72 Market Street Meat Loaf

For those of you fortunate enough to have dined at 72 Market Street in Venice, CA you know how good the food was. The restaurant was founded by filmmaker Tony Bill and actor Dudley Moore in 1983. They wanted a place close to home and office where they could enjoy fine food with good company and music. It was a magical place.

All that is left of the storied restaurant is the 72 Market St. cookbook and one of the standouts is this meatloaf recipe. Chef Leonard Schwartz dazzled diners with traditional American favorites. The meatloaf was as famous as the proprietors and now you too can make a little magic in your kitchen. Try it and see why the meatloaf outshone the celebrities dining there.

Ready

• 1 Tbl butter
• ¾ cup minced green onion
• ¾ cup minced white onion
• ½ cup minced carrot
• ½ cup minced celery
• ¼ cup minced red bell pepper
• ¼ cup minced green bell pepper
• 2 Tbl minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cumin
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup ketchup
• ½ cup half & half
• 1 ½ lbs ground beef
• ½ lb ground pork
• ¾ cup breadcrumbs
• Boiling water

Set

• Heavy skillet
• Large mixing bowl
• Loaf pan
• Larger loaf pan (more than double the size of the first)

Go

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Heat butter in skillet over medium heat.
3. Add green onion, white onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and garlic. Stir often for ten minutes or until moisture has evaporated.
4. Let cool.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cumin, and eggs. Mix well.
6. Add ketchup and half & half. Blend thoroughly.
7. Add ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, and vegetable mixture from skillet.
8. Mix well. (Hands are recommended.)
9. Grease a loaf pan with butter and add the meat mixture, pressing it into the corners.
10. Put loaf pan filled with meat into the larger loaf pan. Fill the larger loaf pan with boiling water.
11. Cook at 300°F for 45 to 60 minutes.
12. Let rest for ten minutes before serving.

What you should know

Unfortunately, 72 Market Street closed its doors for good in November of 2000, about 14 months before the death of its founder, actor Dudley Moore.