Downtown Artwalk & Coles French Dip

Every second Thursday of the month, art galleries and studios stay open late for the Downtown Artwalk. So five of us headed downtown, for a little culture and a little history. First up, CULTURE. The artwalk takes place over a number of blocks along Spring & Main. We ducked into a number of galleries featuring crazy photography, massive graffiti pieces, panoramic cityscapes and kitschy collectables.





The streets were buzzing with a truly dynamic bunch of Angelenos. It’s great to see downtown feel so bustling – I can remember just a few years ago, when nobody dared walk around downtown. But now, patrons hop from gallery to gallery, stopping at one of many foodtrucks parked along the streets, and taking a moment to listen to a reggae band on the corner.



Since our stomachs were growling as soon as we got downtown, we stopped at the Nickel Diner to sample the much blogged about Maple Bacon Donuts. Because of the artwalk, the ladies of the diner were selling their baked goods right on the street, which made for a very easy transaction. After tearing the donuts apart, we determined they would have been better if we had sampled a fresh batch, and we were far too hungry to be that critical. However, there was something about them that left us a bit unsatisfied, perhaps if there had been bacon mixed into the donut batter not just sprinkled on top, felt a bit like an after thought to me. But kudos to the Nickel Diner for a novel concept.



Next, we made our way down a fairly shady alley, which led to an arts and crafts fair. Leather jewelry, nauseating incense, Mexican handicrafts, psychedelic mushroom paintings, crazy neon light performers and churros….it was sensory overload, but fantastic!



After some items were purchased, it was time to make our way to part II of the evening, HISTORY.

Founded in 1908, Coles Original French is said to be the home of the French Dip sandwich. Phillipes a few blocks north, also claims to be the originator, but we’ll leave that argument up to them. We snagged a table outside, where we could still keep our eyes on the artsy characters that strolled by. They are a colorful bunch!

Coles menu is simple, French Dips with a choice of meat (beef, lamb, turkey or pastrami) and cheese (cheddar, swiss, goat or bleu), sides include fries, mac & cheese and potatoe salad. Since there were five of us, we ordered beef and pastrami dips, and one of each of the sides.



The dips arrived with a side of au jus & atomic pickles. Personally, I like the jus on the side as I can control the degree of sogginess. Phillipe’s dips the sandwich for you, so by the time you get midway through, the sandwich its pretty much moosh. the atomic pickles, on the other hand, are an acquired taste. Out of all of us dining, I don’t think anyone was really sold on ‘em. The horseradish mustard, however, was deliciously sinus clearing, and we proceeded to douse it on everything. After experiencing our CULTURE for the evening, we hovered down our share of HISTORY and vowed to return soon.



The Days Damage: 2 Maple Bacon Donuts $5.50 + 5 Dips, 3 fries, mac & cheese, and potatoe salad $50 = $55.50

Item 21 & 25: Check