{"id":40874,"date":"2019-07-26T07:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T07:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/?p=40874"},"modified":"2019-07-26T07:00:28","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T07:00:28","slug":"diningtribute-iconic-santa-monica-restaurant-back-on-broadway-closing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/diningtribute-iconic-santa-monica-restaurant-back-on-broadway-closing\/","title":{"rendered":"DINING\/TRIBUTE: ICONIC SANTA MONICA RESTAURANT BACK ON BROADWAY CLOSING"},"content":{"rendered":"

ICONIC SANTA MONICA RESTAURANT BACK ON BROADWAY CLOSING<\/h1>\n
\"Back<\/a>

Back On Broadway. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

Today marks the end of a warm and wonderful era. Back on Broadway, the restaurant that has meant the most to me (and to so many others) over the years is closing for good. I\u2019m incredibly sad about it.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why this is happening right now: With his right-on-the-beach eatery, Back on the Beach, being everyone\u2019s go-to venue for delicious casual fare in that perfect indoor-outdoor setting, restaurateur extraordinaire, Fred Deni, has made the difficult decision to shutter his other<\/em> popular in-town Santa Monica breakfast-and-lunch spot, Back on Broadway.<\/p>\n

He explains, \u201cThe time has come to pull in my focus, and closing Back on Broadway is the best way.\u201d Heartbroken as I<\/em> am about that situation, I know he\u2019s right. Between running his beach cafe, and multiple catering jobs each week, he just doesn\u2019t have the time to split between restaurants anymore. And I know Fred to give each project his complete attention, so closing one of his restaurants will allow him to better do that.<\/p>\n

In addition to the daytime meals, BoB was also known as a fabulous party venue, including hosting fetes for Smokey Robinson, Warren Beatty, and, of course, moi<\/em>! I threw just about every one of my parties there during the years of my show, Karen\u2019s Restaurant Revue<\/em>. Their spinach cannelloni is still<\/em> the talk of anyone who\u2019s ever been fortunate enough to attend one of my soirees there! (But those vegetarian delights can still be whipped-up for you, along with their other signature dishes, because the location will now serve exclusively as the kitchen for Back On Broadway Catering.)<\/p>\n

This place actually holds sooooo many personal memories for me! Here are just a few of the most public ones:<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The interior of Back On Broadway.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the early days of my TV show, I got a call from Fred Deni, who was a stranger to me at that time. During our conversation, he told me the history of Back On Broadway–right on the heels of closing another cafe, he had stumbled onto BoB, which was kismet. I just assumed that he was calling to ask me to review his place (as everyone<\/em> did in those days.) He was so nice that of course I said yes! He called back a few minutes later to say that he was so embarrassed; he wasn\u2019t looking for a review–he just wanted to know when my next show would be on! (I didn\u2019t have a regular time slot for a couple years.) We laughed, and I said I was still going to go there for dinner.<\/p>\n

And then Mr. X and I had an argument that evening, so I called Fred to say I couldn\u2019t make it after all. He sounded so disappointed that I grabbed one of my good friends, and in we went. And that\u2019s when I first learned of his cleverness and grace\u2014not only was there a bottle of champagne chilling at my table, but there was also a film canister with a Karen\u2019s Restaurant Revue<\/em> label around the sides, (where the name of a film would be,) and it was filled with…chocolate chip cookies! Much to what is now his eternal chagrin, Fred was stuck for me with me for life from that moment on. (And the food was delicious, too, of course!)<\/p>\n

After that, I practically lived at Back On Broadway. When People<\/em> magazine called to do a story on me, and I didn\u2019t want them to take pictures of me at my messy apartment, I insisted we go to Back On Broadway to do the photographs for my story there. Whenever I was featured in a newspaper or magazine article after that, I always referred the writers to Fred for quotes. And for every special foodie segment I ever did on any TV show, I suggested that we film it there.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The third party room at Back On Broadway. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

