Thousands expected at Philippe's 100th for 10-cent French dips
The L.A. restaurant celebrates an anniversary with old-time prices on its longtime menu. The sandwich deal will be offered from 4 to 8 p.m. today. Coffee with that? That'll be a nickel.
Thousands of people are expected to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the downtown restaurant Philippe's today, and the L.A. institution plans to honor its customers with 10-cent French dip sandwiches and coffee for a nickel.
Lines for the turn-of-the-20th century deal are expected to form at 2 p.m. today for the 4 p.m. event, which will continue until 8 p.m.
The restaurant -- which was founded when Theodore Roosevelt was president and there were only 46 states in the United States of America -- has long been an institution in the city center. Part of its appeal stems from its stable menu, which has varied only slightly over the years.
While customers flock to the restaurant for such old-time delicacies as pickled pigs feet and eggs, sweet baked apples and icy lemonade, by far the star of the Philippe's menu has been the French dipped sandwich.
The restaurant serves approximately 18,000 French dips a week--made with beef, usually, but also lamb, pork, and turkey -- a relatively new addition to the lineup.
The legend goes that in 1918, the restaurant's founder, Philippe Mathieu, accidentally dropped a French roll into a roasting pan of meat drippings while preparing a sandwich for a police officer who just happened to be called Officer French. The officer (some sources say it was a fireman) liked the sandwich so much, according to restaurant lore, that he came back with friends to order the sandwich en masse.
Other restaurants dispute this claim -- most notably fellow downtown restaurant Cole's, which at the moment is in the midst of a renovation and is expected to reopen late this year
But on Monday, customers were already arriving at Philippe's looking for a bargain, and the phone calls kept coming for details of the event. Richard Binder, whose family has owned the restaurant since his grandfather bought it from Mathieu in 1927, was giving the shorthand version to callers: "Tonight, 4-8, 10-cent sandwiches" he said to one caller.
Binder said that the restaurant had ordered 400 dozen rolls for the sandwiches, and manager Elias Barajas arrived at midnight to start cooking beef -- seven ovens were working overtime to cook the meat, which is roasted for 3 1/2 hours at 375 degrees.
The men said they expect more than 4,000 people to come for the deal, and anyone in line by 8 p.m. can expect to be served at the 10-cent rate.
cara.dimassa@latimes.com
