RESTAURANT A SLICE OF HISTORY; PATSY'S PIZZA KEEPS DRAWING CELEBRITIES AMONG THE TOURISTS.

Byline: Sandy Yang Staff Writer

Fifty years ago, Patsy's Pizza opened in the venerable Farmer's Market at Fairfax Boulevard and Third Street with a menu that has seldom seen need for more than a few basic toppings.

The staunchly traditional restaurant was founded by Pasquale ``Patsy'' D'Amore, who introduced the pizza to thousands of Southern Californians and catered to movie stars from Marilyn Monroe to Sammy Davis Jr.

``My father was thought of as the godfather of the Italian restaurants,'' said Filomena D'Amore, Patsy's daughter. ``Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Lauren Bacall came to his restaurant. My father gave James Dean his own table because he was so shy.''

The tradition continues today for Filomena, an Agoura Hills resident who can name Geena Davis, Candice Bergen and John Malkovich as customers at the restaurant she now owns, not to mention the thousands of tourists and neighborhood regulars who come through Farmer's Market.

In 1939, Patsy and his brother Franklin D'Amore opened Casa D'Amore on Cahuenga Boulevard and eventually branched out with several other restaurants, including Patsy's Pizza in Farmer's Market in 1949 and Villa Capri in Hollywood in 1950.

Fifty years later, ubiquitous Los Angeles pizza restaurants reflect the ethnic diversity of the city with everything from Cajun to Chinese and Hawaiian to Nebraska-style.

D'Amore said she gets no complaints about her pizza despite the limited choices: cheese, sausage or pepperoni.

Still using the same brick oven her father used in 1949 and the family recipe, Filomena D'Amore has stuck with the tried-and-true formula despite today's onslaught of designer pizzas and limitless toppings.

``I've tried introducing green bell peppers and olives, but so many people are used to the pizza we're known for - the East Coast style pizza with the thin crust and bubbly edges and the Wisconsin cheese - that it didn't go over,'' Filomena D'Amore said.

Patsy D'Amore would have been pleased.

Almost 25 years after his death, Patsy's legacy lives on in the Farmer's Market, with his daughter; his wife, Rose; and his granddaughter Angelique behind the counter.

``He would be surprised to see how popular pizza has become today, and he would be shocked that I continued it,'' said Filomena, who was honored by the Farmers Market Women's Business Luncheon this April, which celebrated women merchants.

``I always admired what my father did, and I wanted to continue the family tradition,'' she said.

Today, the D'Amores celebrate 50 years in the business by offering 50 percent off. The celebration will feature the live Italian music of one-man band Marco Missinato from noon to 3 p.m.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo: (1) Restaurateur Pasquale ``Patsy'' D'Amore started Casa D'Amore on Cahuenga Boulevard with his brother, Franklin, in 1939.

(2) A nattily attired Frank Sinatra fraternizes with Patsy D'Amore at Patsy's Pizza, which introduced the ubiquitous dish to Southern California.

(3) TV host Joey Bishop was one of many celebrity patrons to frequent Patsy's Pizza at the venerable Farmer's Market.

Courtesy Filomena D'Amore