RITUALS : Some Good Things Never Change

IT’S AN old-fashioned oasis, a place where you can relax your way back into the civility of a bygone era. High-backed wooden booths have cosseted rich and not necessarily famous Angelenos since 1919; meals are still respectfully served on linen place mats to solo diners at the counter. In the bar, shaded wall lamps give off a warm glow as another cloudy Saturday afternoon slips into the cocktail hour.

The room is dark and cozy, like a gentlemen’s club. You can’t quite make out the pale-green pastoral mural that encircles the room, but the dim light catches the leaded-glass panes of the liquor cabinets behind the dark-wood bar. Perched happily on a red-leather bar stool, you can witness, through his reflection in the mirror, the stately bartender in the de rigueur white shirt, black tie and red jacket as he smoothly makes an honest-to-goodness vodka gimlet on the rocks, just as he’s done for the past 22 years--the way it should be done: ice into tumbler, a generous jigger of vodka, a splash of lime juice until the concoction is just the right golden-green. Cheers.

Straightforward cocktails in an old-fashioned atmosphere at Musso & Frank Grill, 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; (213) 467-5123.