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Tommy Lasorda's favorite restaurant is Paul's Kitchen, a hole in the wall in the Fashion District




A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
Ken Scarboro/KPCC
A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
Paul's Kitchen's chasu and the spicy mustard soy sauce mix.
A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
Tommy Lasorda signs an autograph for a member of the staff.
Ken Scarboro/KPCC
A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
Chicken chow mien from Paul's Kitchen on San Pedro Street.
Ken Scarboro/KPCC
A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
Tommy Lasorda at the counter of Paul's Kitchen on San Pedro.
Ken Scarboro/KPCC
A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
The chicken with orange sauce at Paul's Kitchen.
Ken Scarboro/KPCC
A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
Local business owners Jorge Velasquez Jr., Jorge Velasques Sr. and Abel Chavez pose for a photo with Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. Lasorda turned 86 a few days after the Dodgers won the National League West title.
Ken Scarboro/KPCC
A regular of Paul's Kitchen, Tommy Lasorda has a special named after him.
Long time manager of the Dodgers Tommy Lasorda turned 86 days after Los Angeles won the National League title.
Ken Scarboro/KPCC


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As America gears up to watch the World Series, one thing is certain: once again, the Dodgers won't be there. For Dodgers fans still in mourning we have one small consolation: lunch with Tommy Lasorda, the team's hall of fame former manager at his favorite place. Off-Ramp Producer Kevin Ferguson met Lasorda at Paul's Kitchen, a small and storied Chinese restaurant in downtown L.A.'s Fashion District.

On how he heard about Paul's Kitchen:

"Well about 50 years ago I came here for the first time. A friend of mine, Abe Goldman, he brought me here. And of course, I've been coming here ever since. I had just arrived here. I'd arrived here from Pennsylvania. I was a scout. After I'd quit playing, I became a scout for the Dodgers in Pennsylvania and then Al Campanis asked me to move out here [Los Angeles], to help scouting out here. And that's when I moved out here, in 1963.

"I can remember inviting Kirk Douglas and Jack Valenti to come and eat here with me, when it was at night. And Kirk Douglas said 'Are we eating here?' and I said 'No, we're eating inside!'"

On why he keeps coming back to Paul Kitchen"

"The food is so good, naturally! I come back here because these people are friends of mine. We've been friends for years. And I come here all the time to eat. This place has been here for years, even years before I came here. When you come in here with me, nobody orders. They bring the food."

On his signature dish, the Tommy Lasorda Special:

"Kirk Douglas said 'What are we eating here?' I said, 'What you're eating, is the Tommy Lasorda Special.'

"Now, they've named tunnels after people, they've named buildings after people, they've named highways after people... but I told him you'd be happier eating the Tommy Lasorda special than driving through the Lincoln Tunnel!

"I can't even explain it. All it is is a lot of food, and it's good!"