When I was a child growing up in Southern California, we went to a lot of LA Dodgers games. While the game was fun, my sister and I focused on the food. In addition to ballpark food, one of our favorite things about going to the games was the stop at the nearby Philippe, The Original. It is a restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles which has been open since 1908 and is famous for its French Dipped Sandwiches.
When you enter Philippe's, cross the sawdust floor and choose one of ten lines to stand in, each in front of one of the "carvers". The carvers are mostly women, and mostly fairly gruff. "Find one who's smiling," I heard the guy behind me say to a friend. I usually stand back and look for the most efficient one and then stake my claim in that line.
The main reason to go to Philippe's is the French Dipped Sandwich. The restaurant owners claim to have invented the sandwich in 1918 when the owner accidentally dropped a french roll into a roasting pan with juices in it. Though the roll was soggy and ostensibly ruined, the patron said he'd eat it anyway. Then he returned again the next day and ordered it again. Thus the French Dip was born.
In the interest of full disclosure, a restaurant across town -- Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet -- also claims to be the birthplace of the French Dip. I'm not sure who's right, but I'll leave that up to the food historians.