It lays claim to having invented the chopped salad, and for that we are forever grateful. But the Beverly Hills restaurant La Scala, which turns 60 this month, has made history in other ways. For instance, founder Jean Leon delivered dinner to Marilyn Monroe on the evening she died; he even sent meals to Elizabeth Taylor while she was filming Cleopatra. “The words to ‘Moon River’ were written here, too,” says Jean’s daughter, Gigi, who now runs the place. La Scala’s celebrity clientele have long appreciated the cozy and confidential atmosphere almost as much as the food. “I always feel at home here,” says actress Barbara Rush (above). “They’ve had my caricature on the wall for decades.”
