L.A. is the ultimate film noir city, and one theme that seems to underscore nearly all L.A. noirs is the strong tie between corruption and power. Think Noah Cross and his dirty water dealings in Chinatown or L.A. Confidential's Dudley Smith, the crooked cop whose allegiances shifted between the mob and the LAPD.
One locale that figures prominently in neo-noir writer James Ellroy's works, including L.A. Confidential, is the Pacific Dining Car. This is the round-the-clock restaurant where Dud Smith made deals with cops and gangsters alike, and Denzel Washington took Ethan Hawke here in Training Day to confer with "The Wise Men," a group of powerful detectives and attorneys.
With an allure like this, I couldn't resist walking from my hotel to the restaurant's location on the edge of downtown. I arrived early for breakfast, and the atmosphere was one of quiet, luxury, and discretion, even though it was clear that the front section of the restaurant was, unsurprisingly, once a rail car. The veteran hostess offered me a copy of the L.A. Times to read as she led me to a large table in the back.
I noted that most of the clientele were dressed in power suits and were obviously discussing matters of great import or at least involving great deals of money. The portrayal of the Pacific Dining Car in Training Day as a place to make deals was dead-on, as I watched a prominent attorney pay his respects to a community leader, who then returned to his conversation with a former political appointee about City Hall issues.
Although I didn't order the baseball steak (a thick cut of top sirloin) that Denzel recommended to Ethan, I did opt for a $16.95 breakfast of top sirloin and two eggs. As I waited for my meal, the attentive waiters made sure that my fine china cup of coffee remained topped off and they set the table with several small silver dishes filled with jam for my wheat toast and a portion of ketchup-based steak sauce.
The steak and eggs arrived, and it proved that the kitchen knew its stuff after 85 years of being in business. The prime grade steak was a perfect medium rare and the eggs had a consistency that was neither too firm or runny. Instead of potatoes, I had several slices of flavorful tomato that were nicely set off by a few sprinkles of pepper.
It was a decadent meal that nicely fit into the wood-paneled mens' club feel of the place. While I wouldn't want to spend $16.95 every morning for breakfast, I considered part of my tab went towards sitting in a famed noir location as well as providing me with an insight into a true power breakfast spot. And by the way, the food was better than Kate Mantilini's.
One locale that figures prominently in neo-noir writer James Ellroy's works, including L.A. Confidential, is the Pacific Dining Car. This is the round-the-clock restaurant where Dud Smith made deals with cops and gangsters alike, and Denzel Washington took Ethan Hawke here in Training Day to confer with "The Wise Men," a group of powerful detectives and attorneys.
With an allure like this, I couldn't resist walking from my hotel to the restaurant's location on the edge of downtown. I arrived early for breakfast, and the atmosphere was one of quiet, luxury, and discretion, even though it was clear that the front section of the restaurant was, unsurprisingly, once a rail car. The veteran hostess offered me a copy of the L.A. Times to read as she led me to a large table in the back.
I noted that most of the clientele were dressed in power suits and were obviously discussing matters of great import or at least involving great deals of money. The portrayal of the Pacific Dining Car in Training Day as a place to make deals was dead-on, as I watched a prominent attorney pay his respects to a community leader, who then returned to his conversation with a former political appointee about City Hall issues.
Although I didn't order the baseball steak (a thick cut of top sirloin) that Denzel recommended to Ethan, I did opt for a $16.95 breakfast of top sirloin and two eggs. As I waited for my meal, the attentive waiters made sure that my fine china cup of coffee remained topped off and they set the table with several small silver dishes filled with jam for my wheat toast and a portion of ketchup-based steak sauce.
The steak and eggs arrived, and it proved that the kitchen knew its stuff after 85 years of being in business. The prime grade steak was a perfect medium rare and the eggs had a consistency that was neither too firm or runny. Instead of potatoes, I had several slices of flavorful tomato that were nicely set off by a few sprinkles of pepper.
It was a decadent meal that nicely fit into the wood-paneled mens' club feel of the place. While I wouldn't want to spend $16.95 every morning for breakfast, I considered part of my tab went towards sitting in a famed noir location as well as providing me with an insight into a true power breakfast spot. And by the way, the food was better than Kate Mantilini's.
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