Please share your memories of Laszlo and your favorite dishes from eating at any of the Fono restaurants. We will be delighted to read them.
Gourmet Memory Blog
Please share your memories of Laszlo and your favorite dishes from eating at any of the Fono restaurants. We will be delighted to read them.
I am writing from Memphis, where Paulette’s Restaurant was a landmark fine dining destination for decades. Located in a beautiful, custom-designed building in Overton Square in the heart of Midtown Memphis, the place everyone simply called “Paulette’s” was the absolute #1 go-to place for all generations to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs, college acceptance letters, as well as romantic weekend brunch dates and fun ladies lunches. My parents, immigrants from Poland and Australia, always took their family of six to Paulette’s for every special occasion from the time we were pre-teenagers, and later I continued the tradition with my own family beginning with the catered christening celebration of our 4-month-old daughter and onward into her teens! Being an excellent young pianist, she was even invited to play 2 or 3 pieces on the piano whenever we brought her with us. We were sad when Paulette’s lost the influence and oversight of the immensely talented Fono Family [restaurant]; for years it continued on under local ownership, though never to Laszlo and Paulette’s standards.
My favorite dishes, and I can still taste them in my memories: Cucumber Salad, Cheese Soup, Ham Palacscinta with Apple Crepe, Filet Paulette, Chocolate Crepe, Kaluha Pie, the wonderful tarragon House Dressing, and the Chicken Kabobs with Rice and Mushroom Sauce. Of course, most famous were the Popovers and Strawberry Butter! It was always a delight to sit at the big family table near the crepe cook station where we could watch the ladies fashion their paper thin and oh so delicious crepes.
Maybe Andrea will set the recipes down on paper to share as a cookbook and keep her parents’ wonderful legacy alive — thousands of Memphis would be grateful to keep those recipes going in memory of beautiful Paulette.
I send my sincere sympathies for the passing of Laszlo. I am happy to have found this site and look forward to additional posts! It warms my heart to learn more about the family and restaurant history. My husband first took me to Paprika Fonos in 1989. It was his family tradition to go every time they visited San Francisco. I feel very fortunate to have been able to share that experience with them. I attempt to create meals for our family in memory of the wonderful meals we had at Paprika Fono. The Gulyas and Langos was like no other. Every dish we had was delicious and memorable. The veal was one of my favorites!
Gourmet Memory c1980’s:
I first visited Paprikas Fono in Ghirardelli Square for the first time on April 26th, 1980 with my best friend, photographer, and house mate Thom Lukas and three young ladies from the Fresno band called “Lady” before heading off to see some bands at a music night club called Mabuhay Gardens off Broadway SF. It was on the third floor of the building, so we took the elevator and sat at a wooden table near the back wall underneath a wooden oxen yoke. Since I was familiar with Hungarian food in Europe, we tested the waters with a Hungarian Gulyas (Goulash) soup made from cubed young beef, onions, & green pepper with a dollop of sour cream and a side of langos (soft Hungarian fried bread rubbed with garlic). We also shared a bottle of Hungarian Egri Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) red wine with our supper. I also remember fresh white daisies in a ceramic jug and a lamp on a pewter tankard on the table. Two of the ladies put a small daisy in their hair before we had a picture taken and headed out for the evening. I took my wife their later many times before it closed in the late 1980’s and my favourite entrée was the Hungarian Porkolt (beef stew called Veal Paprikas) and since then have always had a tin of Hungarian sweet paprika in my spice cupboard.
We have so many memories of the wonderful Fono family!
Starting at Paprikas Fono and introducing me to Langos and the Cucumber Salad.
Then, the Magic Pan and wonderful Cheese Fritters with the fantastic Dipping Sauce along with the crepes and salads.
Fast forward to the Bravo Fono Gelato Plant in Bayview. We bought our products there for our little store in Los Gatos.
I think the foreman was Cal and the production manager later became the manager for Dreyers in Oakland.
We also had such wonderful chocolate truffles at The Candy Jar on Grant where I brought all my out-of-town guests.
I remember the sisters well and their daughters, and saw them at the Fancy Food Show now and then.
