Philippe French Dipped Sandwiches
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A sandwich mishap helped give Philippe's French Dip a place in Los Angeles food history. Founded by Philippe Mathieu in 1908, the restaurant traces its famous French dip to a 1918 accident involving a sliced roll and a pan of hot meat drippings. The policeman receiving the sandwich accepted it anyway and reportedly returned with friends. Apparently dropping the bread was good for business. 12-08
Freeway construction forced Philippe’s to relocate in 1951 to its present Alameda Street home, a former machine shop with upstairs hotel rooms. The counter service, communal wooden tables, and sawdust floors became part of the attraction. Customers line up before the “carvers,” who prepare the food and handle the entire order. Be careful with the house mustard. That little squeeze bottle has considerable ambition.
Philippe French Dipped Sandwiches
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
There’s an upstairs ghost story, too. Published accounts describe spirits associated with the building’s reputed former bordello lingering in the dining rooms. An unverified tale, but an interesting addition to lunch. Think this is true? Perhaps the French dips are simply difficult to leave behind.
UPDATE: Philippe’s remains open at 1001 N. Alameda Street, continuing its French dip tradition near Chinatown and Union Station. The familiar counter service and communal dining arrangement survive. 10-26
Gus's Bar-B-Q
Pasadena, CA Photos courtesy Scott Strickland
A neon pig gives Gus’s Bar-B-Q in South Pasadena a roadside introduction that doesn’t require much explanation. Along Fair Oaks Avenue’s historic Route 66 alignment, the sign and restaurant frontage offer a welcome distraction for hungry travelers and anyone collecting a few more neon sightings. Dinner happens to be available, too. 10-09
Gus’s has served the neighborhood since 1946, making it a familiar stop through decades of changing traffic and dining habits. Before the freeways became the preferred way across the region, Fair Oaks carried Route 66 travelers past the restaurant. A barbecue stop offered a fairly persuasive reason to interrupt the drive.
Brothers Chris and John Bicos purchased Gus’s in 2007 and renovated the restaurant, carrying its familiar name into another generation. The distinctive sign remained a connection to the old place, with blinking pigs and chickens providing considerably more entertainment than an ordinary menu board. Apparently the animals understood the importance of getting noticed before customers reached the door.
Gus's Bar-B-Q
Pasadena, CA Photos courtesy Scott Strickland
Inside, the emphasis is on Southern cooking and slowly smoked meats. The operators describe seasoning the meat overnight and smoking over whole pecan logs for as long as 14 hours. That gives the kitchen a different pace from the traffic outside. For roadside visitors, the combination of an old neon landmark and a substantial barbecue dinner makes this an easy place to linger.
UPDATE: Gus’s remains open at 808 Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena. The original location continues serving barbecue along the old Route 66 corridor, while its restored neon sign keeps the familiar roadside greeting in place. 10-26
Dino's Lodge (Gone)
Hollywood, CA Photo courtesy Charlie Aron
A giant likeness of Dean Martin gave Dino’s Lodge one of the Sunset Strip’s more unusual restaurant introductions. The face looked out over passing traffic with an expression that was difficult to ignore. A famous name helped sell dinner, but putting that name’s entire head above the sidewalk certainly added something. 08-13
The former Alpine Lodge became Dino’s in 1958 through a business arrangement involving Martin. Dark wood, upholstered booths, steaks, and Italian food supplied the dining-room atmosphere, while the celebrity connection brought an extra helping of curiosity.
Television gave the sign an even larger audience. 77 Sunset Strip, which ran from 1958 to 1964, placed its fictional detective office beside the restaurant and featured Dino’s sign in the opening credits. The address was invented, but the restaurant was real. Viewers could come looking for the detectives and settle for dinner instead.
Martin’s involvement ended long before the restaurant disappeared, but the name and familiar face continued attracting attention. Menus, ashtrays, and other souvenirs later became collectibles, giving the old lodge a life beyond the Strip.
UPDATE: Dino’s Lodge has closed and its building and sign are gone. The surrounding block underwent another major demolition in 2013, leaving the television appearances and surviving memorabilia to recall this unusual Hollywood dinner stop. 10-26
Foxy's Restaurant (Renamed)
Downey, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
That steep roof gives the former Foxy’s Restaurant in Downey a look more suited to a mountain lodge than an ordinary coffee shop. Built in 1967, the A-frame made a distinctive stop along Paramount Boulevard. The restaurant later became the Nordic Fox, followed by Downey Brewing Company, with the dramatic roof surviving the name changes. 11-20
Burt Richardson developed the design for Foxy’s, first using the A-frame version in Glendale in 1964. He later sold the name and design rights to Hyatt, which adapted the architectural idea for its own coffee shops. Downey’s building belongs to that family of restaurants that gave motorists something interesting to notice before breakfast even entered the discussion.
Originally, a large stylized fox stood outside to help announce the business. Between the animal and the towering roof, the restaurant certainly had more personality than the average storefront. Apparently putting the name over the entrance wasn’t quite enough. A fox out front made the introduction a little more memorable.
Foxy's Restaurant (Renamed)
Downey, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The later Nordic Fox name suited the lodge-like appearance, and the restaurant was operating under that name by 2005. Downey Brewing Company followed, trading the coffee shop identity for another dining and drinking destination. Fortunately, these changes gave the distinctive building another assignment rather than sending it toward the bulldozer.
UPDATE: The former Foxy’s remains standing at 10924 Paramount Boulevard and operates as Downey Brewing Company. Its distinctive 1967 A-frame survives, preserving a recognizable piece of Downey’s coffee shop past. 10-26
Gus's Bar-B-Q
A neon pig gives Gus’s Bar-B-Q in South Pasadena a roadside introduction that doesn’t require much explanation. Along Fair Oaks Avenue’s historic Route 66 alignment, the sign and restaurant frontage offer a welcome distraction for hungry travelers and anyone collecting a few more neon sightings. Dinner happens to be available, too. 10-09
Gus's Bar-B-Q
Dino's Lodge (Gone)
Foxy's Restaurant (Renamed)
Foxy's Restaurant (Renamed)
