Philippe the Original   

1001 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-628-3781
www.philippes.com

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Back in 1908, original owner Philippe Mathieu was preparing one of his ordinary beef sandwiches when he accidentally dropped the French roll into the hot juices of the roasting pan. Mathieu's customer, a policeman, requested the soggy sandwich anyway, and liked it so much that he returned the next day with friends and ordered a few more sandwiches prepared the same way. Thus Philippe's became a landmark restaurant -- the birthplace of the French-dipped sandwich.The family-friendly dining room is like a museum, adorned with fading pictures of the streetcar days of old Los Angeles, and the candy counter provides an extra kick for kids. The location is different, but not much else has changed since the restaurant's early days. Coffee is still nine cents a cup, the floors are still strewn with sawdust and customers still line up out the door for the delicious beef, ham, turkey and lamb sandwiches, served on paper plates and dipped the same way for nearly a century. Side dishes are as fine as the sandwiches, especially the coleslaw, which is rich and moist, the way good slaw should be. Another Philippe's trademark is the sinus-clearing hot mustard, which you'd be well advised to go easy on. Breakfast gets going at 6AM, with ham steaks, eggs, pancakes and fresh-squeezed juices, while the lunch and dinner menus also feature fresh soups, stews and chili.