John Papadakis’ restaurant is a lot like its owner — big, brash and
loud. No dim lights, no quiet romantic evening here. On a typical
night, the music builds and Papadakis breaks into a Greek dance with a
waitress, a pair of belly dancers wriggle through the aisles as the
owner tosses dollar bills at them, an 88-year-old tuxedo-clad violinist
who played with Frank Sinatra strolls through the restaurant.
Plates break, a dish of saganaki is set on fire. A tap dancer in a baggy suit stomps in front of a self-portrait of Anthony Quinn as Zorba the Greek.
For
decades, Papadakis Taverna has been the best-known attraction in San
Pedro, not just for its food and atmosphere, but as an out-of-the-way
place where celebrities such as Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Hanks
and Paula Abdul gathered. It’s where Pete Carroll, then-coach of the
owner’s beloved USC Trojans, would close the deal with high school
recruits. It was where Natalie Wood ate the night before she drowned
off Santa Catalina in 1981.
How many restaurants show up as answers on "Jeopardy"?
But
after 37 years of Greek dancing and plate-smashing, John Papadakis is
closing the restaurant Sunday. In a place where people come to watch
him as much as they come for the spanakopita and moussaka, "Sometimes I
get tired of playing me," he said.
–Jeff Gottlieb
Photo: Owner John Papadakis dances with daughter Angeliki at the restaurant,
which is a lot like its owner — big, brash and loud. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times / January 28, 2010)