Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet

Last night we met some friends downtown at Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet. Cole's is the oldest operated restaurant and bar in the city of Los Angeles. Henry Cole opened this place in 1908 and today Cole's has the esteemed distinction of having invented the French Dip Sandwich. Most amazingly though, the interior of this restaurant has remained largely untouched since 1908. Pretty Spectacular!

Cole's is a block away from Skid Row. While we were trying to find a place to park, we witnessed a homeless person mugging another homeless person in the middle of the street. Then, the five minute walk to Cole's from the parking lot was met with hordes of people asking us for money. Thanks to the policies of our former governor, Ronald Reagan, there is a tremendous amount of homeless people wandering the streets of Los Angeles.

We got to Cole's and ordered a couple of scotches at the bar. It was early and there were only a handful of people there. The clientele was a collection of downtown dwellers and after-work-for-drinks types. When our friends arrived, we grabbed a red leather booth by the bar and then lined up at the buffet. We all tried the French Dip Sandwich since it was apparently invented here. The chef takes the french bread, ladles on the au jus and then layers on the thinly sliced roast beef. There's no dipping at the table here. I thought the French Dip Sandwich was amazing. It was great and probably the best one that I've ever had. My wife, who isn't much of a meat eater anyway, disagreed. The beans were also delicious as was the roasted potatos. Stay away from the cole slaw and the vegetables, though.