Strip Search

When Ben Frank’s--the wee hours retreat of post-clubbing hair bands and caffeine-swigging screenwriters, the diner with the nerve to ban Andrew Dice Clay from ever munching on its scrambled eggs again--quietly closed in July, there were no formal protests. The restaurant, built in 1962, remains one of the city’s finest examples of high Googie architecture. Rumors range from Mel’s Diner to--gulp--Barnes & Noble eyeing the spot, though preservationists who worry about a redesign see an opportunity for a restoration a la Bob’s Big Boy in Toluca Lake or the Downey McDonald’s. What’s a 24-hour street to do without its 24-hour diner?