Cole's
118 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA, USA

If a meal at Philippe The Original is a ride on the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel, dining at Cole's is more like getting a drink at the Roosevelt Hotel. It's not not touristy, but it's a lot more "classic Los Angeles."

From the décor to the food and service, the experience is all-around classier and less "novelty." It's grasping the Oscar® in Adrien Brody's bathroom, versus buying a cheap replica on Hollywood Boulevard.

Now that I've surely whetted your appetite with the vivid smell of Adrien Brody's bathroom, follow me into the charming and mellow dining room at Cole's, where we shall sit like civilized people and enjoy a couple of prime beef dips with swiss!

Shall we be "bad" and get some of those decadent spicy garlic sweet potato fries? Ooh, I like the way you think.

Here, let me buy you another Arnold Palmer. Now, please, turn your head for a moment whilst I freshen your drink with a dropper or two of my special Rohypnol Reserve. Ah, that's better.

How are you feeling now, my dear Dakota?

Ahhh, finally, she's asleep! Now I can eat both prime beef dips!!!

Look, I'm not a bad person, I just like what I like. And while the French Dip at Cole's may or may not be "the original," it's superior to the version at Philippe's, as are the sides and the atmosphere. Plus, there's no way I could have brought Dakota Fanning to Philippe's, she'd have been mobbed by tourists there!

Review by Ray-Ray Sugarleonard, January 2012