Owners and staff at Marino’s Italian restaurant in Hancock Park were called to restaurant Saturday morning to find a geyser of water shooting in the air after a car accident at the corner of Melrose and Wilcox Avenues broke off a fire hydrant. The geyser of water topped nearby single-story buildings and could be seen around the neighborhood.
This writer first saw the geyser from the back tennis courts at the the LA Tennis Club; it continued to gush for nearly an hour before the fire department capped the hydrant.
But it wasn’t until later in the evening, when a patron sent us an email, that we learned how the torrent of water saturated the roof of the restaurant and water began raining inside the dining room. Once the water stopped, Marino’s staff sprang into action and managed to open that evening by moving patrons from the main dining room to a private room usually reserved for special events.
“Unfortunately, we had to cancel some reservations, but our customers understood,” explained Mario and Sal Marino, who spoke to the Buzz this morning while getting ready for business today.
The second generation restaurateurs and local residents, who grew up in the business opened by their parents in 1983, and eventually took over the operation, seemed unfazed by the weekend’s event. By the time we saw them this morning, carpets had been removed, industrial fans were running to dry out the ceilings, and walls and repairs were scheduled to be completed by week’s end, all while the kitchen staff was busy preparing for today.
“We have a seasonal menu,” explained Sal. “Since it’s the first of the month, we have new items on the menu.” So stop by and check it out, and you can show your support for one of our long-standing neighborhood businesses.
