Phillippe the Original

 

 

Fresh Coffee!

It’s 2025, and four bits isn’t really a lot of money. But $0.46 is enough to get you a cup of coffee from one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles. Phillippe the Original is the best place to go for a French Dip, invented here 100 years ago. The atmosphere of the place is timeless, and the food preparation is still handled the same way it was when I was a small boy, which is the same way it was done when my father was a small boy, too. There are still wooden phone booths lining the wall and sawdust on the floor.

The prices, though are not the same, and have gone up proportionally over the years. Don’t get me wrong, I still think it’s a great value for the money, but it doesn’t cost what it used to-except for the coffee.

Grant it, my first memories of coffee at Phillippe’s was a nickel, the price it remained until 1977, when

Everyone seems to look at the phone booths

 

it jumped up to a dime. The dime held until 2012, when the price more than quadrupled to the current price of $0.46.

How is the coffee?

Actually, not too bad. It’s Gaviña, which is a brand that shows up in many restaurants, as well as Don Francisco and Cafe La Llave. It’s strong, with a smokey flavor and no bitter after taste. Certainly worth $0.46.

The coffee is a great value, but not the reason that people come to Phillippe’s. They come for the French dip. For the uninitiated, a French dip is a roast beef sandwich on a French roll that has been sliced and had the open face dipped in au jus. You can add cheese, and there’s house made spicy mustard at the table. That’s it. The roast beef is always lean and fresh, and still is prepared right in front of you by women who look like they’ve been there since Phillippe’s moved to this location in 1951. Phillippe’s will also make you a similar sandwich from pork, lamb, pastrami, turkey and ham, all dipped in their appropriate au jus. I’ve had the roast beef, pork and lamb, and they’ve all been good. (Interestingly, though I love pastrami, I don’t think I’ve had the pastrami here-I’m going to need to try it the next time I’m in the area).        

My usual.

Phillippe the Original is one of two places in Los Angeles that claim the creation of the French Dip, the other being Cole’s. Both have a great sandwich and claim to have created it in the same year, but I give the edge to Phillippe the Original. I like Phillippe’s Cole slaw and pickles, and my wife enjoys their potato salad. They also have a good cheesecake and carrot cake. Plus, it’s cheaper. Cole’s does have pretty good French fries, and a speakeasy in the back.

My family has been going to Phillippe’s for at least three generations (four if you include my children), and much has been written about it. It’s a great stop before or after Dodger games, or if you happen to be in Union Station.

 

Coffee at the 7-Eleven

7-Eleven, Mills and Main, Ventura

 

In 1985, I read an article in Spin by Henry Rollins singing the praises of the 7-Eleven. I wasn’t really a 7-Eleven guy, though, and on the rare times I bought food from convenience stores it was from AM-PM because they used to have the cheapest gas. Generally, I don’t buy anything from convenience stores beyond the occasional Slurpee/Icee/Froster.

That changed when my daughters showed me this machine at our new 7-Eleven:


This is the latte machine.

Yes, the latte machine. I'm not really a latte drinker, finding that the extra two or more dollars didn’t make my coffee two dollars better. I like lattes, and if you’re buying I’ll have one, but I’m not willing to pay for it. 

Choose the Bold!

But here at the 7-Eleven, the vanilla latte does not cost extra. The machine grinds the beans fresh (‘bean to cup’ in coffee talk), and then brews it up, adding in the steamed milk and vanilla. Since you are making it, you can add an extra pump of vanilla from the counter, as well as a dash of cinnamon, which is how I do it. True, the machine doesn’t do the swirl at the top, but I’ve never found the swirl to add any flavor.

Add Some Vanilla

The extra large latte comes in at $2.89 (less if you bring your own cup), while the Tall Vanilla Latte at Starbucks next door costs around $6.75, meaning it’s half the size for a little over twice the cost. The obvious question is whether the 7-Eleven latte is as good as the Starbucks latte, and Starbucks will be happy to know that it isn’t. However, is the Starbucks latte twice as good, justifying the cost? 

