Plan: Hot day at the dog beach + hot dog day
The boyfriend came up to LA on a Sunday to visit, so what a better way to spend the summer day than to take Chewy out to the dog beach and then go out to places that we can eat at as well. A quick yelp search resulted in multiple hot dog joints throughout LA. The plan? Dog beach and hot dogs.
The only dog beach in LA county is at Long Beach between Argonne and Roycroft Ave in Belmont Shore. The dog zone is separated by bright orange cones and in between is a hard to miss crowd of ~30 tail-wagging, tongue-hanging unleashed dogs. Chewy is a 5.5 lb yorkie/maltese, and even though he was the smallest of the pack, he fit right in. He even found a few friends about his size...perhaps even a puppy love with a little maltipoo.
After a long playful day at the beach, we gave Chewy a quick rinse at one of the showers located by the bike path and were off on our way to our hot dog tour!
First stop: Fab Hot Dogs (
http://www.fabhotdogs.com/)
This place may be easy to miss because it sits humbly in the middle of a strip of stores. They feature hot dogs with creative names such as "The Ripper" and "Carolina Slaw Dog" and its share of double dogs. We decided to go with the "LA Street Dog" which consisted of a bacon wrapped all-beef dog with grilled onions and bell peppers, diced tomato, jalapenos, mustard, mayo and ketchup. It's a conglomeration of ingredients that surprised my taste buds. Who knew mustard, mayo, and ketchup would go so well together?
With the help of a paper hot dog holder, the frank stayed in one relative piece more than halfway down the bun. The meat was nice and plump--each bite produced a slight crunch that broke the barrier into its juicy meat. Not bad for a $3.75 dog.
Next stop: Vicious dog (
http://www.viciousdogsnoho.com/)
This place would have been good...if was open on SUNDAY. Note to self: check store hours before driving across town for a hot dog.
Third stop: Skooby Dogs (Hollywood blvd)
Luckily, Skooby Dogs wasn't to far from the above mentioned joint. This place is located right along the Hollywood Walk of Stars/Fame. They have a very basic menu--classic hot dog, chili dog, garlic lovers dog. We decided to go with the chili dog, lemonade and french fries ($10.57).
For all the chili lovers, this one may be for you. The hot dog is drowned in meat chili, shredded cheeese, and you are given options of condiments including ketchup, mustard, and my personal favorite--Sriracha (an Asian hot sauce that is easily recognized by it's green plastic tip and rooster logo). No extra condiments were necessary for this hot dog--however, something about it was missing for me. The boyfriend however, ranked this dog pretty high. Oh and get the fries, they're known for them.
Last stop: Pink's hot dogs (
http://www.pinkshollywood.com/)
This reknown hot dog joint started off as a true hot dog cart in 1939. Over the years it evolved and grew walls, a roof, and a constant long line that always seem to wrap around the building. There were over 20 different choices to choose from, including dogs named after celebrities such as the "Ozzy dog". After 45 minutes of waiting in line, we ordered the Guatalajara and the Spicy Chicago Polish Dog.
I thought at this point of this hot dog tour, I would be so full...but one bite of this hot dog made me want so much more! I don't know if it's the fresh ingredients, quality of the hot dogs, the bun, or what, but everything put together made the whole hot dog sooo good. Just a word of caution, the spicy Chicago Polish dog...was indeed spicy. Overall, Pink's was hands down, our favorite hot dog joint of the tour. If you have nothing else to do with your time, it's worth the wait.
