Chez Jay & The Beach Boys

[Ed Roach]

Very interesting article on Chez Jay in local Santa Monica paper today.  I know this board has many fans of Chez Jay, and people are aware of the connection, and many attended the Bash for DW, and the book release party for "The Real Beach Boy".  The article also mentions The Boys right away, in the 2nd. paragraph; (unfortunately, it doesn't mention Jon Stebbins as-yet-to-be published biography of Jay, in spite of seeming to get a lot of its info from it!):

http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2011-08-18-72387.113116-Flamboyant-owner-made-Chez-Jay-a-landmark.html

Flamboyant owner made Chez Jay a landmark

By Tom Viscount
August 18, 2011

When Jay Fiondella wandered out to Hollywood from the East Coast in the 1950s, he had his eyes set on becoming a famous actor. Little did he know that he would instead open up and run one of the most iconic and legendary restaurants to ever grace the Los Angeles area, while leading a life bigger and more outrageous than any acting role he could ever have played.

Along the way Jay would become friends with a wildly diverse group of the famous and notorious of the last half of the 20th century; a group that would include Frank Sinatra, Henry Kissinger, Steve McQueen, Buzz Aldrin and the Beach Boys. His exploits would be touted in magazines and on television and he would gain more fame than he ever could have dreamed of as an actor.

The story of Chez Jay is really two stories, one of the restaurant and one of the man and how the distinction between them was often blurred. In the early '50s, Jay was working as a bartender at Sinbad's, a popular, scrappy bar on the Santa Monica Pier, while hustling for acting gigs. Before his shifts he would often have breakfast at a small café located on Ocean Avenue just south of Colorado Avenue. Jay became friendly with the owner, who he learned was having problems keeping the place open. One morning the owner said he had finally had enough and offered the place to Jay for exactly $1.

With little restaurant experience other than that as a bartender, Jay literally leaped at the opportunity and with the help of a friend's $5,000 investment, took over the flagging establishment. Jay named his new restaurant "Chez Jay," after "Chez Joey," a restaurant in the movie "Pal Joey," whose character was played by Frank Sinatra. In one of many ironic twists in Jay's life, Sinatra would later become a regular at Chez Jay.


The article runs 3 pages, & includes a great photo of opening day, if you click to it.  The print edition also has a picture of a young Jay at the Academy Awards with Lee Marvin, the year he won an Oscar for "Cat Ballou".

[Pretty Funky]

Thanks Ed. I get to drive past the bar a couple of times a year but have never made it in. There seems to be a lot of development going on around the bar and each time I go past I expect it to be torn down but somehow it survives.

[Ed Roach]

Funny enough, I remember feeling the same way about 20, 25 years ago, when a lot of things started changing around that part of Santa Monica...  And Jay did, in fact, plan on moving it to a huge property he owned down on Main St., near Ocean Park.  However, when he got a reprive on his lease, he decided to stay put.
You never know these days, though, and you'll kick yourself if you pass one day and it's gone...  Be sure & check out the various things on the walls related to Dennis if you ever do drop in.

[smile-holland]

Funny enough, I remember feeling the same way about 20, 25 years ago, when a lot of things started changing around that part of Santa Monica...  And Jay did, in fact, plan on moving it to a huge property he owned down on Main St., near Ocean Park.  However, when he got a reprive on his lease, he decided to stay put.
You never know these days, though, and you'll kick yourself if you pass one day and it's gone...  Be sure & check out the various things on the walls related to Dennis if you ever do drop in.

I was there once, in May 2004 during our holiday in California. It's really a surreal location. High apartment or hotel buildings all around and then there's this small white/blue building...
When we stepped inside, Jay had just left, so we missed the opportunity for (undoubtly) some great stories. Both ordered an orange juice... which obviously tasted like it had passed the perishable date ...      The barkeeper apologised, gave us fresh new drinks and told us they were on the house ! Now that's service !
We had a great time in LA those few days. Visited many BB-related spots. drove through Hawthorne, ate at Paradise Cove, drove Mulholland Drive, walked around at Hollywood & Vine Street, Cole Ave (old Fire Station),  and so on...  we should go back one time ...