Frank Sinatra’s Favorite Steakhouse Dear John’s Reopens Tonight in Culver City

The opening night of Dear John’s, the steakhouse and bar collaboration from chefs Josiah Citrin and Hans Rockenwagner, is happening this evening in Culver City, though it’s not as if the iconic Culver Boulevard spot has simply been in previews for the past half a century. The former Sinatra hangout has already played to countless celebrities over the years, but now it’s back for a limited-time-only run.

Dear John’s has had up and down attendance since opening in the middle of last century. The place was at one time a dimly-lit destination for folks to enjoy after a day on the Sony lot, but it was bought and revamped last year in an ill-fated attempt to keep it alive. That flip didn’t take, so now famed baker Rockenwagner and Melisse chef Citrin are here to help out, turning out steaks, chicken parmesan plates, and plenty of cocktails. There is an end date on the whole red-tablecloth affair though; the building has been slated for demolition down the line, meaning there’s a big curtain falling on the show come April 1, 2021.

In the meantime, Citrin and Rockenwagner are cueing up the band and getting on with it all. Celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis have already been in for a preview night, trying out things like the $58 ribeye, or the $24 caesar salad for two, which is tossed tableside. There’s a chicken parmesan option and oysters Rockefeller to match the vintage black booths and old paintings hanging on the walls, as well.

Dear John’s opens tonight, keeping dinner hours from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The bar stays open until midnight most days, but extends to 2 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Dear John’s. 11208 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA.

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