69983 Sat Jun 04 19:55:37 -0700 2005 60 2 Los Angeles Area 0 382105 A friend from out of town is coming to visit, and I got to thinking about food and beverages that are uniquely Angeleno in that they were invented here. There's the french dipped sandwich, which was supposedly invented at Phillipe's. But what else? Sat Jun 04 19:55:37 -0700 2005 0 dyong 1 382106 the california roll, and "inventive" sushi, generally. Link: http://www.ablowtothehead.blogspot.com Sat Jun 04 20:02:38 -0700 2005 382105 0 dwg 1 382107 The Cobb Salad. Sat Jun 04 20:04:42 -0700 2005 382105 0 Dorothy 1 382108 Fortune cookie Cobb salad Cheeseburger (?) Hot fudge sundae Shirley Temple Sat Jun 04 20:06:30 -0700 2005 382105 0 Joe MacBu 1 382114 CPK? Sat Jun 04 20:40:45 -0700 2005 382105 0 Mealcentric 2 382188 not sure if MC is serious, but he's right: nouvelle pizza has l.a. roots--think spago. for that matter, "fusion" cuisine generally can be said to have been invented here. and if you want to push just a little further, "nouvelle" cuisine, too. Link: http://www.ablowotthehead.blogspot.com Sun Jun 05 12:35:14 -0700 2005 382114 0 dwg 2 3621272 I'd head to Caioti to experience the start of that craze. That or Spago. Only to CPK if I also wanted a hot fudge sundae. Tue Apr 22 23:00:02 -0700 2008 382114 15572 Emme 2 3623015 Oh god, I wouldn't let my out of towner friends even know about this place. It's a disgrace, really. Wed Apr 23 12:22:05 -0700 2008 382114 21477 mstinawu 1 382138 Legend has it the Apple Martini was invented by Lola's Restaurant on Fairfax. Sat Jun 04 23:14:06 -0700 2005 382105 0 devora 1 382147 Smoothies (which was born with the Orange Julius) Monte Cristo Sandwich Sun Jun 05 00:33:35 -0700 2005 382105 0 ipse dixit 1 382180 Taquitos (on Olvera Street) Sun Jun 05 10:36:46 -0700 2005 382105 0 heckonwheels 1 382184 There is some controversy about whether the french dip was invented at Clifton's or Phillipe's, Either way, it is a definite L.A. invention. Sun Jun 05 11:44:27 -0700 2005 382105 0 Redshirt 2 382231 It's actually Cole's vs. Philippes, for the record. Here are links: http://www.philippes.com/restaurant/faq.shtml http://www.colespebuffet.com/history.html Sun Jun 05 16:39:06 -0700 2005 382184 0 DanaB 1 382186 McDonald's Sun Jun 05 12:06:26 -0700 2005 382105 0 RicRios 2 3621867 didn't micky D's start in Bakersfield? But I think Baskin Robbins started in Burbank or nearby, as did Bob's Wed Apr 23 07:48:40 -0700 2008 382186 11201 Diana 2 3630328 McDonald's first stand was in San Bernardino, actually. Fri Apr 25 15:03:49 -0700 2008 382186 89849 Akitist 1 382192 There are a few books on the topic... invented in or around Los Angeles: The hamburger (as served in a modern bun) The cheese burger The chili burger The corn dog The chili dog The fortune cookie The sundae The "california" pizza The "california" bagel (chocolate or fruit flavored) The "california" pancake (chocolate or fruit flavored) The California Roll The donut hole The Shirley Temple The Roy Rogers The Crispy Taco The Taquito The french dip sandwich The drive through, and modern fast food in general The Smoothie The milk shake The Monte Cristo Sandwich The Cobb Salad Denny's Baskin Robins McDonald's Carl's Jr Taco Bell Sizzler Winchell's International House of Pancakes All "Googie-style" diners The mega-buffet (eventually spawned Hometown Buffet) The super-market Kinda makes you rethink stereotypes about LA... Worship us Middle America, we are to blame. Sun Jun 05 13:00:41 -0700 2005 382105 0 Ancient Angelino 2 382201 thanks for the list. do you happen to have