As some of you may remember, Animated Meat first came to life in 2008 as a way to document some sights that managed to slip through the cracks of most popular travel websites. You may also remember that the original website was built on Apple's now defunct iWeb. From there, it migrated over to WordPress where it met an untimely demise at the hands of Russian hackers. Many of those old, pre-2012 entries have found a new home here in the Before the Now section. I would consider these posts as my starting place as a writer, probably comparable to a musician's first demo tapes. They are very rough, but I took them all seriously and wrote each one with passion. While I would like to believe that I have matured in my abilities as a writer, it is my hope that I carry this same blind passion into all of my new efforts.

Phillippe's

February 2, 2019

Philippe’s is a little place in downtown LA that supposedly invented the French dip sandwich. And French dip sandwiches are exactly what they serve here. According to the website, they have been in business since 1908. That’s especially remarkable when you consider that in 1908, there was nothing in LA.

Philippe’s is all about “no frills”. You want a sandwich? There’s a sandwich, some meat, some bread, and some of the sauce from the roasts. That’s it.

Even if you’re into hot stuff, I recommend that you watch out for the mustard. Go easy. Go really, really easy. Don’t squirt it directly onto your sandwich. Just wave your sandwich over the bottle. I even would go as far as to suggest that you don’t look at the bottle too long because you may develop cataracts. Trust me.

Philippe’s is the local spot that has been here longer that any of the locals. Bench seating and sawdust on the floor make this an especially unique place. Definitely worth a stop.