Los Angeles is the undisputed French dip capital of the world, with Philippe’s and Cole’s both vying for inventor credit way back in 1908. I’ve always been partial to Phillipe’s, but regardless, Los Angeles deserves more French dip specialists beyond the famed downtown L.A. duo. Apparently chef Tony Alcazar and his firefighter partners in The Bottle Room agree, since the successful Whittier restaurateurs opened Harlowe’s French Dip in Old Pasadena in September, specializing in the aforementioned sandwiches.

The space features wall-to-wall wood, four flat screen TVs, and rock music. Harlowe’s is named for the ancestor of one of the owners, Clara Harlowe Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. Harlowe’s serves four different French dips: beef, lamb, turkey, and pork. Of course I started my menu exploration by ordering the Slow Roasted Pork Dip ($8).

Juicy pork shoulder chunks come on a toasted roll, served with a ramekin of smoky, murky smoked ham au jus, a tiny metal dish of punchy “La Fin du Mustard” made with Unibroue La Fin du Monde golden ale, and a choice of either sweet bread and butter or tart dill pickles.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.