cole's french dip

let’s give credit where credit is due. cole’s sandwich isn’t bad. it’s a hand carved piece of work on two outstanding pieces of bread. the pork (the kind i got, has the look, feel and taste of hand-pulled pork via south carolina), almost a meal onto itself. the dipping sauce is sweet and light. couple that with their…was it called “diablo” mustard, and over all, it’s a pretty good tasting sandwich. i would probably be the most famous in town if it wasn’t for philippe’s.

so, again, it’s not that cole’s didn’t do something fantastic, it’s just that i personally think philippe’s does it better. you may disagree. (i’m pretty sure that the folks at cole’s do too).

philippe’ssandwichesare in a way constructed different. there is no au jus dipping, they just dunk the whole sucker into the bath, and i personally find their mustard better. it melds perfectly in with the sandwich. the diablo did a find job of that as well, but i thought the mustard was a bit more standard and tart, than what i think philippe’s does.

again, that’s just me.

thesandwicheshere are okay. i couldn't really tell if the ingredients were fresh or not, and the bread got a bit soggy after a few minutes. the wait during lunch is really long: up to 30 minutes. unfortunately there are a lot of other great sandwich places in the area like tartine.

not very good. i was excited to try the original french dip at cole's since it was supposedly the "first" and was invented there. turns out i was very disappointed in the experience.

the limited menu pretty much has french dipsandwiches(with beef, pastrami, turkey or lamb) for around $6. cheap, yes, but you get what you pay for. the beef in my sandwich was very, very tough, and while the sandwich was loaded with cheese, it didn't melt. the bread was as hard as a rock, and the fries were nothing special and were cold.

the worst part of the meal was the au jus with the sandwich - it had this really funky taste to it . it was so bad that i asked for another cup, thinking that the one i got was old or spoiled. nope, guess not! the second cup tasted the same. bleh.

the restaurant has a sort of "dumpy" charm to it as it feels like you are eating in the basement of an old speakeasy.

the bottom line is that the food just isn't that good. skip this place.

a visit to cole's. on tuesday, march 10, 2009, my brother jesse and i came to cole's restaurant in downtown los angeles. jesse is a native of southern california and had been ranting and raving about "the place that originated the french dip sandwich." i have been living in texas and eating french dipsandwichesfor years, and i had heard about cole's for years, so when i finally made it to los angeles after forty years of waiting and dreaming, there was only one place to go for lunch!

after paying several dollars to park nearby, we made our way to your restaurant. although the place was not crowded at the time, we waited for several minutes before anyone greeted us or seated us. we ordered two beef french dip sandwiches, one side order each, and drinks. the total of the bill came to over $40.00.

imagine my surprise when my sandwich came and the beef was too tough to chew! the side orders and drinks were fine, but the main course-the much heralded french dip sandwich-was a huge disappointment. i managed to find a couple of small slices of meat that were edible, but the vast majority of the sandwich was left on the plate, untouched. when we pointed this out to an employee who identified himself as the manager, his only response was to blame the lack of quality on the kitchen and say, "oh, well…maybe it will be better the next time you come."

let me assure you that, after my brother dropped nearly $50.00 on parking,sandwichesthat were tougher than saddle leather, and a lackadaisical manager whose idea of placating a dissatisfied customer is a reference to (and a hope that) future visits will be better, there will not be a next time. with all due respect, the customer service sucks.

cole's may or may not have originated the french dip sandwich. the same claim is made by philippe's, and the point is really moot. but for the record, the french dip sandwich i had at philippe's the next day was incredible. when i return to los angeles next year, i will return to philippe's. conversely, i will not only avoid cole's like a terminal illness, but i will encourage as many others as possible to do the same.