Philippe's turns 100

By David Allen on October 3, 2008 4:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) |

Philippe's, the L.A. French dip place, celebrates its 100th anniversary on Monday with dime sandwiches and nickel coffee, the original 1908 prices. It'll be a madhouse but, if you're at liberty that day, Metrolink or the Silver Streak bus will set you down a four-block walk from the restaurant...

3 Comments

Dee said:

I love Philippe's. My husband's grandmother worked there for years in the '60s and '70s. She used to talk about how great the cheesecake was, but the slice had to be perfect. They got to eat the ones that were not. Sometimes they were "not" on purpose.

She used to tell us how strange it was during the Manson trial. At one table would be the Manson family, and at another would be the prosecuters. Too bad she didn't write down some of her stories.

[Wow! -- DA]

October 3, 2008 11:20 AM

Cheryl said:

I love Phillippe's.

I grew up eating the french dips and the coffee cake that is directly from the 1950s. Love that. Still drive from San Dimas to downtown just to get the sandwiches. Once a month at least. My family loves them.

I have a huge picture done by an artist hanging in my house of the benches and tables where everyone congregates to eat there. Love the ladies in the uniforms. Love that rich and not so rich all come together over great food.

[I agree, Philippe's is one of the great social levelers. -- DA]

October 3, 2008 4:05 PM

Dee said:

Social levelers indeed! My brother ate there recently. He sat at one of the big benches with a bowl of chili -- when out of nowhere some women (that he'd never seen before in his life) reached over with a spoon and said,"That chili smells so good I've got to have some." And then she did. Which is why we always get a private booth.

[Yes, that's a little TOO level. -- DA]

October 4, 2008 10:25 AM