Mar 08, 2016 Clifton’s food is unspectacular but it’s a great place to meet friends for dinner
My mom was more excited about the re-opening of Clifton’s Cafeteria in Downtown Los Angeles than I was. She used to go there with my uncles and grandparents when she was a kid, and fondly recalls the taxidermy and waterfalls. That sounded cool but the Downtown L.A. institution had been under renovation for what seemed like years–and its impending opening became the sort of thing where people would get excited about a news article that actually came out one or two years beforehand. And then when Clifton’s indeed opened, we blew it off because it was a trendy thing that entailed long lines.
We finally went to Clifton’s a couple of weeks ago when friends were in town and they also had a little girl. Why not meet for dinner at Clifton’s? We couldn’t possibly impress them with a fancier choice, we didn’t need reservations, and there would be stuffed animals. Yes! And it turned out to be perfect because there were plenty of tiny areas where we could talk in private, the kids could screw around, and we wouldn’t be rushed away. Around six, it was practically empty, and because I get the feeling the cafeteria is geared toward lunchtime for people who work in the area.
At night, only a fraction of the food centers were open: a salad bar, a sandwich counter, a roast beef carving station with sides that would be appropriate for Thanksgiving dinner, some dessert. A lot has changed in the Los Angeles food scene since Clifton’s was founded in 1931–the rise of international cuisines, hybrid dishes, and foodie culture–and now the cafeteria is a culinary Coelacanth, a living fossil swimming up Broadway.
Of course, that’s why it’s so great. Among celebrity-driven kitchens, trend-hopping food trucks, and post-Chipotle food chains, Clifton’s is authentic and unironic. While a metrosexual lumberjack wouldn’t look out of place eating meat loaf next to one of the support beams decorated like a tree stump, this style has cycled at least two or three times since the cafeteria originally opened–from Davey Crockett to grunge to now. So while the food is unspectacular, the vibe is as genuine as it is casual and not only allows for long conversation but adds to it. Why do we meet friends for dinner anyway? To take pictures of your plate? To be entertained? To go somewhere exclusive and hip? Sometimes, it’s to spend time together.
I can see why Mom has fond memories of going to Clifton’s with her family when she was a kid, and it will be very cool when the stars align and we finally take her and Dad there. Los Angeles isn’t known for having a lot of institutions but along with Philippe, Canter’s, and Fosselman’s, this is one of them and I’m glad that it’s back.
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