BY ZANDER REYES

Set in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, in the midst of all the historical buildings, sits a quaint, old-fashioned restaurant that was the true inventor of the french dip sandwich, a hot sandwich of thinly sliced roast beef on a french roll. This restaurant has a simple one word name, Cole’s. It has captured the hearts of many foodies and has been featured in many television food shows.

This excellent eatery has a captivating backstory. Cole’s was established back in 1908, which makes Cole’s the originators of the french dip, not Philippe’s. This is supposedly how the story goes; Cole’s house chef, Jack Garlinghouse, dipped the bread of the sandwich in au jus to soften it up for a customer with a gum problem, thus creating the “french dip”. The restaurant was established by entrepreneur Harry Cole and was settled in the hollow of the historic Pacific Electric Building, once the center of Henry Huntington’s Railway network, which accommodated more than 100K people a day. In 1974, Cole’s was recognized by Los Angeles as a historical landmark and a state point of historical interest. Not only that, but the city also recognized Cole’s as the true inventors of the french dip.

This establishment may seem a little dark and weird when you first walk in and it may smell kind of odd, but once you get used to the old, musty smell in the air, it’s like being thrown back into history. The walls are covered in red, patterned wallpaper and decorated with black and white pictures of famous people and events that have happened at or near Cole’s. While the odd smells and unorganized pictures may hypnotize you, don’t let that stop you from looking at the menu.

To make things interesting, start off by asking your waiter or waitress to seat you in Micky Cohen’s table. He was an infamous 1930’s gangster and bookie czar who was a regular at Cole’s. Now, if I would recommend anything off the menu, it would be the USDA Prime Beef French Dip with Swiss cheese. Let’s just say when you dip the sandwich in Cole’s famous and elite au jus sauce, it quite literally melts in your mouth. From the “After-School Specials,” I would recommend really anything, from the Mac N’ 2 Cheeses, to the mouthwatering Chili Fries, and lastly the gooey Grilled Cheese with hot tomato soup. Soon, you’ll be declining dessert, but if your stomach still craves more, try the famous bourbon creme or a la mode pie.

Cole’s

Address: 118 East 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA

Dollar: $$

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