At the Airstream Diner, Just What Is ‘Adam & Eve on a Raft’?

In his tailored chefs’ whites and skewed ‘do, Fred Eric stands in the middle of his new Beverly Hills diner, ringmaster to the eccentric circus that has just arrived in this sedate enclave. Beside him, two squat statuary dwarfs, runaways from Snow White, are doing time as stools.

The lines of a vintage airstream trailer posed against a Western sunset are echoed in Airstream Diner’s design. The building is sheathed in gleaming, curvaceous aluminum. Fifties-era print curtains hang at the aluminum-framed windows. A swatch book of period Formica, linoleum and trailer-style upholstery completes the theme. Talk about a blast from the past. “This is the first place I designed by myself, and I really like it,” says Eric, who also owns Vida and the 24-hour diner Fred 62 in Los Feliz.

The place has only been open two days when I stop in. It’s fun to watch Beverly Hills geezers in navy blazers with handkerchief artfully tucked into the pocket peer in the doorway, bemused by this goofy new diner. Most, though, end up taking a photocopied menu from the pile by the door and pondering the meaning of items like “Adam & Eve on a Raft,” “A Nice Tofu Scramble” or “Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love Pancake.”

“Billion Dollar Babies”, tender silver dollar pancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar, are the best thing we try. And we’re grateful for them. The kitchen is having trouble getting the food out: small wonder, since they’ve been open such a short time. The waiters look shell shocked. One keeps asking us over and over and over again, “More iced tea?” until we wonder whether short-term memory loss is the problem. The fresh lemonade, incidentally, is nice and tart.

There’s a pretty good “pressed and creased” Cuban sandwich with crusty onion rings, a Wally burger with melted cheddar or, alternatively the Wimpy burger “for those who like it medium to well” and a 3-ounce “Just Kid’n Burger,” plus more sandwiches, egg dishes and salads.

Devo played the opening and have a dish named for them. Devolution Chinese Chicken salad seems a bit mild-mannered, even bland, though, for a tribute to Devo and the ‘80s. Halfway through our dinner, the sound system comes on blasting Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock.” Later comes the sound of a radio spluttering between stations on a long road trip.

For dessert, the berry pop tart has a certain allure. It’s homemade, tasting of cinnamon and butter and covered with a swatch of red frosting incised with A for Airstream. A work in progress, Airstream Diner is “always open, never closed,” at least in theory. I, for one, can’t wait for the doughnut machine to be installed. Then you’ll be able to sidle up to a take-out window and come away with a sticky, freshly made example. The shopkeepers on Rodeo Drive should be ecstatic about that.

Airstream Diner, 9601 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 550-8883. Menu items $1.50 to $24. Currently open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; starting Saturday, open 24 hours. Street and lot parking.