Philippe The Original - PlaceBee :

Address: 1001 N Alameda St
Zipcode: 90012
Phone Number: 213-628-3781
Website: http://www.philippes.com

Although contested, Philippe the Original claims to have invented the French Dip sandwich in 1918 when owner Philippe Mathieu accidentally dropped a French roll into a pan of meat drippings and the customer loved it. Whether the dip was born then or not, this downtown favorite serves five varieties every day. You wait in the shortest of 10 or so lines and then order your sandwiches (skip the turkey and ham; choose beef, pork or lamb). There are those who double dip, but it’s too soggy; stick with the classic. Have the sublime coleslaw, magenta-colored pickled eggs and either the nine-cent cup of coffee or a lemonade. The soups and pies ain’t bad either, and, strangely enough, there’s a killer wine list. Don’t forget to tip the kindly grandmas who make the dips for you, and then hoist your tray across the sawdust floor to one of the long communal tables where you’ll chat with a Mexican family, railroad coots from nearby Union Station, or power lunchers from law firms. Slather on the nasal-clearing hot mustard and you’ve become a regular. Folks are here at the crack of dawn for the corned beef hash and French toast, and bringing a sack o’ sandwiches from Philippe the Original to a Dodger or USC game is one of L.A.’s most enduring rituals.