The Retro Pasta Dish Hollywood's A-Listers Couldn't Get Enough Of In The '50s

In the halcyon days of old Hollywood, movie stars and starlets could make or break a restaurant, gracing the best and most visible tables with their presence as they mingled with directors and producers in search of their next collaboration. This star power drew crowds and could cement a restaurant as the place to see and be seen — actually not much different than it is today if, say, Taylor Swift is linked to your establishment.

One of the OG Hollywood hot spots back in the day was Romanoff's on Rodeo Drive. Its signature noodle dish, unsurprisingly dubbed Noodles Romanoff, was a staple on the menu consisting of creamy egg noodles in a rich sauce of butter, Parmesan, and sour cream. Several members of Hollywood royalty were actually original investors in the restaurant, including Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, and Humphrey Bogart. This only added to the allure and drew everyone from Sophia Loren to Jayne Mansfield and Clark Gable, who posed for memorable photos that would appear the next day in the paper as they dined on the popular noodle dish.

Noodles Romanoff is anchored by wide, curly egg noodles — much like another throwback dish, beef stroganoff, although it is of no relation — to which the lavish parmesan butter sauce is folded in. The dish calls to mind the Italian classic fettuccine Alfredo, if you subbed the egg noodles for fettuccine and swapped the sour cream for heavy cream. Interestingly, Romanoff's was founded by one Michael Romanoff, who, it was apparently rather widely known, was not a descendent of the Russian royal family as his name would have you believe. In fact, his real name was Harry Gerguson. It all goes to show that branding and perception have been, and continue to be, king.

Eponymous favorite Noodles Romanoff, which has a much nicer ring than Noodles Gerguson, faded into the sunset as the famed restaurant closed its doors in 1962, but you can still create your own version at home. Perhaps you'd like to pull out something you'd like to be photographed in and make an evening of it. You can top the rich, satisfying pasta with breaded chicken like in this fettuccine Alfredo recipe and get ready to call in friends, fam, or even the paparazzi for dinner.