Dine like a star in LA, New York, Paris, London or Venice …
MUSSO & FRANK GRILL, LOS ANGELES
At Musso & Frank, time appears to have stopped around 1949 and never restarted, in the best possible way. From the red leather booths to the old-school waiters in red tuxedos and the unforgettable dry martinis, this is the spiritual home of noir. Featured in Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer series as Mickey Haller’s haunt, it was also a regular of Connelly’s other key character, troubled detective, Harry Bosch. It was a favourite watering hole of writer Raymond Chandler, and where Tarantino shot key scenes for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Catering to the Hollywood elite since 1919, it’s faded Hollywood at its finest, and a meal here feels like playing a cameo in a black and white classic.
AS SEEN IN: The Lincoln Lawyer, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
WHAT TO ORDER: A steak with all the trimmings, or the sand dabs, with a perfectly stiff cocktail. For breakfast, try the pancake-adjacent Flannel Cakes. Musso and Frank, 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, California, 001 323 467 7788; www.mussoandfrank.com.
MAXIM’S, PARIS
Maxim’s is so quintessentially Parisian it’s almost a parody – all Art Nouveau mirrors, swirling ironwork, and enough gilding to make Versailles look low-key. Open since 1893 and immortalised in the musical Gigi, this was once the stomping ground of novelist Marcel Proust, iconic French singer Mistinguett, and later, every big-screen diva worth her diamonds. Yes, it’s touristy now, but lean into it. Order the lobster, raise your coupe, and imagine Maurice Chevalier doffing his hat to Leslie Caron. I do not doubt there is much better food in Paris, but sometimes, that’s ok.
AS SEEN IN: Gigi, Midnight in Paris.
WHAT TO ORDER: Caviar, lobster, and champagne, of course. Maxims restaurant, 3 rue Royale, Paris 8th, 0033 1 4265 2794; www.restaurant-maxims.com.
HARRY’S BAR, VENICE
If Harry’s Bar were a person, it would be a louche, aristocratic expat with a fondness for bellinis and bad decisions. Tucked off a quiet canal near Piazza San Marco, this tiny Venetian institution has hosted Hemingway, Capote, Orson Welles and, fictionally, Tom Ripley, who fitted in perfectly. As if that wasn’t enough reason to visit, the bar is famously the birthplace of both the bellini and beef carpaccio, and while these days it’s often packed with tourists hoping to walk in the footsteps of its most famous patrons, it’s still full of charm. Go for the atmosphere. Stay for the people-watching.
AS SEEN IN: The Talented Mr Ripley, Hemingway’s hangovers.
WHAT TO ORDER: A bellini (or three) and the original beef carpaccio. Harry’s Bar, San Marco 1323, Venice, 0039 041 52 85 777; www.cipriani.com/harrys-bar.
THE SAVOY GRILL, LONDON
The dining room of London’s grand Savoy Hotel, this is the kind of storied place where secrets are shared, champagne is poured, and Hercule Poirot fusses with his napkin. Agatha Christie herself dined here regularly, and it features in her memoirs as a favourite haunt, presumably where she plotted dastardly downfalls over Dover sole. Today, long under the stewardship of Gordon Ramsay, it’s bristling with polished brass, crisp linens and old-school British service, albeit with a modern twist. It’s a place for long lunches, deliberate seduction, and lingering glances over Ramsay’s famous Beef Wellington.
AS SEEN IN: Numerous Agatha Christies including Witness for the Prosecution and Poirot’s Appointment with Death.
WHAT TO ORDER: The Wellington, of course, followed by something decadent and French for dessert. Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay, The Savoy Hotel, London WC2, 0044 207 592 1600; www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/savoy-grill.
BEMELMANS BAR, NEW YORK
Hidden inside The Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side, Bemelmans is an institution, with its velvet banquettes and walls hand-painted by Madeline creator Ludwig Bemelmans himself. It features in Woody Allen’s Wild Man Blues, it popped up in Gossip Girl, and remains a haunt for literary types, old-money New Yorkers, and anyone who loves a martini served with a wink. It’s sophisticated without being stuffy, cinematic without trying too hard, and the perfect place to nurse a negroni and pretend you’re in a Wes Anderson film.
AS SEEN IN: Wild Man Blues, Gossip Girl.
WHAT TO ORDER: A classic martini, fried olives with lemon aioli and a Connecticut lobster roll. Bemelmans Bar, The Carlyle, 35 East 76th Street, New York, 001 212 570 7120; www.rosewoodhotels.com
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