Please stay in touch!
I hope there is a public memorial at some time for both Paulette and Lazlo.
Lazlo epitomized the perfect Hungarian Gentleman while Paulette was the very courteous, friendly and efficient host.
They both had the Old World flair, sophistication and “class” that is so lacking in today’s world…and it carried over to Paulette’s Sister and the daughters.
A blessings on the family and how it molded and shaped good cuisine today.
I consider myself very fortunate to have had Paullete’s Paprikash and Langosh(paprika beef stew and Hungarian fry bread) at least 100 times over the decades. Long after it was off the menu, the kitchen would make their Chicken Milanese and potatoes for me because I was a long-time customer. I sorely miss both Paulettes amazing food and Lazlo’s exceptional charm. I hope these and the other outstanding recipes are in Andrea’s cookbook! Please put me on your list of testers.
I once remember Laszlo demurely and gently welcoming us as old friends back into the restaurant. But he kept a close eye on the waiters and wasn’t afraid to get them moving if he saw something he didn’t like such as an unfilled water glass or a napkin dropped on the floor for more than a minute! I learned a lot on how to run a business by watching him.
I worked as a server at Babbo’s from 1990 through 1991. Laszlo was among the toughest bosses I’d ever had, but he looked at each dish that was served as an extension of himself and his reputation for excellence. Knowing this made it easier to meet his demands. When I left for another job, he said, “Nice working with you, Mike. Come back sometime and we can share a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.” I showed up years later for the wine and conversation only to find that he and Paulette had finally, and truly, retired. He will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the greatest examples of courage I’ll ever know. Cheers, old friend. You owe me wine.
I just found this page. I’m so sorry to hear of Laszlo’s passing. I often think about Laszlo and Paulette and hope that they, and Andrea, are well.
I worked at Bravo Fono for several years in the mid to late 80’s which was they heyday of Bravo Fono, Madame Paulette and Babos. But I want to say that I loved Laszlo – he had the BEST DRY sense of humor and in his heavy accent and sort of broken english, he always had something funny to say, but you had to understand the humor. He wasn’t gonna tell you why it was funny or that he’d said something you should find funny. You had to “get” his humor. I loved it.
I think I was lucky to have a special relationship with Laszlo particularly, because of his quick wit and dry humor. I liked to pull his leg, and he did the same to me, nearly everyday. Honestly, I looked forward to seeing him, because I looked forward to whatever humorous under our breathe commentary might ensue.
For anyone who remembers those days (Andrea you might) – what times we had – with Marney, Leo, Dana, Wendy, Craig, Ray, Becky, so many others – in the kitchen – Ignacio, Pedro, brothers Robert and Alex, Mr. Chen
I remember slow afternoons between lunch and dinner rush, he’d have his white wine spritzer going, and maybe the Youngs Market wine rep. would come in and we’d taste a few wines.
Laszlo was a bottomless well of energy – never tiring. Moving quickly and spryly throughout the restaarant, ushering people in, and seating them as fast as he could.
He remembered so many of his customers and sometimes told me their stories. Once in a while he would be greeting some couple, seating them, warmly shaking hands, laughing a little as old friends do, heads nodding, a touch of the shoulder, a quick kiss on the cheek, and then he’d walk past me and whisper “I don’t remember them at all” I loved that. So funny.
I really liked Laszlo. I miss him. I think anyone who knew him will. Love to Paulette and Andrea 🙂 I have many fond memories of both of you as well!!!
My condolences to the Fono family. We first ate at Paprikas Fono in Ghirardelli Square when we were Ph.D. students at Stanford. My Hungarian grandparents lived with us in Detroit, so I grew up on Hungarian food. However, I first tasted langos at Paprikas Fono. We loved the food and the decor. In 1975, my Hungarian grandmother visited, and we took her to Paprikas Fono. (I’m not able to attach the photo here. Is it possible?) She gave positive reviews on all the dishes we ordered, which is saying a lot. I have missed that restaurant ever since it closed. I’ve been to Budapest twice, but never tasted anything better than Paprikas Fono AND my grandmother’s cooking.