No, the Starbucks coffee is not twice as good. The biggest difference is that the Starbucks Latte is usually hotter, something that I can fix by going down a size in the cup (pushing the button for the large and putting it in the extra large cup), and then topping it off with their fresh roasted drip coffees. In fact, I know that I’ve paid for lattes far more expensive then 7-Eleven that weren’t as good. If I'm just drinking the latte while driving, the 7-Eleven is perfect.

Brewed Coffees

The downside of this is that not all 7-Elevens have the fancy machine, though according to C-Store Dive, some sort of online convenience store trade website, they will all be moving that way by the end of 2025. Of the four 7-Elevens here in Ventura, only the one on the corner of Main and Mills has it. I’ve actually only found one other 7-Eleven with the fancy coffee machine (and I’ve looked, too), and that was in Walnut across from Mt. San Antonio College.

If you come across this, and know of where the fancy coffee machine is, add it in the comments.

7-Eleven, Japan

Fresh Food Shelf-All Good!

7-Eleven, Iwakuni, Japan

On another 7-Eleven note, if you’ve heard about the 7-Elevens in Japan, it’s all true. When the Summer Olympics were in Tokyo in 2020, I read and saw several rave reviews about the food options at the 7-Eleven stores. People talked about the fresh food, low prices, and 24 hour convenience, and when my son was stationed in Japan, I asked him about it. He said the 7-Elevens have everything, and when we visited him and stayed in Hiroshima, the 7-Eleven was the first store I went into. It was amazing. 7-Eleven was the most convenient and cheapest place to change money (I used my ATM card and withdrew cash from my account in Yen), we bought tickets to see the Hiroshima Carp play, I was in every morning for breakfast (melon pan, banana, coffee), bought coffee several times, and since neither my wife nor my son care for sushi, it was the only place I had sushi (except for the fugu restaurant). 7-Eleven was everywhere, and it was the go-to place for snacks and cash. 7-Eleven made the trip to Japan better.

Taco and Salsa Truck, Mills and Main

When I started this blog 10 years ago, I wanted to talk about tacos, surf shops and coffee. Since then, I've discussed guitars, ukuleles, watches and anything else that comes to mind. I realized that a few new taco trucks have popped up, and I haven't said anything about them.

I've also decided that tacos are pretty easy, and there isn't much to distinguish one from another. I've had tacos from this truck before, and at $2.75 each, they're on par with most other tacos in the area. If you need a taco, these are fine.

Reading their handwritten sign, I asked what a 'Quesabarba' was, and the guy at the counter said that it's a quesadilla with barbacoa meat. I asked how big it was, and he showed me an 8" corn tortilla. Another customer said it was good, and just order two. I did, but didn't ask the price, ready for a shock when I was wrung up. "$9," the counterman said, a price I was willing to pay.

In spite of my ethnicity, I don't really know much about barbacoa. The definition on the internet says it's slowly cooked and seasoned meat, usually goat or lamb, but also beef head or possibly pork. It's usually served with barbacoa dipping sauce. 

After a few minutes, I got my order. On the ride home, my car filled with the smell of barbacoa, and I was pretty excited.

Opening up the quesabarba, it was as advertised, a quesadilla filled with beef barbacoa.  A cup of barbacoa sauce came with it, which I dipped into before each bite. I caught some of the smokiness, onions, garlic, and cilantro in the sauce, which made the quesabarba tender for every bite. 

I had a Modello Dark here at home, which went perfect with the meal.

Again, I haven't had barbacoa that often, and don't really have much of a reference for it. The sauce was actually very similar to the birria sauce that they use at Pablito's Tacos over on the Avenues. 

I'd like to explore birria/barbacoa more, to mix up my taco diet.

As for Taco and Salsa, I'll be back.

The Summit

The Summit is a 60's era burger joint on Hwy 150 between Ojai and Santa Paula. It's a bit of a drive, but through some scenic California farmland and on a warm day, it's a great spot for a burger.

I think it's been about 15 years since I've eaten here, and I don't remember it being really worth the drive. But it was a beautiful day for top down driving, and I was passing at about lunch, so I thought it was time to give it another whirl.

