Tavern on the Scene

The most noticeable thing about Dominick's is how hard it tries not to be noticed. If not for a discreet VALET PARKING sign that points toward the rear, newcomers might never find this smoky hideout for the hip movie crowd. Which is, of course, the whole idea. Kiefer Sutherland is a regular. So is Gary Oldman, when he's in town. Paul Newman has played pool in the Annex, a private romper room for favored guests. And Tom Hanks is occasionally spotted ordering dinner at one of the 12 tiny tables.

When it opened in 1948, the hole-in-the-wall on Beverly Boulevard, with its red leatherette booths and dark paneling, attracted the likes of Errol Flynn, Billy Wilder, Irving "Swifty" Lazar, and Frank Sinatra. Even then, regulars knew to enter through the back door, strolling by the kitchen to get inside. "Most everybody has wandered through these doors," owner Lynne Giler admits when asked about Keanu Reeves, Lyle Lovett, Matthew Modine, and Eric Idle. But Dorn's is no place for gawkers. Says Giler, "Anybody who gets within a foot of a table looking for an autograph gets whisked away and shot at dawn."

AMY WALLACE