The Original Pantry Cafe

The Original Pantry Cafe is an iconic coffee shop and restaurant located at the corner of 9th and Figueroa in Downtown L.A.'s South Park district, The Pantry claims to never have closed or been without a customer since it opened in 1924, including when it changed locations in 1950 to make room for a freeway off-ramp. It served lunch in the original location and served dinner at the new location the same day.

The menu is pretty simple.  They have your typical breakfast selection and then steak and chops and salads.  Notably, they have a Gallon of Coffee on their menu as a side.  It must be for cops or other night workers that come in.

 

 

We stopped in on a Thursday afternoon, the cafe wasn't too busy so we sat at the counter in front of the grill. We went for a side order they call the "Set Up" which is bread, butter, and cole slaw.  Sounds weird, I know, but they are known for this side so we got it.  The cole slaw is creamy and sweet.  It is not the healthiest dish but very good and goes really well with the thick grilled bread. It was filling for a side but very fitting for the diner.  They boast about their generous portions and they're not lying.  Plan on taking a lot of food home or sharing.  This place is definitely worth the visit, even if only for a slice of pie and coffee.  Stop in and soak in a little bit of history.

Philippe - The Original French Dip Sandwhich

Philpipe The Original, opened in 1908, is one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Los Angeles.  The restaurant also claims to be the inventor of the French Dip Sandwich.

The owner Philippe Mathieu, immigrated from France to New York in 1901 and moved to LA in 1903. In 1908 he opened Philippe restaurant where he served roast beef, roast pork, roast lamb, liver pate, and blood sausage. In 1951, the restaurant moved to its present location at 1001 N. Alameda Avenue.

There are a few different stories of how the French Dip actually came to be. The website proclaims that one day in 1918, while making a sandwich, Mathieu inadvertently dropped the sliced french roll into the roasting pan filled with juice still hot from the oven. The patron, a policeman, said he would take the sandwich anyway and returned the next day with some friends asking for more dipped sandwiches. And so was born the "French Dipped Sandwich," Originally, Mathieu referred to this as a dip sandwich. The restaurant was colloquially known as Frenchy's, which eventually developed into a French dip sandwich.

The style of Philippe's is a traditional delicatessen-type sit down restaurant, having old-fashioned traditions such as rows of tables being shared by several parties. 

The restaurant is famous for attracting hungry patrons from all walks of life.

We went on a Sunday afternoon and the restaurant was packed.  We waited in a line ten deep in front of the counter. It was a slightly mayhem because there were a lot of large families and different family members would stand in multiple lines.  It deceivingly made the lines longer than they were.  After about 25 minuets we arrived at the counter and gave our order to the waitress and watched while she made our sandwich.  We ordered a beef french dip with swiss cheese, cole slaw, and a lemonade and iced tea. Meals are served cafeteria-style on paper plates so we had to carry our meals on trays while we searched for a table. We finally found a spot upstairs at the end of a table. As a warning, there are jars of hot mustard on each table.  Go easy on this, it's like wasabi and goes straight to the nose :)

In addition to their main attraction of French Dip sandwiches, other old-fashioned foods are served, including freshly made soups, beef stew, baked apples, and pickled pigs. Jars of purple pickled eggs are arrayed on the counter. Healthier menu items, such as turkey sandwiches and salads are also on the menu.

The atmoshpere at Phillipe's is great and the food is historic.  Even though they make the sandwiches fairly quickly you can tell there is a lot of love in each one.  It is definitely a must do when you're in LA!

Wurstkuche - Exotic Sausages

I found Wurstkuche through a few other blogs that mentioned the eatery and held it in high esteem.  The resturant is downtown in the heart of the arts district and is known for its exotic sausages. Wurstkuche only adds more personality to this already trendy neighborhood.  They serve sausages, Belgian fries with homemade dipping sausages, and have an array of of imported beers and gourmet soda.  The sausages are in 3 categories: classic, gourmet, and exotic. The classic sausages have the typical bratwurst, Italian, and vegetarian smoked apple sage.  The gourmet sausages get more interesting including Austin blues (hot and spicy tri-pepper and hardwood smoked pork), apricot and ginger )chicken and turkey, lamb casing), and Filipino marharlika (sweet pork, natural seasonings).  Lastly, and where it gets the most interesting is the exotic category.  Such sausages include Duck and Bacon with Jalapeno peppers, alligator and pork, smoked andouille sausage, Rabbit, veal, and pork seasoned with white wine. They have 21 sausages in total and range from $5.75 to $7.50. 

Grete and I shared the Duck and Bacon while Liz got the Rattlesnake and the Rabbit.  We also all split some fries.  The sausages were good all around. We couldn't really taste the duck but the bacon came through.  Liz enjoyed her sausages, both had a lot of flavor and non of the exotic meat had an off-taste. The most exciting thing about the meal was by far the bleu cheese walnut and bacon dipping sauce we had with the fries.  It was incredibly flavorful, after all what's not good when it has bacon in it?

The restaurant resembles a German beer hall.  You walk up to the counter to order and take your number back to the eating area.  If you didn't order a drink at the counter with your sausage there is a bar conveniently in the back.  You can also sit outside where there is great people watching.  All in all, this is a great place to have a meal or be adventurous and try some new meat!