I couldn't decide if I wanted a burger or patty melt, and asked the cute, small girl at the counter what she thought.

"Take the burger," she said. "It's simple."

I couldn't argue with the logic, so I went with a burger, fries and Dr. Pepper. It came out to about $15.

In-n-Out is the gold standard for basic burgers, if you're wondering what I compare to. And in comparison, this one wasn't bad. It was cooked about medium rare, unusual these days but actually how I prefer my burger. I wasn't asked how I like my burger, so if you're there you may want to ask how the patty will be prepared. It came with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle, a sauce that I would guess is similar to 1000 island and cheese melted onto the meet. The fries were thick cut and a little under-done, but still edible. 

Small burger stands can be hit or miss, but I'd say this was a hit.

The patio area was also very nice, with a shaded table, and so it was the perfect space for a scenic drive and lunch. I wouldn't drive here just for the burger, but I would drive here just for the drive.

For The Win Smash Burgers/Kettle Glazed Doughnuts

 

A rainy day road trip with my son and a craving for a good hamburger led us to For The Win for smash burgers.

First, what is the difference between a smash burger and a regular burger? The smash burger is a patty cooked on a hot grill, smashed down with the spatula so that more of the patty is in contact with the high heat. The idea is that more proteins in the meat break down, giving the meat a more charred flavor, while still retaining some of it's juiciness.

 

 A Double with Cheese

 

Apparently, it's proper to use a soft bun as well, and keep the extras to a minimum.

 

For The Win started during the pandemic, the remnants of the owner's high end restaurant. It's a small space, but since it was raining, my son and I were easily able to find in door seating.

He's a young man, and ordered a triple cheese with bacon. I just can't eat that way anymore, and wanted to get a doughnut from the place next door after, so I went with the double with cheese. We bought french fries and brussel sprouts, too.

So at twice the price of a comparable In-N-Out burger, was it worth it?

Maybe. The smash burger technique does add a more complicated flavor, toasty across each bite instead of just the edges. I liked the potato buns better than In-N-Outs, too. The cheese was nothing special and might have benefited from being a sharp cheddar. The fries were ordinary. 

The brussel sprouts were very good, though. They were grilled and had a very strong hint of citrus that really set off their flavor, and I wish we'd have gotten a second order of those and skipped the fries altogether. 

 

The staff was friendly, even allowing me to buy a Mexican Coke from the liquor store next door and bring it in since they were out. The service was fast, too.

I won't make a special trip, but if I'm in the area and don't feel like a Tommy Burger, I'd definitely eat there again. They're open until 9 PM.

Kettle Glazed Doughnuts, next door, was also good and not too expensive. My son went with the s'mores, which he said was good.

I had this, which was also good. We were there late in the day, and the doughnuts were still soft and fresh, not like a stale doughnut that's been sitting in a case all day. With the burgers, it was a tasty, high calorie meal.

 

 

Philz Coffee, San Francisco

 

I haven’t written about coffee in awhile, mostly because I’ve hit all the coffee places in Ventura and don’t really have anything else to say about them.

But I’m in San Francisco at the moment, and while walking by the Marina Yacht Club, I spotted a coffee truck with a bit of a line, and thought it must be pretty good for people to wait for coffee on a 45 degree foggy morning.

Philz coffee is all over the Bay Area, but I’m not up here that often to know. They do pour-overs made to order, and the line was moving fast. I ordered one of their dark roasts, the Tantalizing Turkish. They describe it as “cardamom, herbs and tobacco” but I got more chocolate and smoke, with a hint of mint at the end-they add mint leaves to the coffee. There was no bitterness to it, and it went well with the cream, sugar and cinnamon that I normally add to my coffee.

At $3.80 for a medium cup, it wasn’t outrageously expensive and well worth the wait. Definitely a place I’d come back to.

Pablito's Tacos

Pablito's Tacos

Coronavirus or no, I still love tacos.

In the background, here in my backyard, the soundtrack to some 'Bollywood' film is playing. Not sure why I have this...

