NY's effete French Dip

That it's even being called as much is a sacrilege, but here goes: NY magazine's Grub Street discovers a place in Brooklyn called Flatbush Farm that interprets the L.A.-based sandwich thusly: grilled baguette split and stuffed with slices of red-wine braised boutique beef, melted Gruyère, and horseradish cream, and served with a cup of flavorful jus (plus fries and a small salad). The Grub Street writers are compelled to provide a short backgrounder on the "slipshod" origins of the French Dip (Philippe vs Cole’s), calling the Brooklyn version "classy" and "politically correct," whatever that means. Over the weekend, NY-centric WSJ food critic Raymond Sokolov surveyed the nation's burger joints (now that's an original idea) and promptly ho-hummed In-N-Out. "The burgers are unspectacular," he writes, "fairly thin, cautiously seasoned -- but they do pass the char and juice test, barely. For its spoiled Hollywood mogul fans, In-N-Out must fulfill some yen to escape from high-pressure lunches at Spago." At least he liked the Apple Pan burgers, but not as much as other versions back East. Naturally.