In all seriousness, the Pearl Dragon is still there. My mother and father have a date night at Pearl Dragon on Mondays bc they have some sort of sushi deal, and please understand that everyone in Pacific Palisades LOVES a deal. That place has been around since before my parents moved into the neighborhood (over 40 years ago.) It was first called the House of Lee, the Chinese restaurant with a killer cheeseburger. Pearl Dragon was the only place in Pacific Palisades with a liquor license for those 40 years before Caruso remade our Village in his image of a Palisades. Still, to know that Pearl Dragon, our Bay theater, and Hank's Burgers—the location of our former Mort’s Deli (where I first tasted chocolate milk and pastrami) complete with photos of Mort’s Deli inside—are still intact does a number for our morale. 

And yes, Erewhon and Alo may be a bit new, but Erewhon is very much a Palisades staple. Just like our lost churches, Pali High is a staple of our community (even if in ashes) today. Places like the House of Lee, later Pearl Dragon, were the date night spots for all, including my parents, Mike and Valerie Begakis.

House of Lee story below 🧵