Journalism legend Linda Deutsch on why the closing of Hollywood's beloved Off Vine matters

Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone? They paved paradise to put up a parking lot …—Joni MitchellIt seemed like old times at my favorite Hollywood restaurant the other night. The rains had stopped and everyone was coming out for their favorite California comfort food. A fire was crackling in the fireplace and dessert soufflés were puffing up in the ovens. The party room upstairs was packed with 35 colleagues at a celebratory business dinner and downstairs every table was filled. But something strange was happening.When diners finished their meals, they took out their phones and began photographing the place. Pictures on the walls had price tags on them. So did lamps and antique tables. Every now and then people hugged each other and wiped away tears. I was one of them. Linda Deutsch, in blue, with fellow members of the Oy Luck Club, at their beloved Hollywood gathering spot Off Vine.(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times) This was the last week of life for Off Vine restaurant, a treasured refuge from the hurly burly of Sunset Boulevard, housed in a bungalow with a 115-year history, a repository of countless, colorful
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