some of the references for those books? Sun Jun 05 14:04:46 -0700 2005 382192 0 dyong 3 382259 Monte Cristo sandwich? Really? I thought it was just a standard french croque monsieur - what's the difference? Sun Jun 05 19:14:12 -0700 2005 382201 0 Jerome 4 382270 Deep fat frying? Sun Jun 05 21:23:20 -0700 2005 382259 0 mc michael 5 382273 croque monsieur = lightly toasted, good bread with a thin layer of gruyere + ham. monte cristo = deep fried or basically french-toast type bread + ham (and turkey, sometimes) and i'm not sure what kind of cheese but not gruyere i'm guessing. croque madame = croque monsieur + a fried egg on top. now that's what I'M talking about. Link: http://www.ablowtothehead.blogspot.com Sun Jun 05 21:37:53 -0700 2005 382270 0 dwg 6 382276 I thought croque madame had tomato. Sun Jun 05 21:51:52 -0700 2005 382273 0 mc michael 7 382283 Just had an excellent one at Amadine (on Wilshire just a couple of blocks West of Bundy on the North side of the street) and it had a perfectly fried egg on top. Sun Jun 05 22:22:09 -0700 2005 382276 0 WLA 8 382292 I used to get them at French Roast, a mini-chain in NY. I lived around the corner from the 6th Ave. one, and while I was painting my apt., I would take breaks and fortify with a croque madame, around 4 a.m. FR was 24 hours. Oh, for a 24-hour c.m. here in LA! Link: http://www.ablowtothehead.blogspot.com Sun Jun 05 23:02:31 -0700 2005 382283 0 dwg 7 382293 It very well may, but that ain't what makes it a madame. It's the oeuf. Link: http://www.ablowtothehead.blogspot.com Sun Jun 05 23:03:35 -0700 2005 382276 0 dwg 2 382229 The hamburger originated in, believe it or not, Hamburg, Germany. When German immigrants arrived in NY in the 19th century, they began making steaks in the "hamburg" style (chopped meat molded into patties and fried on a grill), which eventually was shortened to the hamburger. There are a number of restaurants in Ohio and Missouri that claim to be the first to have placed the hamburger between a bun. L.A. may have perfected the hamburger, but we did not invent it. Sun Jun 05 16:36:35 -0700 2005 382192 0 Tusc 3 382263 Not quite right. At least, that is to say, "hamburger sandwiches" were invented here. The hamburger steak had been served for nearly a century before Angelinos got their hands on them and put them on a bun. Great LA Times Article on the topic earlier this year. Sun Jun 05 20:31:21 -0700 2005 382229 0 Ancient Angelino 4 382266 Am not so sure the L.A. Times is the best source for ANYTHING. Sun Jun 05 20:51:43 -0700 2005 382263 0 Iceman 2 382240 If you're gonna stretch, go all the way to TJ for the Caesar Salad and Ensenada for Fish Tacos. Sun Jun 05 17:04:17 -0700 2005 382192 0 mc michael 2 3629794 Add to the list: Taco Bell King's Hawaiian Bread Fat Burger Naugles (ala Del Taco) Hot Dog on A Stick Carl's Jr Foster's (Old Fashioned) Freeze Fri Apr 25 12:28:00 -0700 2008 382192 60925 robl 1 382197 In n Out Sun Jun 05 13:30:56 -0700 2005 382105 0 Cindy 1 382199 Some of you are kind of stretching the boundaries of what is uniquely "Angelino". In-N-Out was born in Baldwin Park. McDonald's was born in San Bernardino. We may be a dining wilderness out here in the Inland Empire, but we brought the world McDonald's. So give due credit/blame where it is truly due. Link: http://www.indefatigable-indolence.org Sun Jun 05 13:42:11 -0700 2005 382105 0 Chino Wayne 2 382203 Valid point... that's why I specified "in or around," in the interest of intellectual honestly: more than half of the inventions on my list were from surrounding communities