Hollywood bikes into Granville

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From left, Laurence Fishburne, What's Up Dawg's owners Vinnie and Julie Covina, Lauren Hutton and Harold Perrineau last week at an unexpected visit to the Granville hot dog hot spot.

By Christina Scanlon

A celebrity sighting at What’s Up Dawg’s last week went mostly unnoticed by locals, but for restaurant owners Julie and Vinnie Covino, the unexpected drop-in of the Guggenheim Motorcycle Club is an experience they won’t soon forget.

It was Tuesday evening, Julie said, when she glanced up from behind the counter and saw actress Lauren Hutton ready to place an order.

“We were busy. I had a lot of tickets up and…I just couldn’t believe it,” said Julie.

“I said, ‘are you?’ and she said, ‘Yes, I’m Lauren Hutton’,” Julie said of their initial exchange. Then Julie noticed actor Laurence Fishburne was at the counter, too.

“Is this a joke?” she recalled asking herself, before nudging her husband to take notice.

The stop was part of the group’s annual ride through the Adirondacks in memory of late club member Dennis Hopper.

Accompanying Hutton and Fishburne were Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons, Harold Perrineau, actor in the television series “Lost” and “Sons of Anarchy,” Catherine Nouvel, and club co-founder Thomas Krens, the longtime director of the Guggenheim Museum and the man who dreamed up the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Guggenheim Motorcycle Club grew out of “The Art of the Motorcycle” exhibit at the New York museum in 1998 and its membership has run around 20, with Krens, Hutton, Fishburne and Irons as core members.

Julie said the group ordered a wide variety of items including chicken tenders, bacon cheddar cheeseburgers, hot dogs and milk shakes.

“They ate it all and drank all the shakes,” she said, and the bill was on the house. “It all happened so fast, we didn’t even think to ask for autographs or anything.”

Julie said some patrons waved to the group as they ate, but for the most part, everyone let them eat in peace.

Some people have since commented to the Covinos that they noticed the motorcycles out front that night, or drove past and may have seen them on the deck, but no one knew there were movie stars in their midst.

After the meal, Perrineau walked next door to Cumberland Farms, said Julie, who went over after they group motored out and asked if they knew the star had entered. His presence there had gone unnoticed.

For the Covinos, it’s the first celebrity pit stop they’ve witnessed in their three years of operation. The group was gracious enough to pose with the Covinos for some photos and took some of their own, as well.

Vinnie immediately shared the photos on the What’s Up Dawg’s Facebook page, which had drawn many positive comments and sharing of the event.

For now, the Covinos are considering a meal special named in honor of the group.