(R) (Lunches & AH) *

Part of the Louisiana Purchase shopping center, and opened by restauranteur Arthur J.

"This building is famed in gay circles as a gathering place for political and social activists. The restaurant’s support for the gay community during the AIDS crisis has not been forgotten by long-time residents. Members of the Municipal Elections Committee of Los Angeles (MECLA), a political action committee [that raised money to support gay-friendly candidates] in the 1970s, met at [and kept a small office above] the French Market to raise money that supported gay-friendly candidates. It also is where Jerry Brown in 1991 met with gay activists to solicit their support for his candidacy for president."

Veteran LGBTQ journalist Karen Ocamb noted that the French Quarter “was also the jumping off or come-back point for lots of LGBT political events and a refuge for those needing a break from AIDS protests.” In 1991 the restaurant was "crucial in community support for Rob Roberts’ hunger strike on the grassy triangle nearby to urge Gov. Pete Wilson to sign the gay civil rights bill, AB 101."