Vince's Spaghetti

Vince's Spaghetti
1206 W Holt Blvd
Ontario
909-986-7074

Vince's Spaghetti. An Inland Empire institution that I've been meaning to try, but one friend is adamant about not going to Vince's. But another friend wanted to have lunch and he lives close to Vince's so we decide to go have lunch at Vince's. What is interesting and lucky, was that we had planned to meet o Wednesday but plans changed and we met Thrusday; a lucky break because Vince's is closed on Wednesday.




As the name say it's all about spaghetti, but I wanted to try the French dip sandwich, $5.95. The French dip, was huge, piled with with lean, tender, though a bit dry beef. They dip the bottom piece of bread in au jus and give you a cup of au jus. The au jus is really their vegetable beef soup without the veggies. It has a tomato base/flavor. It was pretty good. I liked the bread, which has a french roll-soft, chewy and held up to the dip.

Service was pretty good, until it came time to pay the bill. Our server dropped off the check and never came back. I know you're not suppose to pay in the front, other tables were getting their checks picked up by their servers. We waited around for about ten minutes before we gave the bill to another server. Other than that, she was fine.

I enjoyed my french dip and I would go back for the French dip sandwich. But my friend got the spaghetti and it was so watery. I'm not expecting gourmet Italian food at Vince's. It's comfort food, but that spaghetti did not look appetizing. I may try it one day, but I'm not in a rush.

Tony's Restaurant

Tony's Restaurant
986 E 2nd St
Pomona
909-623-4695

French Dip sandwiches. Invented by Cole's, then copied by Philippe, French dip sandwiches are really a LA invention. Tony's restaurant in Pomona has been serving French dips for 50 years. It is funny, but I have lived in the area for over 30 years and I didn't know about Tony's until two months ago. Tony's isn't anything fancy. There is sawdust on the floor, red and white checkered table clothes, and you order at the counter and then find a table.

I had the beef dip, $5.68. The beef dips comes on a paper plate just like Philippe. The beef sliced thin and stacked high. The beef was tender and flavorful. They will give you a cup of au jus for free, if you ask for it. Unlike the copy cat, Philippe, you do not need some horseradish mustard to improve the flavor of the beef. The french roll is dipped but it was pretty soggy mushy. The key to any beef dip is have the bread not get too soggy. Tony's fails at this. But the quality of the beef makes up for it.

Service is nothing special but nothing bad either.

Tony's is not better than Cole's but is better than Philippe. I would go back to Tony's to try their corned beef or turkey dips. If you live the Pomona area, you would be better off going to Tony's than driving to LA for Philippe.

Cole's

Cole's
118 E 6th St
Los Angeles
213-622-4090

I know already reviewed Coles, but shortly after I reviewed them in 2006 they closed for renovations for about a year. Recently Cole's reopened under new management. So I decided to do a new review.

Coles invented the French Dip sandwich. That other copy cat place can make the claim but they are liars. Coles invented and has the best French Dip sandwich in LA.

I got the beef dip and pork dip, $8 each. Also on the menu is Au Jus for a $1. Now I had to get the Au jus but I think either the server thought I asked for extra au jus or he just didn't charge me for au jus.

The beef dip is the way to go here. Thick hand sliced beef, piled high on a crusty hard french bread. Perfect for dipping into the au jus. So wonder, so tender, so the very best French dip in LA.

The pork dip is awesome too. Nice tender pieces of pork, hand sliced, and piled high. Again the bread was hard, making it perfect for dipping.

Service was good though after I ordered the pork dip, the entire wait staff was called into the back by the manager. I saw the pork dip on the counter and I didn't want to wait anymore so I got up and asked the chef who made the sandwich if that was the pork dip. Just as he answered the server came and he took the plate to my table. He came around to refill drinks and was nice.

Coles beats the Copy Cat by a mile. The beef is a better quality meat, cut thicker, cut by hand, and the bread is harder which make it better to dip into the au jus. The Copy Cat's bread gets way too soggy even with a single dip.

OK the area around Coles isn't the best but I've never had a problem. I went at 6pm and it was dark but well lit and I had no problems.

I would go to Coles any time. I'm so glad they reopened and I got a chance to try their great French Dip, the French Dip they invented.

Cole's P.E. Buffet

Cole's P.E. Buffet
118 East 6th Street
Los Angeles, California, 90014
213.622.4090

The endless debate about who invented the French Dip may never be answered. I believe Cole's invented the French Dip. But whoever invented the French Dip, doesn't really matter right now. What matters is who has the best French Dip and there is no question in my mind it's Cole's!!!

The roast beef dip is $5.83. The gentleman behind the counter takes out huge piece of roast beef, then slices the beef into mouthwatering slices, onto a nice fresh piece of bread. He then dips the bread into au jus and serves it to you. You can also ask for a cup of au jus and dip it yourself.

One bite and you know Cole's is so much better. The meat is tender and juicy. The bread is nice and soft but not soggy. The bread at Cole's holds up much better when dipped. I think Coles gives you much more meat than Philippe. Cole's also doesn't have to add flavor to their French Dip with some spicy mustard. I know Coles has the best French Dip in LA. It's not even close.

Coles also offers a corned beef, turkey, ham, and brisket French dip. The corned beef is very good but I stick to the roast beef. But you can't go wrong at Cole's.

Philippe The Original

Philippe The Original
1001 N. Alameda St.
Los Angeles CA. 90012
213-628-3781

Philippe should really be named the Philippe the Copy Cat. I believe Coles invented the French Dip sandwich and Coles serves a much better French Dip sandwich.

I ordered a beef dip sandwich and a lemonade for $5.95. When ordering a French Dip the server will "dip" the bread in au jus though you can ask her to double dip the bread. That is something I don't recommend. The bread is just way to soggy even singled dipped, a double dip would make the sandwich a mess.

The beef dip I had was way too dry. Not impressed at all. The beef was very tough and like I mentioned dry. People say to add their hot mustard to the sandwich. Well if you have to add anything to improve the taste, it usually means it's terrible to start out with. The hot mustard is just 85% horseradish and 15% mustard. It does add something to the terrible French Dip, a bit of spice.

Philippe is very overrated. I won't go back. Since Philippe is a LA institution I think everybody should go at least once. But if you want the best French Dip get it from the restaurant that invented the French Dip, Coles.