Switch to the mobile version of this page.

What's Good

Archives | RSS

« New Owner and Lebanese Menu for Fol… | 'Not Like it Used to Be': Why Mazzo… »

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Food

How French is the Dip?

Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill @jfumikocahill on Sat, Feb 2, 2019 at 5:01 PM

click to enlarge

Photo by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

In the long list of things we call French — like fries (probably Belgian), toast (the Romans were already onto it by the fifth century) and manicures (possibly French but unconfirmed) — the French dip sandwich is a low-key champion.

Is it French? No, it is not. Except in its soul. Hailing from Los Angeles and named for the bread on which it's served, the dip comes with a side and/or a soaking in au jus, which is a French term, non? And does it not lend itself to a long midday meal? Oui, mes amis.

Nowhere is its accent more convincing than at Le Monde (2850 F St., Eureka), where it only shows up for lunch on French Dip Fridays ($13). The housemade bread is not a crusty baguette but a soft, toasted roll in which caramelized onion and paper-thin sliced prime rib are tucked. The meat, pink in spots and edged with browned fat, doesn't need the au jus, juicy as it is and with the sweet onions. But there it is, deep brown in the little bowl and so you dip and it's that much lovelier for the boosted meat flavor without much saltiness at all. There is no cheese, no hot mustard or horse radish here, but they're hardly missed when you're eschewing ketchup and dipping crunchy shoestring fries into au jus. And if that's not already a French custom, it should be.

Tweet
Pin It
Favorite

Saving…
Email

Tags: Le Monde, French dip, sandwich, prime rib, French fries, Image

Related Locations

Featured in Humboldt Insider Menu Members Pick
Le Monde Restaurant
- 2850 F St., Eureka Eureka Ca
- 40.78192;-124.16387
- 798-6499

Speaking of...

What's Good: Patino's and Humboldt Bay Burgers

Dec 1, 2022
Fries to Flan at Humboldt Bay Burgers

Nov 5, 2022
Elemental Eating at Gyro Shop

Aug 11, 2022
More »

Comments (2)

Showing 1-2 of 2

Add a comment

Subscribe to this thread:

By Email

With RSS

Showing 1-2 of 2

About The Author

Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

jennifer@northcoastjournal.com

@jfumikocahill

Bio:
Jennifer Fumiko Cahill is the arts and features editor of the North Coast Journal. She won the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s 2020 Best Food Writing Award and the 2019 California News Publisher's Association award for Best Writing.