Owner Frank Martin and staff at Philippe's around 1960
The world has changed since Philippe the Original opened in 1908, but thankfully little about Philippe's has (except for the loss of the beloved, if unsanitary, mustard pots). This year the restaurant celebrates its 100 year anniversary and just as in years past, they're rolling back the prices for just one day. On October 6 from 4pm-8pm, you can line up with probably hundreds of others to get the classic French dipped sanwich for just 10 cents. Ten-cent coffee will be just five cents.
A reminder of how the French dip sandwich came to be, or rather, Philippe's side of the story (we'll save Cole's for another day): One day in 1918, while making a sandwich, owner Philippe Mathieu inadvertently dropped the French roll into a roasting pan filled with juice. The patron, a policeman, said he would take the sandwich anyway; of course it was delicious and he returned the next day for more. Thus, the French dip. The name "French dipped sandwich" came about either because Mathieu or the roll were French, or because the officer's name was French. "The answer," says the website, "is lost to history." Here's more trivia from earlier this year.
· Serious Rant: Philippe's Mustard Removal [~ELA~]
· Philippe the Original Turns 100: Sights! Sounds! Trivia! [~ELA~]
