A Classic Los Angeles Insider’s Restaurant Quietly Marks 30 Years

Toscana doesn’t make most hot lists or best of Los Angeles guides these days, but as the Brentwood Italian restaurant celebrates its 30th year in business next month, the place endures as a sort of unofficial commissary for music stars, producers and various hungry bigwigs.

At the clubby corner spot on San Vicente Boulevard, you’re likely to see Taylor Swift on a girls night out, Ben Affleck ordering pasta with his kids, or a legend like Barbra Streisand or Henry Winkler saying no (or maybe “a-a-a-a-y-y”) to extra grilled bread.

Next month, Toscana’s owners, Mike and Kathie Gordon, are marking the big 3-0 with a week-long flashback to the original Baywatch-era menu, one that carb-loaded a thousand studio green lights. From June 10 through June 16, classics like Salsicce all’ Uccelletto, Ravioli Radicchio, Scampi e Fagioli and Pollo al Mattone will be back on the plates, albeit at 2019 prices.

I spoke to the Gordons about the ups and downs of three decades in the restaurant biz, and why their tiny spot survives in an ever-changing dining (and celebrity) scene.

Congratulations on the anniversary. What’s different after 30 years?

Mike Gordon: Everything and nothing. As far as competition, there’s a lot of new concepts and Italian variations. Most recently, Jon & Vinny’s moved into the neighborhood. We said, ‘Oh, god.’ But we stayed the course. At one point a year ago, I wanted to chase them all and modify our cuisine but one day I woke up, and thought, nostalgia and tradition are back. What’s old is new. Places like Musso & Frank’s, Dan Tana’s, they never go out of style. You don’t have to match the trends. Give customers what they’ve always liked.

Kathie Gordon: That’s right. The spaghetti pomodoro is still our number one selling pasta. We can put odd, crazy things on the menu but people keep coming back to the classics.

Restaurants come and go. Toscana is still here and popular. What’s the secret?

Mike Gordon: It’s the Danny Meyer model. How do we make you feel? Whether our food is perfect every time is irrelevant. Customers walk away feeling like family.

Kathie Gordon: Something has to be said about Mike, too. We are first-time restaurateurs. For a long time, his day job was as a CPA business manager, and he said this was his hobby. But we’re a success due to his business acumen and attention to the dollar. We love the way we serve people but it takes someone like Mike to handle a restaurant from a business perspective. Instituting weekly inventories, watching the bottom line. So often you run into trouble otherwise.

What are the unwritten rules about great restaurant service?

Kathie Gordon: Often you get a hug when you come in. There’s this ‘we’re happy you’re here’ attitude. The servers are beyond knowledgeable. They’re friendly and warm. We did a cookbook for our 20th and we queried some of our customers about this. Over and over they told us, ‘We feel like this is home away from home.’ Customers invite servers to their houses and make them part of their family, too.

Mike Gordon: You also have to know when to give space and privacy. A lot of our folks are in the entertainment industry. It’s a little like an extension of the studio. Everybody seems to know everybody. Rob Reiner, Sherry Lansing, Jake the bodybuilder, Bob Iger–they’re all part of the Toscana family. Everybody knows they can come here without paparazzi following them. It’s a safe haven.

Which 1989 dishes are you looking forward to seeing back on the menu next month?

Mike Gordon: The signature Pinzimonio, which is an Italian-style crudité. Costolette d’Agnello alla Trevisana. Florentina ala Bracie. I don’t know why these ever left the menu.

Kathie Gordon: I’m looking forward to the Pizza Catarina. It’s white cheese with radicchio, walnut and gorgonzola, and it’s named after me!

Quick: What’s your standout memory from 30 years, good or bad.

Kathie Gordon: For me, it’s the feeling of awe. Every night is like New Year’s, and I can’t believe that little Kathie Gordon from Omaha, Nebraska created this place and gets to host this party every night.

Mike Gordon: For some reason, I think of the disasters. In the old days, we had smoking and non-smoking sections, but it was just one room. Smoking on the left and non on the right. It was ridiculous. One night someone was smoking and somebody else got mad and threw a glass of red wine in their face. One of the servers said, ‘Uh, Mike, you might want to come over here.’ But the big memory was from the very first week. I was shaking and scared to death. We’d never done anything like this. I’d never been a performer, either, but it was like, ‘Show’s on.’ I remember Ruth Reichl walking in after we were open about two days. She had a reservation and the place was jammed. I was trying to help out. Not knowing anything about serving, I went to her table, and not knowing who she was, I failed when she asked how’s the ravioli prepared. I actually said, ‘I don’t have a clue.’ She wrote the review in the L.A. Times saying, ‘We had a lovely time but the owner didn’t know a thing.’ That was 30 years ago. I guess we figured it out.

The interview has been edited and condensed.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.