LA's best dishes: French toast smackdown

Not too many places can brag a 100-year history, but the long-standing Philippe The Original—most known for its French-Dip Sandwich—is an L.A. institution. Time hasn’t changed inside the Downtown standby where jumbo French toast—four halves of fluffy cinnamon-battered egg bread—is served alongside a cup of coffee and glass of O.J. for $4.95.

Don’t let the name fool you. With a chef who graduated magna cum laude from the school of Thomas Keller, this Brentwood heavyweight is nothing short of refined. The pimped-out version involves two extra-large slices of brioche topped with blueberry marmalade, Mascarpone lemon curd, chopped pecans and served alongside two strips of glorious thick-cut bacon. While we balked at the $14.50 tab, we’d happily splurge on the extravagant dish and eat lentils the rest of the week.