Yo quiero neon signs.
I would direct your attention to this Eric Carpenter article on the La Palma Chicken Pie Shop that was posted on OCRegister.com yeserday:
For the record, it’s officially called the La Palma Chicken Pie Shop, at 928 N. Euclid St. And, based on conversations over the years, it’s safe to say that people are attracted by the pie shop as much by the retro dining experience as they are by the food. It’s been said that it’s a lot like stepping back in time to have dinner at your grandfolks’ place.
The place is also known – as the name would suggest – for the flaky, crusted pies, filled with steaming chunks of fresh chicken, carrots, onions and celery.
I dropped in unannounced on a recent afternoon and was greeted at the door by co-owner Antje Hasselbarth. She and her husband, Otto, have owned and operated the place since 1972.
You can read the rest of the article here.
I love the La Palma Chicken Pie Shop, inside and out. I’m a fan of retro and post-war neon and Googie architecture (although I’m not sure if the Chicken Pie shop sign is, strictly speaking, Googie). I went to high school a few blocks from there at Servite in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It’s amazing how much the intersection of Euclid and La Palma still looks the way it did back then, and the iconic Chicken Pie Shop is like an architectural anchor to a different era. I haven’t been by in the evening for a while, so I don’t know if that wonderfully kitschy neon sign has been restored to its former glowing glory. Even so, Eric Carpenter’s article reminds me it’s time for a lunch visit.
