…There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents. – Pablo Picasso
Yes, I just quoted Pablo Picasso in a post about french dip sandwiches. It happens.
You’ve heard me say time and again that I’m not a big fan of sandwiches. It’s still true. I will, however, occasionally allow my arm to be twisted. We recently had a friend in town who wanted to visit Philippe The Original, and I’m nothing if not a good hostess.
Philippe’s is the original home of french dip subs. I’m usually skeptical about those sorts of proclamations, but in this case I have to believe it. The place has been around for 104 or so years and in its present location in downtown Los Angeles since 1951. Seems the creation of the 101 freeway forced it out of its first locale (yep, the Los Angeles Traffic Monster struck all the way back then, too).
According to the story, one day chef/owner Philippe Mathieu accidentally (serendipitously) dropped a french roll into a pan of beef drippings. A local policeman, noticing his clumsiness, offered to go ahead and eat it anyway. And, as we all know, that worked out well. The following day Mr. Trendsetting Policeman brought his friends with him and asked for more “french dip subs.” The rest is lost to the annals of sandwich time.
So off we went, Mike, Loni, and Lenny, to eat the first french dip sub that ever was.
Pickled eggs and pickles.
We couldn’t leave without buying Philippe’s famous spicy mustard.
The food here is super tasty and what’s better than Beef with a side of History? Not much. I’ll eat that kind of sandwich any day of the week.
It was a delicious, wet and beefy sandwich, well worth the hour we had to sit in traffic to get there. The mustard was also fantastic and dare I say it made my eyes water a bit. Overall a trip I am sure we will make many more times! Love you!
Mmmm. Sandwiches.
Looks good, I’ve always wanted to try a french dip sandwich.
Um… we’re totally going to have to go there next time I’m in town. I totally forgot that place existed and I’ve never been.