Closed 24 Hours Daily: Still Nothing Cookin’ in Spanish Kitchen

It was one of L.A.’s longest-running mysteries: One day in 1961, the Spanish Kitchen restaurant, a longtime hangout for celebs, displayed a “Closed for Vacation” notice.

The vacation was permanent. But nothing changed inside the Beverly Boulevard cafe. Even the salt shakers remained on the tables.

Rumor had it that the owner’s husband had been murdered inside and that she wouldn’t reopen it until the killer was found. Decades later, relatives told a less dramatic story: The husband had died of natural causes, and the owner was simply too upset to deal with the business.

The place was sold and the interior was rehabbed. But the new owner’s attempt to reopen was stalled by neighborhood opposition.

The cafe’s name, however, has taken on new life. A rock group called Spanish Kitchen was formed. On its Web site, the members are posing under the Spanish Kitchen sign. Yes, the sign is still there, 40 years after it was last lit. The “vacation” notice has, however, been removed.

STILL ON THE FOOD BEAT: Now that I’ve worked up your appetite, it’s time for this column’s weekly dining guide, featuring:

* A new type of cigar in Costa Mesa. (From Kenneth Scofield of Redlands, who adds: “With the restraints put on materials from Cuba, people have to be very creative with cigars.”)

* A Chinese restaurant that seems to be dissing local chefs (Phil Proctor of Beverly Hills).

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.