Stuck in the Middle

Clifton's

The historic French dip at Philippe The Original

By Shane Danaher

The Best Sandwiches in Downtown L.A.

Downtown L.A.'s mix of residents and commuters has caused the area some identity issues as it goes through its adolescence, but at least one benefit of this partnership has been the omnipresent availability of a really good lunch. Spurned by palate, necessity, and convenience, the district has risen to the demands of its noonday denizens. A Downtown L.A. sandwich isn't just a stopover between breakfast and dinner, it's a destination in itself.

Brie Sandwich at The French Garden

1936 East 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021-1206
(213) 623 4028
10:30am to 2:30pm

 

Tucked in one of the less-fashionable corners of the fashion district, The French Garden is an offbeat gem. While its menu offerings sometimes stray from the restaurant's implied nationality (since when is pasta French?) there is no denying that the lunch spot does its homeland proud with the perfectly rendered Brie Sandwich. Eggplant, tomatoes, and Brie, the notoriously noisome cheese, might seem like an odd combination, but it's just such a surprising layering of flavor that solidifies the Brie Sandwich's charm. It's a classic, arising happily from the tradition of French cuisine. In this case at least, head chef Benoit Lesure is more than capable of proving that he is the definite article.

Dr. Pepper Duck Sandwich at First and Hope

710 W 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA, 90012
(213) 617 8555

 

Falling within the elegantly scalloped shadow of the Disney Concert Hall, First and Hope advertises itself as a "supper club," which is code for "you, sir, are going to be paying 10 dollars for that mac and cheese." The menu tends toward the higher range of what one could reasonably expect to pay for fashionable soul food, but when these excesses reach their apogee, it's nothing short of genius. The Dr. Pepper Duck is just such an elegant aberration. Served between slices of bleu cheese focaccia, the "duck" of the sandwich's moniker is marinated in Dr. Pepper, then accented by red-onion cherry jam and baby arugula. It is a thing to behold, a perfect mix of the restaurant's twin obsessions with down-home, Southern cooking and Jazz Age New York refinement.

Kurobuta Pork Belly Bahn Mi at Mendocino Farms

300 South Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 620 1114
11am to 3pm
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444 S. Flower St.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 627 3262
11am to 7:15pm

 

Mendocino Farms has been able to marry the locavore's insistence on farmed produce with the corporate kitchen's ability to handle a high-volume lunch crowd's khaki-clad bedlam. In both capacities, Mendocino Farms is a very slick operation, and the Kurobuta Pork Belly Bahn Mi is the pinnacle of its art. The caramelized pork belly forms the backbone of the dish, but the devil is in the sandwich's details. Jalapenos, cilantro, and pickled daikon mix with farm-bought carrots and chili aioli to lend the lunchtime staple a surprising depth of flavor. Mendocino Farms has taken the aesthetic of a high-end organic restaurant, folded it inside a ciabatta bun, and smuggled the whole confection in a paper sack.

Pork "French Dipped" Sandwich at Philippe The Original

1001 N. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA, 90012
(213) 628 3781
6am to 10pm

 

Philippe's is every bit as much a downtown landmark as the gas company buildings, though the restaurant has, ironically, enjoyed a greater longevity. Founded in 1908, Philippe's is rumored to have invented the French Dipped Sandwich that is the cornerstone of its menu. Though some debate this charter myth (read: Cole's) what is indisputable about Philippe's is that it discovered a winning formula at an early point in its life and has wavered from it but an inch. The price of coffee has risen from five cents to a whopping nine, but that beverage, along with the staples of pie, lemonade, and nostril-clearing mustard, remain essentially unchanged. The famed sandwich itself comes in pork, beef, turkey, ham, and lamb varieties, available in single, double, and "wet" levels of dip saturation. The location and folksy attitude are a callback to the early 20th century. At least by culinary standards, that's not such a bad place to be.


Spicy Mushroom Sandwich at Blu LA Café

126 East 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA, 90014
(213) 488 2088
11am to 11pm

 

You have to have some cojones to open up a burger joint right next to a downtown landmark as un-mess-with-able as Cole's, and Blu LA Café reeks of just such sophisticated gumption. The restaurant is a boutique burger joint, offering a cocktail menu of greater refinement than you will find at most places where grilled cheese sandwiches grace the menu. Though lauded primarily for its burgers, Blu LA brings a similar level of care to the rest of its offerings, scoring significant points with the Spicy Mushroom Sandwich. The house chili oil is what really makes the dish. The mushrooms serve primarily as a canvas on which to play with other garnishes, and the sweat-inducing chilis, in combination with a red wine sauté, make the most of this sophisticated tabula rasa.

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