The strange town of Vernon, CA, south of downtown LA consists of stockyards, power plants, many other industrial sites and only 90 or so residents. In the middle of all of this lies La Villa Basque restaurant at 2801 Leonis Boulevard, a gem of kitsch, untouched since it opened in 1960. The entire interior is a time capsule of globe lighting, fake wood and banquets. It is a Basque restaurant because the founder of the town John B. Leonis came from the Basque region. I strongly recommend the happy hour to anyone who wants a unique and fun experience.
Next door is the Leonis Malburg Building (1966), at 2833 Leonis Boulevard, named for Leonis’ grandson and head of the town for several decades until the end of 2009. Google more for that story, which is a doozy.
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