Southern charm, L.A. savvy

IN the midst of Hollywood Boulevard’s rampant commercial district sits a grand Queen Anne Victorian, the last of the residential buildings from the era before there even was a Hollywood per se. In its 103 years, the two-story cottage has seen a lot and could probably tell some tales. From 1911 to 1926, the Janes’ House, as it was known, was used as a schoolhouse for the offspring of movie stars and moguls, including Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Cecil B. DeMille’s little ones. The last of the Janes sisters died in her 90s in the ‘90s, and all sorts of plans were hatched to use the historic building. Nothing actually happened until Adolfo Suaya and partners bought the building.

At 103, the dowager is back in the limelight, this time as a Southern restaurant and lounge for the young Hollywood set. There it sits, set back from the street, down a small alley of storefronts: a dark, shingled two-story structure with a fanciful round turret. It’s called Memphis to emphasize the Southern theme, though the food doesn’t seem to have much to do with Elvis’ adopted hometown.

Entrepreneur Michael Sutton and a group of investors who in various combinations dabble in Hollywood restaurants and clubs (the Lodge, Chapter 8) have, at least this time, come up with something that’s not Italian, Asian fusion or a steakhouse. They get points for originality. The way the night owl set is turning out may mean they’re onto something.

Since Reign closed a few years ago, we really haven’t had a serious Southern restaurant in town. And certainly nothing like this place. Instead of the chilly high-concept expanses of the current crop of Hollywood haunts, Memphis is a house configured for entertaining.

*

Classic and contemporary

A fountain gurgles on the broad terrace in front where tables are set out in rows beneath a canopy. A host stands on the porch just beside the entrance, ready to meet and greet.

Inside, its two stories of rooms with the intimate proportions of another era are done up in bordello red with pearl-encrusted silk walls illuminated by crystal chandeliers. The ground floor is a bar and lounge populated with demure little sofas upholstered in more red.

Because the decor is so entirely feminine, it’s a hoot to see urban hipsters in their baggy, oversized clothes, sprawled on the dainty divans doing business or murmuring sweet things in their girlfriends’ ears. Or agent-types in designer duds checking their Blackberries, hoping to hook up with a client.

The dining rooms are all up a narrow flight of stairs, past the Monkey Room with its monkey wallpaper and monkey-themed chandelier. Like a couple of other rooms, including one with its own balcony for smoking, the Monkey Room is booked for private parties. The rest of us get a choice of tables in one of three smallish dining rooms, also red and dripping with chandeliers.

The atmosphere is dark and possibly romantic -- if you don’t mind the very nearby next table listening in on your conversation. Out the windows, scenes from classic movies -- “Roman Holiday” one night we were there, an old silent another -- flash on the wall of the neighboring buildings, projected by the restaurant’s resident film buff.

The menu at Memphis is pure Southern comfort. From the raw bar, you can order either East or West Coast oysters on the half shell. At $16 a half dozen, they’re more expensive than some places around town. One night they’re delicious; on another, our Fanny Bays, normally one of the best oysters you can order, oddly have zero flavor. Jumbo shrimp cocktail is decent, though, served with a cocktail sauce that has some kick.

The Cajun popcorn shrimp, light and not at all greasy, seem to disappear awfully fast, especially when they’re dunked in the spicy remoulade. The Memphis version of fried calamari is unusual and appealing. Calamari rings are dusted in a mixture of crushed potato chips, cornmeal and flour laced with some cayenne, which gives them some crunch. The aioli with them is laced with lime and jalapenos so it’s got heat and cool in one bite. Crab cakes made with lump crab meat can hold their own against the accompanying whole grain mustard sauce.

The best appetizer is the gumbo, thick with okra, crawfish, shrimp, oysters, crab and andouille sausage. Jambalaya, at least when I tried it, didn’t have the same depth of flavor. The same spicy andouille goes into red beans and rice, which I’d order any day over the jambalaya.

Salads tend to be overdressed and just not that interesting. I get the idea that chef Francisco Chaidez and his crew are more into cooking than fluffing up some bits of green and tossing them in a vinaigrette. I’d scratch the balsamic in the grilled vegetable salad too.

Laughter leaks out from the Monkey Room one evening as we follow the hostess upstairs to our table, and then decide, instead, to eat downstairs on the broad front patio. Right now the heat lamps are going full blast, but once warm weather hits, this space, with its closeness to the dark and the Boulevard, and the ghostly images of the films projected on the neighboring buildings, should come into its own.

*

Deep-fried specialties

TOPS on my list of main courses is the fried chicken, which is basically a free-range breast. Those of us who love dark meat may be disappointed, but this is no dried-out breast. It’s meaty and moist and served with a crisp, vinegary coleslaw. Baby back ribs, while falling off the bone tender, are achingly sweet -- too sweet even for the Southerners in my contingent. In trying to give the ribs a more modern spin, the kitchen has dosed them with orange marmalade and maple syrup, which, despite the smoke, turns them into practically dessert.

Prominent in the Southern specialties section of the menu is fried catfish. It’s marinated in a spicy “Louisiana” sauce, dusted in cornmeal and beautifully fried, but the fish itself has the muddy taste of farmed catfish, sure to disappoint anybody craving the sweet delicious taste this fish can have in the South. The plump barbecued shrimp over white rice is a much better bet. And the baked Lake Superior whitefish in a Creole meuniere sauce is really delicious, the fish flaky and moist, the sauce like silk.

I wish the wine list didn’t feel so much like an afterthought. It’s as generic as they come. But so many people are drinking cocktails, maybe it’s not an issue.

Dessert, however, is. And for sweets, they’ve got Key lime pie with a mildly tart filling tasting of the balmy South. The one to go for, though, is the banana bread pudding drizzled with chocolate sauce.

For a restaurant with such high hype directed at the twentysomething set, I have to say, the waiters are engaging and efficient. No snob factor yet, which is refreshing.

Go at seven, and Memphis may be half empty. The place definitely picks up energy at nine and after. Dawdle a little over dinner, and the parade of giddy club goers and late-night sorts is very entertaining as they arrive vamping in all their studied glory. The cocktails are ordered, the party kicks in.

The Misses Janes, I’m quite sure, could never have imagined this.

**

Memphis

Rating: * 1/2

Location: 6541 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; (323) 465-8600; www.memphishollywood.com

Ambience: Southern-style restaurant set in a two-story Queen Anne cottage done up in red silk and chandeliers. Downstairs is the sexy all-red bar and lounge. Upstairs are private dining rooms and three smallish main dining rooms. Lest anybody forget this is Hollywood, vintage films are projected on the buildings next door.

Service: Attentive and pleasant.

Price: Appetizers, $8 to $14; salads, $8 to $18; Southern specialties, $19 to $32; other entrees, $16 to $36; sides, $6; desserts, $8.

Best dishes: Gumbo, popcorn shrimp, crab cakes, fried chicken, baked whitefish, Key lime pie, banana bread pudding.

Wine list: So banal it seems like an afterthought. Corkage, $20.

Best table: A window table upstairs.

Special features: Several cozy private dining rooms, at least one with an outdoor balcony for smoking.

Details: Open for dinner from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly (kitchen closes at 11 p.m.); for brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Full bar. Street and lot parking.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.