in the Los Angeles basin. Sun Jun 05 14:13:30 -0700 2005 382199 0 Ancient Angelino 3 382342 Fair enough, but what about the corn dog? Wasn't it invented by two brothers in Texas back in the 1940's? And I think there is a Coles/Phillippe's dispute with the fortune cookie as well - because both Los Angeles and San Francisco claim to be the city that invented it. Mon Jun 06 12:39:37 -0700 2005 382203 0 rastan 4 382485 A California magazine from the 20's contained an article pointing to a Japanese pastry chef in Los Angeles as the originator. Mass production of the fortune cookie started in San Francisco, and the company that was producing them gave credit for the concept to a man in Los Angeles believed to be Seiichi Kito who started Fugetsu-do. Mon Jun 06 21:29:54 -0700 2005 382342 0 dill 5 4141586 If you're gonna lump all that, you have to add Hong Kong Noodle Co to the mix. They started in 1913 and started distribution around the early 20's. Fri Oct 31 15:04:27 -0700 2008 382485 72668 phant0omx 2 382230 I thought the first McDonalds was opened in Downey, which may seem like the Inland Empire, but is actually a little close. Sun Jun 05 16:38:16 -0700 2005 382199 0 Redshirt 3 382252 The first McDonald's was opened by the McDonald brothers in San Berdoo. Ray Kroc who was a milk shake machine salesman liked what he saw and in 1952 he bought the francise rights from the McDonald brothers and later founded the McDonald's Corporation. I belive the first classic "Golden Arches" store structure was subsequently erected in Downey, (L.A. County), California. Photo of the original McDonalds, in San Berdoo below. Link: http://www.indefatigable-indolence.org Image: http://www.wemweb.com/chr66a/sbr66_museum/images/img_1.jpg Sun Jun 05 18:19:43 -0700 2005 382230 0 Chino Wayne 4 382289 And no one on this board has never known until now that I was the one who closed it and relocated it to Highland Avenue and G and in the 70s! Sun Jun 05 22:52:00 -0700 2005 382252 0 carter 4 382348 Hey, the Empire is also responsible for introducing to the world the first microwaveable frozen burrito. Dwayne Roberts, saviour of the Historic Mission Inn. RIP Gay & Larry's PS, below is a link that says the Downwy store was the #4 McD's, with Kroc's Des Plaines store in Chicagoland #9. Link: http://www.wemweb.com/chr66a/sbr66_museum/sbr66_museum.html Mon Jun 06 13:12:57 -0700 2005 382252 0 JeffB 4 382595 chino's right on this one. Tue Jun 07 13:12:12 -0700 2005 382252 0 jaydee 5 3624129 yeah a lot of roadside diners were founded around the area encompassing the Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley as a lot of the midwesterners brought their burger/milkshake(dairy farmers aplenty) gusto with them particularly along Route 66 (210 Fwy and Arrow St. now) from San Bernardino to Pasadena. McDonald's and In-N-Out but two examples. Wed Apr 23 17:34:01 -0700 2008 382595 147459 b0ardkn0t 1 382456 Hot fudge was invented at CC Browns in Hollywood. It's gone now, but I recently heard there is one in Bakersfield. Anybody know if it's the same hot fudge, same family? Mon Jun 06 20:03:28 -0700 2005 382105 0 duckduckgoose 1 3621125 wasn't the moscow mule cocktail invented here in L.A. too? and what about Zankou Chicken Paste? IS that an LA Original or a spinoff of an Armenian dish? Pinkberry. Tue Apr 22 21:21:15 -0700 2008 382105 67249 adamhgraham 2 3624165 Zankou's garlic sauce is basically the same as the Lebanese condiment Toum or Greek skordalia. Wed Apr 23 17:53:21 -0700 2008 3621125 21341 hrhboo 2 4140856 I was going to add the Moscow