Moo has been the theme around here all week in odd, serendipitous tidbits. We must be picking up meat velocity as Easter approaches. Baaaaa would be more accurate, but moo will do. The string of mental jumps plays like this:
This place has cute little biz cards in sweet little felt cases. Mine are en route.
Moo →
Got an alert from alacritous Chicago correspondent Bottle Rocket(s) fan Linda that I must holster my fork and visit this spot while in the windy city in May.
Moo and Oink →
Had to have some new red shoes for the equinox yesterday!
Miz Mooz →
Browsing a tottering (borrowed this word from Cormac McCarthy) pile of clippings I came upon this bit of etymology from Nick Malgieri, Carnival, the name in English of that rich, pre-Lenten feasting season, derives from “carnevale”, Latin for “farewell to meat”.
Carnevale →
Diligently reading… next item walking the plank to the recycling bin, a French Dip in the Washington Post.
Slow Goes It →
What did I swear off for Lent? Noooo, not meat…. agnosticism!
The Lunch Encounter 
Okay, if you have not eaten French Dip sandwiches in Los Angeles, then you have not eaten french dip sandwiches. They were invented here.
You know that an item is taken seriously when not one but two separate restaurants claim to be the point of origin. Philippe’s is the most popular , around since 1918. Today, it is the most patronized and probably better quality than it’s rival: Cole’s P.E. Buffet. Cole’s is the oldest restaurant/bar in Los Angeles, dating to 1908. That’s over 100 years, which in LA terms, is forever. They recently reopened after a two year respectful restoration and refreshening. They now have a hoity-toity celebrity chef supervising the sandwiches, so they are much better, but they slimmed down the menus to almost nothing. One advantage, is you can get a cocktail here, at Philppe’s you can get only beer or wine (or sody-pop). But at Philippe’s you can suck on pickled pig’s feet, not so anymore at Cole’s.
I’ll stick with Cole’s since I live in the same building, but, ah, why argue? Both are treasured LA institutions, and both serve up the good grub.