Ma Maison Los Angeles
Wolfgang Puck and Ma Maison owner Patrick Terrail
“It’s probably safer to recommend the more established restaurants. There's...Ma Maison and La Scala... Scandia. And of the newer ones, l hear that Le Dome is quite nice"
-Julian Kaye quote from American Gigolo
Ma Maison during the 1970s and early 80s was the epicenter of Hollywood’s power-dining scene and a defining symbol of that era’s celebrity culture. Agents, producers, directors, and stars conducted deals over long lunches and late-night dinners. Power agent, Sue Mengers had her own weekly table, talent lawyer Swifty Lazar was often seen table hopping, and Hollywood studio head Robert Evans had the social institution programmed on his landline at Paramount Pictures.
When Patrick Terrail, a Parisian with a strong history in the hospitality business opened the celebrity drenched eatery in 1973 at 8477 Melrose, he struck gold by hiring an unknown chef he found in France named Wolfgang Puck, who eventually became its head chef and eventual part owner.
Ma Maison almost went bankrupt the year they opened, but things certainly improved after Jack Lemmon and Burt Reynolds named dropped Ma Maison on the Tonight Show that same year. That kind of national publicity you couldn’t buy.
After that it was consistently jumping and French liquor company, Ricard graced the yellow umbrellas. Terrail made all the design decisions. When it first opened he went to the Universal Sheraton asking if they had any furniture they wanted to get rid of and for the patio he took cast-off folding chairs made out of wood from party rentals. Ma Maison also made astroturf chic and “California Casual” a cliche.
Jackie Collins wrote about Ma Maison in her steamy novels and Rona Barrett was always referencing Ma Maison in her Hollywood gossip magazine.
Jackie Collins during Jackie Collins' "Hollywood Wives" Book Party - August 5, 1983. Getty Images
Sue Mengers and editor Jann Wenner sighted at Ma Maison on January 30, 1981
Through its shower curtain-like entryway passed nearly every sort of "70s cliche you could imagine. From gold chains to designer jeans. ‘Doing Lunch’ at Ma Maison was the sacred ritual, and the list of its recognizable celebrities now reads like a Love Boat guest star roster. The stars of Kojak, Columbo, and Three's Company also figured prominently. Movie stars, dignitaries, and studio power brokers always made the scene: among them, Lillian Carter, Henry Kissinger, Moshe Dayan, and the most jaw dropping of them all, Elizabeth Taylor. To keep them all feeling safe, Terrail had a strict ‘no cameras aloud”, but that certainly didn’t stop the eavesdropping.
These luminaries and cultural icons not only lit up the dining room, but world known artists such as David Hockney and Andy Warhol contributed to the menu by creating their cover art. There was a famous graphics studio nearby owned by Sid Felsen, so they could change the cover menu about six times a year.
It was also favorite hangout spot for regulars such Peter Bagnanovich, Michael Caine, Suzanne Pleshette, Donald Sutherland, Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Mick Jagger, Peter Falk, O.J. Simpson, Elton John, Anjelica Huston, Lauren Hutton (having her sandwich oiled, Jack Nicholson, (who often held court on the patio), Jack Lemmon, (who was usually in a barstool by 11am), and Orson Welles, (who sat in a back table every noon and evening, usually hidden from public view). Terrail told a writer not long after Welles' death in 1985. "I never told him we were closing. The restaurant shut its doors five weeks after Welles died. He never knew."
Orson Welles and Patrick Terrail
Ma Maison became the hangout for the culinary French "mafia"as well. The 70's in LA was a booming time for restaurants. Le Saint Germain, L'Orangerie Le Dome. Even the modest cafes like Moustache, Yellowfingers, Michel Richard and Bicyclette were wildly successful.
It was always a big deal where you sat. It was designed as a series of small rooms and garden patios rather than one big dining space, giving it a private, club-like feel. According to an article in the LA Times, Terrail likes to talk about how everybody was treated equally at Ma Maison, or M.M. as it was called in the gossip columns.
"There was no segregation with people there, never," he says. And, it's true, the restaurant was so small that (unlike Spago) , which is more spread out) you really could sit within snooping range of Michael York, Shelley Winters or Jacqueline Bisset. But, though Terrail will deny this, there were what were considered bad tables.
Ma Maison was so exclusive it had an unlisted phone number.
Driving by was always a show. The front parking lot was always very busy with famous people, high energy and an epic line up of Rolls Royces.
Rod Stewart and Alana Hamilton Sighting at Ma Maison Restaurant - March 27, 1979
David Bowie held an after party at Ma Maison after his concert at the Forum in 1978 that included Bette Midler, Tom Waits, Toni Basil, Jacqueline Bisset.
Married couple, film director John Cassavetes and actor Gena Rowlands sighted at Ma Maison Restaurant, Beverly Hills, California, January 15, 1981. (Getty Images)
Billy Dee Williams 1980
Wolfgang Puck at the original Spago in West Hollywood
But in 1981, Puck left to open his celebrity-studded Spago. Ma Maison lost clientele after his departure, but the situation got much worse when sous chef John Sweeny was arrested for strangling his girlfriend, actress Dominique Dunne to death.
On the night of October 30, 1982, Dunne went to a party at Ma Maison. After the party, Dunne returned to her West Hollywood home on Rangely Avenue. That night, Sweeny confronted her outside the house. The encounter turned violent, and she was strangled in her driveway.
Dominique was placed on life support but never regained consciousness. Dominique Dunne died on November 4, 1982, at the age of 22. Sweeny was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, not murder. He served an extremely short amount of prison time, which caused widespread outrage, especially from Dunne’s father, writer Dominick Dunne, who as a result of his daughter’s murder became a well known journalist covering high-profile trials.
Sweeny was only sentenced six and a half years in prison. He was released after three and a half and was back cooking in restaurants again. The court system failed that case miserably and that tragedy underscored the darker side of Hollywood’s social scene. It remains one of the most heartbreaking stories connected to Hollywood and to the restaurant’s legacy. Sadly the Dunne family received a lack of support from Patrick Terrail as well
You can read Dominick’s extensive and emotional story on the trial here in VANITY FAIR
The original Ma Maison closed on November 1, 1985. Four years later it opened for a 2nd spin at the Sofitel at Beverly and La Cienega. I’m sure Terrail was feeling a bit over shadowed by Spago’s monumental success, but sadly the new location only lasted a couple of years. And even though Wolfgang puck considered Patrick Terrail a mentor, Terrail has admitted to never stepping foot into Spago.
There were a few smaller or short-lived uses of the Ma Maison name after the Sofitel version, but none captured the influence or cultural impact of the original Melrose restaurant.
Here’s an ashtray from Ma Maison from my Vintage Los Angeles Archive collection. I can only imagine who ashed their cigs and cigars in this epic piece of L.A. restaurant memorabilia.
thanks
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