I don't know if it has been posted before, but if someone wants, I can upload an article which is about getting 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylacetone from methyl-DOPA ("degradation of alpha-methyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine"; H.L. Slates, D. Taub, C.H. Kuo, N.L. Wendler, dunno the paper)..
Greetz A