Seinfeld had Monk's Cafe, Friends had Central Perk, and the folks on Gilmore Girls had Luke's Diner. The WB/CW series shot its first and final scenes within the confines of that cozy restaurant. From there, Luke Danes, played by Scott Patterson, put up with the hilarious culinary (and emotional) needs of his clientele, including the Gilmore girl he wound up with, Lorelai.
Patterson portrayed Luke for seven years, and he is reprising his role on the Netflix revamp out on November 25. Like the other cast members, he is charmingly thrilled about the return, if his Instagrams are to be believed.
Some of his favorite foodie memories on set are remarkably cruel. "It was always funny when a guest star would come in, maybe it was their first job or their second job and ... they'd eat the prop food in the scene. It's a 100 years old and stale!" Patterson laughs. "It was always funny to see their reactions. They'd put a french fry in and go, huh. Or spit it out. I always enjoyed that, watching other people suffer," he jokes.
As for his own choice of diner food—real, edible diner food, that is—he's about the meat. "What I order a lot is steak and eggs. It's breakfast and dinner all wrapped into one, and you can eat it any time of the day and night," he says. "I feel it's a very versatile meal. It's served me well." If he could open a restaurant of his own, though, the name would be a little more creative than just his name.
"I think I would name it after my band, SMITHRADIO," he says, "so that people could come in and get burgers and listen to cool music." Since Gilmore Girls ended its run in 2007, Patterson has had several TV and movie roles but is most excited about his band, which has a true rock-and-roll sound and a new single, "Haha," out now.
"We're anticipating a nice initial reaction to the song," Patterson says. "People see that we're serious. Once they hear the music they're gong to know it's not just your typical vanity project. It's something I've wanted to do my whole life."
His band name comes from his idol, Patti Smith. Patterson would sneak into New York City clubs like CBGB as teenager with his older sister, and one night he actually came face to face with Smith. "I heard she was looking for a keyboard player, and I went up to her. I thought I would bullsh-t my way into her band. I interrupted a conversation, a very serious conversation she was having," he remembers. "She had those sunglasses on with blinders on the side, and she just tilted her head down and looked at me and she goes, how old are you?" He laughs at the memory, but her influence didn't end there. "She followed us out, and said, 'Good luck to you, don't quit.' I kinda felt like that was the birth of everything."
Patterson's songs are surprisingly romantic and vulnerable for fans who just know him as grumpy old Luke. "I always write songs. It's how I relax. If I have free time, that's what I'm doing," he says. "I love it so much, the challenge of it: writing a simple song that's going to last and sit in people's guts."
Speaking of creating things that sit in people's guts, Patterson was kind enough to share his favorite burger recipe at Mel's Diner on Sunset Boulevard. A fondness for burgers is something he and his Gilmore character have in common, though the latter might be shocked by one of his preferred ingredients: avocado! Yep, Patterson is an east-coast guy who's taken a liking to the beloved west-coast item. Check out the full combo in the video above.
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