RICH MAN, POUR MAN LEGENDARY LOCAL BARTENDER HAS LAST CALL AFTER 30 YEARS.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer BURBANK - After 30 years of mixing margaritas and lending a sympathetic ear to thousands of customers, Juan Ztinzun retired his blender this past week at the Burbank El Torito The format developed by Phoenix Technologies and IBM that has become the standard for creating bootable CD-ROMs on the Intel platform. El Torito provides only the format. In order to make a CD-ROM bootable, the correct boot images must be placed on the disc, and the target computer must . The affable af·fa·ble adj. 1. Easy and pleasant to speak to; approachable. 2. Gentle and gracious: an affable smile. bartender, who greeted each of his regulars by name and a warm handshake handshake - handshaking , was a beloved staple at the Riverside Drive A number of cities around the world have a Riverside Drive. In the United States:
``He's more than a barkeep at the El Torito - he's a Burbank institution,'' said Larry Wade Larry Wade (born 22 November 1974 in Giddings) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 110 metres hurdles. His personal best time is 13.01 seconds, achieved in July 1999 in Lausanne. , 72, who has frequented the bar for 20 years. ``I would venture more people in Burbank know Juan than know any of the city council members.'' Wearing a black guayabera gua·ya·ber·a n. A light open-necked cotton shirt, often with large pockets and pleats down the front, that is typically worn outside the pants. [American Spanish.] shirt, Ztinzun on Friday expertly and pleasantly juggled seven full tables and customers at the bar. ``There have been a lot of customers here for 30 years and I'm not going to see them anymore,'' said the 65-year-old Mexican immigrant, who has called Burbank his home for 40 years. ``I'm going to miss everybody.'' Ztinzun, who began working as a dishwasher and then a busboy when he immigrated to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in 1960, is considered an American success story by those who know his life. What impresses his customers is not that Ztinzun was able to put his two children through college - one now manages a Ralphs supermarket and another is a veterinarian veterinarian /vet·er·i·nar·i·an/ (vet?er-i-nar´e-an) a person trained and authorized to practice veterinary medicine and surgery; a doctor of veterinary medicine. vet·er·i·nar·i·an n. - but that he is a successful family man, always sharing stories about his children, his wife of 43 years and his three grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. . And while regulars know the names of his family members and what they're up to, Ztinzun has been privy to the personal lives of thousands of people who have walked through the restaurant's door through three decades. ``I can write a book. I've seen and heard everything - people crying to me, fighting, trying to make love at the bar,'' he said somewhat bashfully bash·ful adj. 1. Shy, self-conscious, and awkward in the presence of others. See Synonyms at shy1. 2. Characterized by, showing, or resulting from shyness, self-consciousness, or awkwardness. . ``I can go on and on.'' Ztinzun made a friend for life years ago when Wade's business failed and he didn't have money to visit the bar. After a time away, Wade had a few dollars and decided to go in for a drink. ``He asked me where I'd been and I told him my business had failed,'' Wade said. ``He slid $100 toward me and said, 'Here, you take the money and you keep coming in.''' ``He's different from everybody. He's just an unusual individual,'' said Wade, who paid the bartender back his loan. ``If I think about it, tears come to my eyes. When you're down and out and somebody helps you, it's incredible.'' Wade remembers that in the bar's heyday, Ztinzun - a staunch Democrat and a sports encyclopedia - would be holding court with the mostly Republican customers and leading spirited debates on politics and sports. ``There used to be hundreds of people arguing with Juan,'' Wade said. ``We'd get the best arguments going here. He just likes people.'' Universal Studios employee Diane Howard and two friends were among the crow who came in to bid goodbye to the bartender - a man they said had been a comforting presence to them for years. ``If you had a rough day at work, you'd come here and he'd be here and you'd talk to him,'' Howard said. Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Bartender Juan Ztinzun mixes a drink Friday afternoon as he spends his last day at the El Torito in Burbank. (2) Ztinzun has blended cocktails, made mudslides and mixed mean margaritas as bartender at El Torito in Burbank for 30 years. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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