Pablito's Tacos is across the street from the Red Barn Market, in the parking lot of Iglesia Apostolica. (this church would sometimes serve tacos out of a pop-up). The Red Barn actually rates it's own entry, and maybe I'll get to that soon. They've got good meat and a good deli section. 

I'd initially planned on getting a bean and cheese burrito from the Red Barn deli-the beans are good, made in manteca, the way my grandmother would have, and it's only $3.50. But I noticed that Pablito's was open, and so changed up my plan.

I ordered the birrias taco, and I was just going to get an asada taco to go with it. The kid at the window suggested the gordita, and if he felt good enough to suggest it, I figured that I'd give it a whirl. I also got a can of Dr. Pepper to wash it down, for a total of $7.50.

At that price point, the bar is pretty low-if it's edible, it's probably worth it. I noticed that on their signage, they mention $1 Tacos on both Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, which I'll have to come back to try.

The wait seemed a little long, but not bad, and the food-well, it was pretty good. Everything was fried, of course, but not too greasy, and the birria sauce had a good smokey flavor with just a bit of spicy. There was plenty of meat in both items, and enough birria to dip both. The gordita looked more like what I would call a crunchy taco, with cheese and lettuce, but with some birria sauce, it was quite tasty. And he fished the Dr. Pepper out of a cooler of ice and water-Nothing quite like an ice cold Dr. Pepper.

No chairs or tables were out, so I plopped on the steps of the church in the parking lot. The lot was in the center of a complex of buildings-the taco truck is owned by the church-and several men walked by, seeming to do different things and all asked if I enjoyed the food and thanked me for stopping by. 

So, does it match up to my favorite taco truck on the Avenues of Ventura? No, but this one is open in the afternoon, so I'll be back.

 

Wexler's Deli / Blue Bottle Coffee

Several entries mention pastrami. I like pastrami, and good pastrami is hard to find.

Often, if pastrami is not cooked well, it is chewy and bland. Sometimes, it'll be chewy and way too salty, and it's very salty if I say it's too salty. Or, I'll order it, and it'll be just a couple of pieces on bland bread, and still very expensive.

Pastrami is expensive, more so than just a burger, so if I'm ordering it, I want it to be good.

Recently, I was at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles, and decided that pastrami would be a good call. So, after circling the premises, I decided to try Wexler's.

Wexler's occupies a counter space in the center of the market, and after watching the guy in the back for a few minutes, I went ahead and placed my order for the O.G., a basic pastrami on rye. The reason I watched the guy is something I learned while watching a video on Langers Deli, (another great pastrami place), and that's if they're cutting with a machine, or just making a bunch of parallel cuts by hand, you end up with some really chewy pastrami. A good deli guy will cut against the grain, and to do that, you need to spin the meet on the cutting board at different points to stay against the grain, and that's what the deli guy was doing.

I took my seat at the counter-I really wanted to sit at the counter, although there were tables near by. The counter just seemed right for eating pastrami, and my order actually came up pretty quick. It came a pickle and either cole slaw or potato salad-I went with the slaw. The pickle was crisp and the slaw a bit tart, both very good. The sandwich, too, was solid. Not too much salt, a bit of smokey flavor, not chewy, everything that I could have hoped for. A good lunch choice.

 

 After, I though a bit of coffee would be nice, so I went over to the Bradbury Building, (one of the premier architectural buildings in the city, seen in many movies and T.V. Shows), and had the pour over coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee. 

I want to say that I liked it. At twice the cost of Starbucks, I really want to say that it was a transcendent experience that no coffee drinker should miss. But, frankly, it wasn't. It wasn't bad, mind you, but it wasn't worth twice what I would normally pay. The place looked nice, though.

VenTiki II

Let's start with this-I like VenTiki. I like the look and feel of the place. I like the vibe from the employees, and the idea of tiki lounge and lanai in the beach city that I live in. The place goes well with my collection of Aloha shirts and ukuleles, and I really, really, want to like the drinks.


