Randmness

This past weekend I had lunch at Philippe’s in Los Angeles. You may not have heard of the place before but you may have heard of the sandwich they invented - the French Dip.

Philippe’s opened in 1908 on Aliso Street. In 1918 the owner, Philippe Mathieu, accidentally dropped a roast beef sandwich he was making in a pan of meat juice. The person Philippe was making the sandwich for, a police officer, was in a rush and took the sandwich despite being soaked in juice. The next day he returned with a couple of friends asking for another sandwich soaked in meat juice. Philippe decided to put the sandwich on the menu calling it the ‘French Dip.’ No one is quite sure how Philippe got the name for the sandwich but the two most popular theories are that Philippe was French and named it after his heritage and that the police officer’s name was French.

In 1927 Philippe’s was purchased by three brothers from Kansas. In 1951 plans for the 101 freeway forced Philippe’s to move to a two story building where the first floor was a machine shop and the second floor was a hotel. It has remained there ever since and was modeled after the old location.

The ordering process is pretty interesting there. At one end of the building is a long metal counter with up to 10 servers (they like to be called Carvers) that are ready to take your order. Once you’ve placed your order they get it ready, put it on to a tray, and you’re set in no time at all. There are no waitresses and seating is ‘family style’ meaning everyone sits at long tables on stools. I’d recommend trying out the Philippe’s mustard on your sandwich but try a little before putting globs all over it because it’s really hot; it does wonders for clearing out your sinuses. They make over 40 gallons a week for the restaurant and for purchase at the candy counter in front.

There are a variety of dipped sandwiches that you can get besides the roast beef: turkey, ham, leg of lamb, or pork. All of the sandwiches are served on a French roll and can have Bleu, American, Swiss, or Monterey Jack cheese added to it. There is also cole slaw, macaroni salad, potato salad, pickles, and pickled eggs that can be added in for sides to go with your order. Prices are pretty reasonable for everything; sandwiches are under $6, sides and sodas are around $1, and coffee is only 9 cents. There is also a pretty nice beer, wine and desert selection to choose from.

Up until World War II Philippe’s was open 24 hours a day but now it’s open from 6am to 10pm daily except for Christmas and Thanksgiving when they’re closed.

Philippe’s is located at 1001 North Alameda Street in Los Angeles and is about a block away from the Chinatown Metro Train Station, and Union Station. It’s also less than a mile away from Dodger stadium if you want to try something different before a game.

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