Whenever Mr. X and I had a bad fight, (which we fiery-tempered east coasters did quite often back then,) I\u2019d run right over to BoB to pick-up a Chicken Kiev dinner for him, to bribe him into making-up. (And yes\u2014it did<\/em> work every time! So Fred gets either the credit or blame for us still being together this long!)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my favorite story about this eatery that\u2019s always been near and dear to my heart: The first time I was on The Tonight Show<\/em>, Johnny Carson surprised me by asking if I had a suggestion of a place for him to have dinner. I was shocked, because the show\u2019s talent coordinator had told me to not<\/em> talk about specific restaurants. But Johnny asked<\/em>, so I told him all about Back On Broadway. When I went there for dinner the next night, there was a line around the block! I heard Fred ask the woman at the table next to me how she knew about his place, and she answered, \u201cJohnny Carson told us!\u201d (But actually, ma\u2019am, Johnny<\/em> hadn\u2019t told you about the place; I<\/em> told you about it, while chatting with<\/em> Johnny.)<\/p>\n

But no matter how<\/em> it happened, it was my honor to play even a tiny part in putting Back On Broadway deservedly on the map. [Note: As a sidebar, I became friends with Fred Deni and his family. When I was at an anniversary party for his parents in Lambertville, New Jersey, his father took me around to all the relatives, and asked each one, \u201cDid you see Karen on The Tonight Show<\/em>?\u201d If they answered that they had not<\/em>, he gave them a quick reprimanding, \u201cThen you\u2019re stupid!\u201d I still love that story.]<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

In that same time period, I got asked to open for the Temptations and the Four Tops at a theater in Beverly Hills. I had never done stand-up, but, from watching my show, the talent booker thought that I could do it. (He was incorrect, by the way.) When I told Fred that I was a little nervous about doing stand-up for the first time at such a big famous venue, he had a brilliant idea\u2014why not do it first at Back On Broadway?! Even though it was not an entertainment venue at all, I knew that Fred would work his magic to get it done.<\/p>\n

So he had a friend build a little stage in one of the party rooms, another one of his friends volunteered to make programs from the guy\u2019s precious Playbill<\/em> collection, and I did an evening of stand-up comedy there! When I arrived that night, carrying my performance wardrobe on hangers and in bags, we all of a sudden realized that I had no place to change, since of course there were no dressing rooms in a restaurant. But a lightbulb went on over Fred\u2019s head once again, and he turned his empty, not-yet-in-use walk-in refrigerator into my dressing room! And it was perfect.<\/p>\n

\"Just<\/a>

Just a few of Fred Deni’s awards over the years. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

And let\u2019s not forget about all the Thanksgiving meals that Back On Broadway has served to the homeless and seniors over the decades! That level of philanthropy is rare. I was lucky enough to be the seating hostess for several years, but because we all have so much love for Fred and his husband and co-owner, Jim Christel, the roster of volunteers got so huge that some of us have had to hang back. But Fred and Jim\u2019s kindness has gone on. And on. And on.<\/p>\n

But no worries for the multitude of fans of Fred and Jim–those two aren’t going anywhere! Those who crave Back on Broadway\u2019s delicious fare, (along with the extreme hospitality of Fred and Jim,) don\u2019t have far to go to still enjoy that very same food and reception. Just head on over to their other<\/em> Santa Monica cafe, Back on the Beach, for the creative breakfast dishes, penne vodka, and, of course, the famous Fred\u2019s salad. And in the summer, it stays open for all three meals, so you can even enjoy the sunset right on the beach! (For more information, go to www.backonthebeachcafe.com<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\"Back<\/a>

Back on the Beach.<\/p><\/div>\n

I wish the fondest of farewells to Back On Broadway. And thank you for all the great memories!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ICONIC SANTA MONICA RESTAURANT BACK ON BROADWAY CLOSING Today marks the end of a warm and wonderful era. Back on Broadway, the restaurant that has meant the most to me (and to so many others) over the years is closing for good. I\u2019m incredibly sad about it. Here\u2019s why this is happening right now: With<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-restaurant-reviews","category-tribute"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40874"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40895,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40874\/revisions\/40895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}