Standing at 421 N. Rodeo Drive, I see a majestic two-level shopping plaza. Groups of beautiful shops sheathed in marble and sidewalks adorned with rows of palm trees. Throngs of people strolling through the 45 luxury boutiques, medical offices and 5-star dining options, all in the heart of the Beverly Hills Golden Triangle known as the Rodeo Collection is a common sight.
But in my mind’s eye I see what this address was in the past, a lush Polynesian oasis. Opulent overgrown tropical greenery with stacks of tikis bordering a bamboo bridge over a koi filled moat. The building had a green thatched roof under a luminated sign that read The Luau. This place holds a warm place my heart, not because of its historical significance as the ghost of Hollywood past, but it’s the restaurant where my dad worked as a server.
I remember as a young kid watching him get ready for work in his white uniform with red epaulettes and a matching red sash. Sometimes, on a short afternoon shift, he would take me to work with him. I’d sit in the back bar by the kitchen where he and his fellow Filipino waiters would look in on me, plying me with bar cherries, pineapple bits, little paper umbrellas, coconut cookies and Shirly Temples. Although I never made it into the main dining rooms, I caught glimpses of the colorful world of tiki’s, large Polynesian wicker chairs, green booths, waterfalls and outriggers.
As my dad worked, sometimes carrying a tray of drinks with flaming tops, he’d flash that big smile at me as he scurried by. Witnessing the flurry and camaraderie behind the scenes was amazing. I loved watching him work, they were all like one big happy family and made me feel right at home. Those are still some of the best memories of my dad.
After 24 years The Luau closed its doors 1978 and was eventually demolished. But its legend lives on, at least for me. Maybe if you looked really hard while walking the shops of the Rodeo Collection you could see the ghosts of Sinatra or Martin ordering another Mai Tai. But when I look, I see memories of the love shared between a small kid and his dad.