We just learned of Lazlo’s passing. What a remarkable life he had both in Hungary and in the U.S. Mary and I had the privilege of working with Lazo and Paulette who set the standard for food, hospitality and design that changed casual dining forever. Mary and I still work with young restaurateurs and hardly a day goes by that we’re not thinking of the details they boat taught us. We were so proud to attend to carry on their standard for nearly 15 years at The Magic Pans in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and beyond. We celebrate a life well-lived.
RIP Laszlo. Thank you for all the fun times and delicious food over the years at Babbo’s. You were one of a kind and so was the dining experience and the cuisine. My condolences to the Fono family.
Dear Paulette & Andrea,
Like many, I didn’t get to meet Laszlo but have heard fascinating stories & shared many photos of the family. I feel I know him.
In the later 1970’s, I lived & worked in center city Philadelphia, a very small gem in the 4th largest US city. I loved it & felt very at home, even though I’m from a tiny Iowa town called Coon Rapids where Khrushchev visited a farmer & businessman, Roswell Garst with his wife in 1959.
Those yrs in Philadelphia, we often lunched at The Magic Pan on Chestnut Street which was part of Philadelphia’s restaurant renaissance. I’d never eaten crepes. The whole experience was completely new for me. My favorite was the banana flamed dessert. It was extravagant…and so much fun.
Over the yrs as I’ve heard Andrea tell what she’s making for her parents for this or that like common, everyday dishes, I’ve marveled. Many I barely knew the names of.
Laszlo & Paulette, I honor you for the quality of life you raised her in.
I love having been on the “front lines” with you.
Laszlo, you are in our hearts & minds.
Bravo for a life lived as an Olympian!
I so enjoyed going to The Magic Pan at Hillsdale in San Mateo for many years. I think I went there once a week for years and years and was so sad to see it go. I also loved Bravo Fono at Stanford in Palo Alto. Truly delicious food and wonderful service. Though I never met the Fono family, I knew of them and admired their accomplishments immensely.
Cucumber salad. And there was a cold sour cherry soup at Paprika’s Fono… And a kind of soft flatbread that we’d rub a clove of garlic onto.
At Bravo Fono bread pudding.
Laszlo was always dapper and his keen eye took everything in. Think of all the skills it takes to run a restaurant, dealing with employees, vendors, customers, doling out charm and admonishments and requests. I liked seeing him at the front of Babbo’s in a host role as people would walk in without reservations and he would do mental calculations to decide who should be seated where.
I have been so fortunate in my life, to have met Andrea in the early 2000s and through her, her parents Laszlo and Paulette. I have been the receiver of compelling conversation in their home, glasses of wine, cups of coffee, delicious meals and even crepes (the way they were made at The Magic Pan-back in the day). Speaking of the Magic Pan, I went there for dinner before my prom–probably the only dance I went to high school. Whenever I was in Denver’s Larimer Square, I always took the opportunity to eat at The Magic Pan.
Back to Laszlo and Paulette, wow, it is amazing to see what a couple, who felt they had to leave their home country (because of the threat of communism) did in the US. They worked hard, very hard, like so many other immigrants in our history. And in their work they-along with Andrea-created hospitality for so many people, for their occasions-happy, sad, casual, important, just the need to eat, etc. In my family, food is always at the center of everything.
To The Fonos–thank you for touching so many people’s lives. To Laszlo, egészségedre, for a life fully lived.
Sitting in my favorite cafe in Trieste, Italy, sipping my Illy coffee I am remembering meeting Andrea’s father, Laszlo Fono many years ago in one of his wonderful restaurants.
What a charming man. He also obviously had excellent taste as he chose Paulette as his wife.
Am so grateful to have met the Fono family. They have enriched and enlightened my life. You are missed.
I also want to add how moved I was by Andrea and Frank taking such thoughtful and loving care of Babbo in his senior years. Am sure he appreciated it very much.
Am so happy you spent your last years in your beautiful home with lovely Paulette, being taken care of so lovingly by Andrea and Frank.