DUKE’S: NOTHING’S CHANGED BUT THE ADDRESS

“So who was Duke?” I am talking to Richard Miller, manager of the famous Duke’s coffee shop, doing a bit of Gracie Allen anthropology.

“Duke was Irving.”

And who was Irving?

“Irving was Duke.”

Uh huh.

“Now Stan’s Duke. And Henie’s Duke.”

If Stan and Henie Burke are Duke, they are also the pedigreed keepers of the flame. Stan owned the now-mythic Googie’s as well as 20 drive-ins throughout the state; the Burkes bought Duke’s at the Tropicana from the now-mythic Irving five years ago and didn’t change a thing. With Dolores’ demolished, the Brown Derby gone off to Pasadena, Schwab’s simply memory and the Tail o’ the Pup wrenched out of place, Hollywood mythologists watch restaurant tremors like Caltech scientists. When Duke’s recently moved up to the Sunset Strip (with the Tropicana Motel--once owned by Sandy Koufax--scheduled to bite the dust), the Richter scale trembled once more.

A pastel neon sign? A clean white facade? Attendant parking? At Duke’s? The place that Vogue called “a dump” (but listed as the place to breakfast just the same). Oh no. Tom Waits unavailable for comment, we turn to Miller who doesn’t mince his words. “We move upscale, we stay downscale. We change outside, we don’t change inside. Only the bathroom’s changed. The new ones are as big as the kitchen was down on Santa Monica Boulevard.”

Yup. Duke’s is still the same. There may be more room between the communal tables and a new white railed ramp on which to enter like Loretta Young, but the waitresses still sport bangled earrings and studded jeans, and everyone still looks up from their Variety and their pancakes to see who has just come in. It’s a fabulous place to watch the world strut by.

The new room is still a teen-ager’s pine paneled den gone berserk with album covers, black- and-white glossies and posters of bands plastered all over the walls. The old Duke’s Tropicana signs now hang like totems above the counter, but that counter’s unchanged, filled with those big, cartoon-fat cakes. And the food is still A-1 chow.

Breakfast is the jewel in Duke’s rhinestone tiara and it’s served all day. There are 32 different omelets, several kinds of bacon and the best pancakes and corned beef hash I know. Cinnamon-swirl French toast is a dreamy dream. Eggs come cooked as ordered. Hash browns and bacon are nearly fat-free and totally crisp. Only the matzo brie was dry.

Bless that big old menu. It still says toast and rolls “burnt on request.” You can eat classically with a plain-and-perfect burger, or to ridiculous excess on “Idiot’s delight,” “Jeff’s Ulcer No. 10,” or a breakfast special simply called “Revenge.” There are 11 gargantuan club sandwiches to choose from, 19 variations of hamburgers and sandwiches made on seven kinds of bread. Daily specials appear on the counter blackboard.

I’ve been working my way through the menu for several months and have barely made a dent. I like the hunky fresh fruit salad, the French fries skinny and crisp, and the meat loaf with red sauce that has earned its fame. The plain old grilled cheese is excellent, the salads are all big fresh golden oldies you’ll recognize from coffee shops past. In the spirit of Franny and Zooey, I ordered an egg salad sandwich one day just to check it out. It turned out to be the only thing I haven’t liked--despite the lilting mustard, it oozed with mayonnaise.

Duke’s has always been on my visitor’s tour of Los Angeles and one night my New York cousin joined me for a repast. Dinner is new at Duke’s and, unlike breakfast or lunch with their perpetual lines, you may have the waiters all to yourself. Hot off the plane, almost ready for breakfast, cousin had a stack of thin little hot cakes with extra thick bacon on the side, followed by a lavish piece of moist lemon cake. Great carbohydrates, she said. In a New York state of mind, I ordered brisket and baked potatoes, the former tender, lean, juicy, the latter fluffy and baked as they should be. The sauteed mushrooms were first-rate, the homemade cole slaw was freshly made and two big rock ‘n’ roll waiters, (Peter) Knight and (Ron) Day, served our meal with wiggy aplomb. Duke’s remains in the center of my heart. And on the Los Angeles Mythological Tour.

Duke’s, 8909 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 652-9411. Open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Attendant parking in lot. No alcohol. Cash only. Meal for two (food only) $8-$20.