Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Philippe's 9-Cent Coffee Soon to Be History

I've mentioned it before.

My dad took me to Philippe's when I was a kid. I took PJ Media editor David Swindle there last September.

Now here's the news at Los Angeles Times, "End of an era: Philippe's raising price on 9-cent cup of coffee":

LACMA Renoir
Philippe’s is best known for its legendary French dip sandwiches. But for regulars, nothing speaks to the eatery's historic L.A. feel than the 9-cent coffee on the menu. And the one extra cent of tax.

Since 1977, the legion of longtime customers at the Alameda Street restaurant had grown accustomed to putting a dime on the counter and getting a hot cup of coffee in return.

But on Wednesday, management posted a sign on the door that came as a surprise: Starting Feb. 2, the price of an eight-ounce brew is going up 400% — to 45 cents.

They say the price of coffee is such that the restaurant no longer can keep the price so low.

“It’s been a tradition,” said Mark Massengill, whose family has run the restaurant for four generations. “We’ve always tried to provide a tremendous value in the food and coffee.”

And, he said, coffee will become included in the price of a breakfast and, even after the hike, two quarters for a coffee is still a bargain.

Patrons didn’t balk at the new price. Many said they were surprised it has stayed low for so long. It’s just that not much at Philippe’s has changed over the decades. And when things do, the customers notice.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

36 Hours in Santa Barbara?

I just wrote about Santa Barbara yesterday, so what the heck?

Here's a travel review from the New York Times:
RECOMMENDATIONS about what to do in Santa Barbara invariably include references to the celebrities who have settled along this beautiful stretch of California’s central coast. Want to take an afternoon hike? Head into the hills near Oprah’s house. Looking for a place to eat? Try the taqueria that Julia Child adored. Just 100 miles north of Los Angeles, this quiet beach community has long been a hideaway for celebrity heavyweights. But over the past few years, the city has also made room for a new downtown scene humming with cool shops and laid-back wine bars, mobile food trucks and casual restaurants. It’s Santa Barbara for every budget — whether you debarked from a private jet at the city’s new $63 million airport terminal or cruised into town off Highway 101.
Forget the celebrities. If you stay in Santa Barbara long enough you'll run into a few. Get out and enjoy the beaches and the town. It's truly paradise.

The Times' recommendations are at the link.

One of mine to eat is Brophy Brothers. Or the Enterprise Fish Company. Or up State Street a bit is Harry's Cafe. I'm sure there are nicer, more prestigious restaurants. But these are the ones we visited time and again.