The Los Angeles Times had an excellent obit on Kurt Niklas. Niklas arrived in the United States in 1951 and soon became Romanoff's head waiter and later maitre'd until the restaurant closed on December 31, 1962. Following advice from Mike Romanoff to garner investors (in addition to Romanoff's generous offer to hand over his liquor license and restaurant equipment) Le Bistro opened its doors in 1963 at 246 N. Canon Dr in Beverly Hills (now Mastro's Steakhouse). In 1979 Niklas opened the 'less formal' Bistro Garden down the street at 176 N. Canon Dr (now Spago).
Pictured: August 11, 1980- Ma Maison's Patrick Terrail, Le Dome's Michel Yhuelo, Bistro's Kurt Niklas and Jimmy's Jimmy Murphy attend a Thalians event at Scandia. Photo © Berliner Studio/BEImages
