Laguna Beach and Its Restaurants: The Way It Used to Be

By Gale Pike

Laguna Beach. A gem on the coast of southern California recognized the world over for its cultural reputation as an art colony. But did you know that this beach lover's paradise also boasts a rich eclectic history in the culinary arts?

Restaurant owner Gale Pike has served this town for over 50 years with numerous establishments that evoke stories of celebrities, gangsters, politicians and even ghosts. Along with editor and logtime resident Tom DePaolo, this chronicle offers many entertaining anecdotes and visuals that will give the reader a fresh new perspective on the way it used to be in this delicious little village by the sea.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456725303

Gale Pike

Gale Pike has been a restaurateur in Laguna Beach, California for over 50 years

Book preview

Recipes

Chicken Kiev Recipe

Beef Taco Recipe

Lobster Newburg Recipe

Coq au Vin recipe

For the past 50 years a local fellow by the name of Gale Pike has owned and operated restaurants in the beautiful village of Laguna Beach. This is his story as we take a tour of his recollections down Pacific Coast Highway through bars, restaurants and saloons and throw in a mélange of tall tales and some tasty recipes.

Gale began his career in the public eye in the wayside community of Baker, California; a roadside stop on the way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. In 1943 his parents bought a small café there in Baker with 35 seats and three gas pumps. It was there that Gale began to flip hamburgers and fry eggs.

If you have ever driven to or from Las Vegas you know how the temperature can rise to 110 degrees, and above on occasion. You also have probably seen the giant thermometer sticking up in the sky in Baker recording the heat and pinpointing a place to cool off and have a cold drink…..Gale’s place, he still owns it.

When Gale was in the armed service during the Korean War, he was stationed in the south of France (believe it or not). His billet was Periguex, a little village inland from Bordeaux and near fabled Rothschild vineyards and famed for their pate de foix gras. There he learned the joys of good wine and food….sipping on a fine claret, Medoc or St. Emilion, and dining on succulent pate and coq au vin. What a great culinary experience for him and he brought back a more educated palate to Laguna Beach.

When Gale settled down in Laguna in 1958 with one and only, Leonora, he started looking for a spot for a restaurant. He remembered those sweet days in the south of France, eating