palm was -- that location boasted well over 2,000 sketches, most of which were returned to the subject or their families -- but the city scene running along one wall, the portraits of Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner, and other local tributes are lending The Beverly Hills Palm that Palm-y flavor.
A flavor that's been simmering since 1926, when Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi opened their first restaurant in New York City.
As for the latest iteration of the successful steak-and-cocktails chain? It's at 267 N. Canon. And, indeed, the Three Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin is absolutely available. Paired with the caricatures, strong sips, and an array of meats and seafood dishes, it's got the makings of a quintessential Palm for a new era and that toniest of zip codes.