And that's the issue. The drinks are not cheap, and I find the drinks to be, well, something to drink. You might make a case that I'm drinking the wrong drinks, and that might be true. But with VenTiki, I've ordered drinks based on a few things. I know that I like rum and whiskey. I'm okay with tequila and vodka, but don't really care for gin. So using that bit of information, I stick with rum, whiskey, tequila and vodka based drinks, and VenTiki has several of those. And then I check the name. A good name-like say "The Alter of Sacrifice", should lead to a good drinking experience.

But it doesn't quite seem to. The drinks are generally a bit too much of something-usually sweet, but interestingly, occasionally too strong.  And you'd think too strong would be a good thing, but this is a cocktail bar, and I'm ordering a cocktail, not a shot.

Yes, the drink is on fire!

The food on my last visit was better than before, and generally seems to be improving, so that's a good thing. It's fun food, but not great food. And your really only ordering food to have something in your hand between cocktails.

There's always a crowd, and I'd be lying if I said my complaints were enough to keep me away. The outside sitting area is comfortable, and they'll light the heaters on cold nights, as well as keep the fire pit going. The inside bar area is tiny, so outside is the place to be. I'd recommend going on Tsunami Tuesday for the all day Happy Hour, and bring friends. I also like their gift shop next door, but I can't quite figure out when they're open-the gift shop hours seem to be a bit random.

And if you get the $25 Mai-Tai, it comes in a custom VenTiki mug!

I really haven't blogged much lately, and I'd forgotten that I wrote about VenTiki back in 2014, when they first opened. My opinion hasn't changed, and like I said, I'd go back again.

Tamales Alberto, Echo Park

I've been writing a book about a guy from Echo Park in the '40's, and though nothing may come of it-I've tried to write books before and nothing has come of them-I have an idea and a timeline, and now I just have to get it all done.

So I've walked Echo Park a few times since the summer, and what I'm seeing is a neighborhood in transition, what was a somewhat frightening part of town in the 80's now being filled with both hipsters and homeless. I'm getting good ideas and background for my book, and that's all good. Maybe in a few years, I'll have it finished and my blog will be looked at as my early writings, and isn't it obvious how talented I am. Or not.

I was hungry as I walked the area last week, and I was going to go to a food truck that I'd seen every time I was there. It's always crowded and smelled pretty good, but when I walked up to check it out, I noticed that the health inspector gave it a 'B'. I'm not opposed to eating someplace with a 'B', but something has been bothering my stomach the last few weeks, and I didn't feel like risking it.

I continued on, and noticed Tamales Alberto. They had other items on their menu, and since I'm not a big tamale fan, I figured I'd try something else.

I walked into the small dining area and up to the register, ready to order a burrito, which I saw on the menu. I noticed a tray of tamales, and they smelled good, but I still wasn't planning on buying one.

I should mention why I'm not a tamale fan. My wife buys them, and I'll eat them, but I always find them a bit dry. Sometimes they're too spicy, sometimes they're nothing but masa, and sometimes they just aren't good. There's a tamale man who comes through my neighborhood from time to time, and we usually buy, but mostly because he seems very nice. I'm never sure what he's going to have, and there's nothing that I feel I really want. For Christmas this year, we bought some tamales from somewhere in Oxnard, and they just weren't good at all.

Tamales, I could take 'em or leave 'em.

I was hungry, though, and they had a place to sit down, so I picked out two, pork with red sauce and pineapple.

The pork with red sauce was excellent! The masa was moist, with a strong corn flavor. There was a good amount of pork, and the red sauce had a hint of heat.

Then the pineapple...I had a flash back to being an 8 year old boy. My grandparents on my Father's side had a place that they liked going to, but I don't know where it was. They would bring back tamales for my family once in a while-I think my father liked them, but I don't remember now. I was a little, fat kid who didn't like anything spicy, so they would bring me sweet tamales. I seem to remember those have cinnamon and raisins, and weren't spicy at all.

This pineapple reminded me of that. The corn tasted almost like a cornbread, and with the pineapple, it started to take on the qualities of a pineapple upside down cake. It was great!

