Cliftons Cafeteria

So I haven't been able to devote as much time as I would like to my blog lately, but hopefully I can make up for it in the coming weeks. But on with today's post!

This weekend I had the, er, pleasure (?) or visiting Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles. We were there with some friends who were visiting from Austin, one of whom had gotten very specific instructions about Clifton's, "Here's the address. Don't look anything up about it, just go." Famous last words is what I say. Clifton's was like a crappier Luby's (who knew it got worse, right?). Amid the numerous fake gold jewelry shops and the homeless people wandering around downtown, you open the door to this unusual cafeteria. It's like something from a 1960's postcard with bizarre fake animal carcasses hanging on the wall and a waterfall running right through the center. There's all kinds of food here, but I can't really say any of it looked good. Even worse was the taste. It was like eating hospital food and frankly I still feel sick even thinking about it. I tried to play it safe getting the turkey and dressing with a dinner roll and mac n' cheese. The only thing I can speak nicely about is the cornbread stuffing, which was mediocre at best. The turkey was dry, the mac n' cheese overcooked and with too much cheese, and the dinner roll was the kind of bread that gets stuck to the roof of your mouth as you're chewing. I tried a bite of Griffin's pumpkin pie, which wasn't good either. Overall, a big poop sandwich - and it wasn't even cheap! My meal alone was $13. I can think of SO many better places to eat for under $13. This is not to even mention the homeless lady that approached our table telling us we were all wanted by the FBI. She then proceeded to eat what was left of Griffin's food while hovering over our table. The manager came over and asked her to leave, but we let her take the rest of the food we weren't going to eat in a box with her. It was overall a really terrible experience and one I never hope to relive! To be fair though, I was the only one who didn't enjoy it. The other three had pleasant things to say about this raunchy spot. Let's just say that there used to be 9 locations and now, not surprisingly, there is only 1.

http://www.cliftonscafeteria.com/home.html

Philipe the Original

Ever wonder who had the great idea of dousing a roast beef sandwich in au jus and thus creating the oh-so-yummy French dip? Search no more! The story of the French dip starts in a two-story downtown LA restaurant with wooden benches and saw-dust covered floors. In 1918, owner Philipe accidentally dropped a French roll into a roasting pan still full of piping hot juices. A policeman in line said he'd still eat the sandwich and returned the next day for another. Philipe's is still making amazing French dipped sandwiches and have expanded their menu a bit. Several short lines form in front of the display case and servers dish out French dipps in beef, turkey, ham, pork, and lamb varieties, available with or without cheese and singlely- or doublely-dipped. My personal favorite is the traditional beef French dip with Swiss, double-dipped. If you are not into French dipped sandwiches I've heard that their chili and stew are also quite delicious and if your sweet tooth is jonesing, they offer about 12 different kinds of pie. One thing to consider before going to Philipes is take cash. They are cash only and while they do have an ATM, you're better off being prepared when you go in, but you shouldn't need more than $10 a person. Once you get your order, you may have to search high and low for a seat at the many picnic tables. One of the most charming things about Philipes is how down-to-Earth it feels, with a make-shift convenience shop in the corner offering candy and cigarettes, just like you would expect a restaurant from the early 1900's to have. Unlike so many restaurants in LA, Philipes does own a parking lot across the street. The parking attendants are always really nice, and the parking is free, so if you have a couple of spare bucks on your way out, I'm sure they'd be more than appreciative of your generosity.

http://www.philippes.com/

Yang Chow

If you watch NBC's Chuck, you've probably seen the sizzling shrimp episode. I believe that is based on Yang Chow's Slippery Shrimp, possibly one of the best Chinese dishes around. Located in Chinatown, this authentic Chinese restaurant is a great value, but definitely order family style. There are lots of options, as is typical of Chinese restaurants, so get a few dishes and share. Once seated, the table is provided with a pot of hot green tea. Beyond that, we always like to start with the spring rolls and the hot & sour soup. There are about 8 different soups to chose from and they come in orders for 2 or for 4 people, but it really serves about twice as many people as it's supposed to. Next we devour a dish of the slippery shrimp, which is always quick to go! For the entrees we always switch it up. We are yet to find an entree dish that we absolutely love and must get every time. So far we have tried the beef & broccoli, lemon chicken, beef with green peppers, and the house special chicken (upon our last waiter's recommendation). We were not disappointed with any of them, but also haven't found the one entree we always have to have. There's usually enough food left to take home for a snack or meal and it generally costs less than $20/person. Also, it should be noted that they serve really decently priced alcoholic beverages here. Bottled beers for just $3, that's a deal you won't find too often in LA.

http://www.yangchow.com/index.html