la.foodblogging

I had the most delightful surprise today: lunch at Pacific Dining Car (PDC). Open since 1921, this historic restaurant has been a staple of the Los Angeles culture through good times and bad. The one thing that has not changed is great the quality of the food is.

Although PDC is known best for their steaks (and beef in general), I decided to try their crabcakes ($26.95). A gravy boat filled with homemade tartar sauce and half a lemon are on a separate small dish. The best crabcakes I have ever had in my life were in Bethesda, Maryland. The ones I had for lunch today were a very close second. One of my main complaints about many restaurants’ crabcakes is that there is very little crab; it is mostly cornmeal and various veggies (chopped red bell pepper, green onions, and corn). PDC’s crabcakes remind me of the ones I had in Maryland because it was almost entirely crabmeat! Imagine that. Side dishes must be ordered separately and cost an additional $4.95. I ordered the cauliflower polonaise, which was delicious.

My friends ordered the filet mignon with black pepper sauce and pot roast with potato pancakes. They both enjoyed their dishes very much. The filet mignon looked very lean and was cooked to a perfect medium – mostly pink but not bloody. The pot roast was a little surprising because instead of a big chunk of meat that flakes off, the beef was served in 7 or 8 slices. My friend found the beef to be very tender and much to his satisfaction.

I would have taken photos of the elegance of the interior of the restaurant, along with the food, except I didn’t have a camera with me. It is more comfortable than any train could possibly be. Like I said earlier, this venture was a complete surprise and really the highlight of my day (so far).

Tips: Theater and music center listings recommend PDC because it is one of the restaurants in downtown LA that provides free shuttle service in the evenings to multiple venues. Whenever you want to go to PDC, it will be open and ready to serve you because this place is open 24/7!

Pacific Dining Car
1310 West 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 483-6000
Breakfast: 11 pm to 11 am
Weekend Breakfast: until 4 pm
Lunch: 11 am to 4 pm
Afternoon Tea: 3 pm to 5:30 pm
Dinner: any time
Special Services: valet parking, hand car wash

Also a location in Santa Monica

2700 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90403
For Reservations: call (310) 453-4000
Open 20 hours - 6 am to 2 am, every day of the year
Breakfast: 6 am to 11 am and 11 pm to 2 am
Weekend Breakfast: until 4 pm
Lunch: 11 am to 4 pm
Afternoon Tea: 3 pm to 5:30 pm
Dinner: any time
Special Services: valet parking

By Pauline (see more of her posts).