Mule... adamhgraham beat me to it. I guess I'll just have to have one for breakfast now. I like them without the lime. Fri Oct 31 10:04:58 -0700 2008 3621125 236128 bakedwiththemunchies 1 3621281 One I didn't see yet -- the Harvery Wallbanger cocktail. Tue Apr 22 23:13:57 -0700 2008 382105 101728 Frommtron 1 3621854 If you don't mind a drive to Newport Beach, we boast both the Balboa Bar (ice cream dipped in chocolate, covered in nuts) and the frozen banana (as featured in "Arrested Development"). Wed Apr 23 07:44:37 -0700 2008 382105 114839 sunnyand72 1 3621886 I think Cole's (Downtown) claims to have invented to french dip but it may be under construction? Remodel I think? Wed Apr 23 07:51:51 -0700 2008 382105 147698 BBQ101 2 3622867 Phillipe's has the same claim. Wed Apr 23 11:48:59 -0700 2008 3621886 11201 Diana 1 3624116 I thought I heard somewhere that Starbucks frappuccinos came from a Snata Monica Starbucks? Wed Apr 23 17:29:56 -0700 2008 382105 147459 b0ardkn0t 2 3624419 Before Starbucks ever came to town, there was the ice-blended mocha and ice-blended vanilla at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. That qualifies as a Los Angeles invention! Wed Apr 23 19:27:42 -0700 2008 3624116 20767 bluemonster 1 3624685 Chili size, invented at Ptomaine Tommy's on Broadway, although you'd probably have a hard time finding it on a menu these days. IIRC Astro in Silver Lake had it, but I haven't eaten there in years, so can't say for sure. Further linkage: http://westwardho.typepad.com/westward_ho/2006/11/ptomaine_tommys.html http://www.chilicookoff.com/History/History_Started.asp Wed Apr 23 21:45:29 -0700 2008 382105 174303 Vaya Con Carne 2 3629729 Bob's Big Boy alway had a chili size on their menu in the "old" days. Do they still have it I wonder? Fri Apr 25 12:08:08 -0700 2008 3624685 108169 Servorg 1 3629647 Nachos - at the original El Cholo. Fri Apr 25 11:45:25 -0700 2008 382105 137061 foodiemahoodie 1 3630093 I am sorry but Nachos were invented in Piedras Negras, Mexico. See here. http://sabatos.net/nachos.php Fri Apr 25 13:43:48 -0700 2008 382105 183791 SeaCook 2 3656764 I think you're right. But I did read it someplace. For instance... http://www.la.cityzine.com/2008/04/24/el-cholo-first-for-nachos/ http://www.elcholo.com/asp/site/santaMonica/about/history/index.asp Sorry to have taken El Cholo's for their word. Mon May 05 01:30:09 -0700 2008 3630093 137061 foodiemahoodie 3 3658103 The article says Carmen Rocha *brought * Nachos with her *from* San Antonio. There for the dish existed somewhere else before thet came to El Cholo. San Antonio, TX is near Peidras Negras Mexico. Nachos could have easily migrated from Mexico to San Antonio. Also Nachos where around in 1943 and Carmen Rocha didn't join El Cholo till 1959. Sorry I'm a history geek and I work in a research library. Mon May 05 11:22:40 -0700 2008 3656764 183791 SeaCook 1 3657598 oki dog Mon May 05 09:22:27 -0700 2008 382105 129879 JimmyC 1 3660178 mochi ice cream and dduk bo ssam (korean). Mon May 05 21:28:59 -0700 2008 382105 16200 greengelato 1 4140074 3 years later...I venture to say with some certainty that the "kosher burrito" was from Los Angeles. Sorry Thom Mayne, but I hate the Caltrans building. And I suspect that chile relleno burritos come from Los Angeles, too. Add chili cheese fries. And "LA style" korean BBQ ribs (Korean restaurants in New York refer to them as such.) And rice-on-the-outside maki rolls. Are there any other perhaps-forgotten original dishes from the Brown Derby? Thu Oct 30 22:52:40 -0700 2008 382105 236340 tulipp