So after devouring both (with a can of Coke), I decided to have one more. I went for the chicken mole. The mole had a bit of heat and a bit of sweet, and it soaked into the masa, spreading the heat/sweet combination into every bite. The chicken also picked up some of the mole flavor. Another excellent tamale.

And I was out under $10.

Tommy's

Tuesday Night Crowd

There isn't a lot to say about Tommy's that hasn't been said. An LA institution, serving up sloppy chili burgers for over 70 years, I've personally been hitting Tommy's since the early 80's, when my girlfriend and I thought it was the height of cool to have a Tommy's burger and then head to the Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills for a piece of cheesecake and two drinks-they didn't card.

Since that time, I've never needed much of an excuse to go to the original location at Beverly and Rampart. They were fast in those days, with burgers hitting the counter before you finished ordering, the counter manned by a couple of old guys at the register, and a bunch of young Mexican guys at the grill. There were no fries-you had chips. Also, no fountain drinks-you got a can from the many coolers. The lot was crowded, and I would always stake out a spot next to the paper towel/napkin dispenser because I used 10,000 or so. I had a girlfriend who once asked why I stood there, and I said to specifically have as many napkins as  I wanted.

At the time that I started going to Tommy's, there were two others that I knew about, one on Roscoe in Van Nuys (not there anymore), and one in Fountain Valley between Warner and Magnolia. They were both good.

While attending Cerritos College, we'd often race to either the Fountain Valley or the Original location, power down two double cheeses, and then make it back to Water Polo practice. In those days I could put away some food and I was still skinny. I had a friend who would say she could eat a Tommy Burger and not make a mess, and use only one napkin. She often did, and somehow never messed her make-up, a feat I appreciate far more now than I did then.

A True American Classic!

At UCLA, we would sometimes head to the one that used to be located across from the Anheuser-Busch plant on Roscoe in Van Nuys, but sometimes after a hard night of drinking the smell from the brewery would strike me as unpleasant, so we usually ended up at the Original.

A Tommy's opened here in Ventura a few years back, and unlike many of the Tommy's in the chain, the food is consistently good. I've eaten at the ones in Ontario, Hollywood and Eagle Rock, and I wasn't impressed. In fact, when the Ventura location first opened, they were also so fast that my food hit the counter before I finished paying. They're still fast, but not that fast.

So, Tommy's Ventura is good, but there's something about standing at Beverly and Rampart, as I have for some 35 years and having a burger. It's a single, now instead of the double, only one, and now with fries and a fountain drink, but it's still good, and I think of the many friends I've dined with there over the years.

Like I alluded to up above, it used to be all men behind the counter. On this trip, it was all women. The food used to hit the counter before I was done paying, and this time I got a number and had to wait-not long, but I waited.

But I'd still eat there. It was still good.

More Crown Guitars

May 19, 2017

I was in Little Tokyo last week trying some ramen at Men oh Tokushima, and came across this Crown Acoustic in a store of trinkets and other things.

I should have asked to play it, but I didn't. I tapped it a bit to see what it sounded like, and the wood was certainly resonant. It's a 70's era guitar, made in Japan, and I've read that guitars from Japan during that time frame were using old woods and so have very good sound quality.

I actually played a couple of the ukuleles that they had in the store instead, and though they were no names, they looked nice, and played reasonably well for their price.

I should have written down the name of the store, but I didn't. Let's just say it's the type of store you expect to find in a Chinatown or a Little Tokyo. Lots of Asian trinkets, flags, Buddhas and things. I liked the Godzilla bank, where Godzilla would rise out of a box and grab the coin, and the headbands, one of which I bought. The symbol on it is supposed to be 'Victory,' but how would I know one way or the other.

About ramen. I don't know what good ramen tastes like as opposed to bad ramen. But my son likes ramen, and the place had good Yelp reviews, so we tried it.

I've intentionally had ramen three times in the last 6 months, and this was the best one, but I'm going to have to try more. 

I wouldn't make a special trip for the ramen, but if I was in the area and someone suggested it, I'd eat there again.