Philippe's French Dipped Sandwiches

On President's Day, the wife and I were invited to lunch with our LAPD buddy.
He took us to a Los Angeles staple.

Philippe's has been in Downtown LA for over 100 years. They claim to have invented the French Dip Sandwich.

You start off by getting in line. We were lucky because we only waited about 15 minutes or so.

Once you get to the counter, you are greeted by these little old ladies who take your order. They reminded us of the stereotypical school lunch ladies.

The menu is extensive, but I'll focus on what we ordered.
There are four french dip sandwiches to choose from... Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Turkey.
I went with the pork and the wife went with turkey. Then you can decide if you want it single dipped or double dipped. We both went for the double dip. If you can't handle slightly soggy bread, stick to a single dip. The pork sandwich is nicely seasoned, not very salty (considering it was dunked in au jus). The roll (from what I understand is homemade just like everything else in the store) was light and fluffy (the parts that didn't get au jus on it) and had a nice crunch on the outside. In all honesty, the sandwiches are on the small side. I probably could have knocked out three of these things.

We also had their "straight" chili. No, this has nothing to do with which team it plays on. It just means beef chili without beans. It was pretty loaded with ground beef and was mildly spicy. One knock I had was that it was a little oily. I'm guessing they use some fatty ground beef. But hey, it adds to the flavor, right?

They are also famous for their mustard. To be honest with you, I thought it was like a bottle full of straight horseradish with a dab of mustard. Use this stuff with caution. It can make a grown man cry (not that I did).

As you can see, the wife went a little overboard. Her sinuses were cleared for the rest of the day.
I did sample her turkey sandwich. Even with the dunk in the beef au jus, it was a little on the dry side for me. I also heard people say they thought the beef sandwich was salty, especially if it has been dipped. I tried my friend's beef sandwich and I thought it was great. It was a damn good roast beef sandwich. I would probably go beef the next time we head out there.

We finished off the lunch with their homemade apple pie. It had a nice flaky crust and filled with large chunks of apples. Simple and not too sweet... very nice.


Philippe's French Dip
1001 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 628-3781
www.philippes.com




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