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Every time I’m driving up La Brea and I see that line of hungry hot-dog cravers snaking up the street, I gotta shake my head – seriously, people? You’d wait in that line? For a hot dog? And for Christ’s sake, where are all you people parking?
Don’t get me wrong – I love Pink’s as much as the next girl, and I’ve certainly indulged in my fair share of that famous chili cheesiness throughout the years. I also totally appreciate the fact that it’s a truly historic site, with its 65-year history of serving celebrities and commoners alike. I’ve even discovered the best time to go to avoid the queue is on a weekday, before 11 a.m. (Yes, hot dogs for breakfast. You got a problem with that?)
But any other hour of the week, I simply cannot muster the stamina to wait that long for a hot dog that frankly isn’t much better than what I could cook for myself at home. In fact, in the time it takes you to get through that gosh darned line, you could have gone to the store and bought yourself enough goodies to throw a whole hot dog party! In fact, why don’t you? And while you’re at it, why not put together some super tasty, unique gourmet-style dogs that you won’t see at Pink’s and impress all your friends while you’re at it? Soon they’ll be standing in line at your door, fouling up your street parking!
Choose Your Weiner: Okay, okay, you could always just pop down to Ralph’s and pick up some beef Hebrew Nationals from the meat section. Or you could step it up and check out the Italian, Polish, and veal bratwurst kosher dogs at Jeff’s Gourmet Sausage and Deli Company on Pico, or the spicy merguez or apple chicken sausages from Surfas in Culver City.
Traditional Chili Cheese Dog: Now’s the time to defrost that homemade beer chili you put in the freezer a few months back for just such an occasion! Also, congratulations: if you have homemade chili in your freezer, you are officially a better person than me. Otherwise, pick out your favorite canned supermarket variety. Grill your dog of choice (either on the BBQ or in a hot saute pan with a touch of olive oil to keep the dogs from sticking), and toast the bun. Top with warm chili, diced red onions, and shredded cheddar cheese. Yes. Oh god yes.
Southwestern Style Dog: Grill up a traditional pork dog, or go for a spicy chorizo or merguez variety. Top with pepper jack cheese, sliced jalapenos, sliced avocado, and a quick lime-cilantro mayo (stir chopped cilantro, lime juice, a pinch of cumin and a pinch of cayenne into regular mayonnaise).
Vietnamese Banh Mi Dog: Top your pork or chicken dog with pickled daikon and carrot, sliced cucumber, sliced onion, cilantro, mayonnaise, and a liberal squirt of Sriracha hot sauce. You can use a halved baguette instead of a hot dog bun if you want to get even closer to the banh mi style.
Deli Style Dog: Now’s the time for that Polish sausage, or kielbasa. Slather it in spicy mustard, top with warm sauerkraut and swiss cheese. Pastrami is also always an option (and hey, I just invoked Carrie’s Infallible Rule of Cuisine # 271: pastrami is always an option).
Italian Jersey Dog: Get some good Italian-style sausages. Use crusty rolls instead of buns to maximize authenticity. Top them off with slices of roasted potato, sautéed red and green bell peppers, sliced onions, crushed red pepper, and some provolone.
Hawaiian Dog: Use a nice pork dog to honor the Hawaiian obsession with Spam. Top with canned pineapple chunks, swiss cheese, and teriyaki sauce. Pour a little sauce on the floor in memory of Don Ho.
Street Style Dog: Not for the faint of heart or clogged of artery. Wrap your dog entirely in slices of uncooked bacon. Throw it on the grill and let the sweet, sweet smell of pork fat wash over your quivering nostrils. Once sufficiently crispy, pop that baby in a bun and top with grilled Maui onions (or any other kind of sweet onion), jalapenos, and salsa, OR the usual mustard, ketchup, and pickle relish.
Oh, and the best thing about throwing a hot dog party in the comfort of your own home? Your guests can bring BEER!!! In fact, recommend that they stop by BevMo and pick up some craft brews that are hearty and unique, just like your dogs.
You may never go to Pink’s again – at least not after noon.
Photo by phantomkitty via Flickr
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goto Skooby's in hollywood, to me theyre the IN-N-OUT of hot dogs, simple menu, no frills
The most important thing if you're trying to recreate the Pink's experience is the right dog - you need to get ones with casings, to get that distinctive "snap" when you take a bite. I found some Boar's Head hot dogs at Ralph's (in the "fancy" deli section, not the regular hot dog area) that did the trick. Highly recommended from a former hot dog cart peddler. Skooby's gets my vote if you can't make your own. Good fries too...
I can see what you're saying about the line but I think the social and historic aspect of waiting in line at Pink's is what makes the experience.
It's a great place to go after a night out, that moment when you leave the club or bar at 2 in the morning and your friends go, "I'm hungry, what about you guys?"
So you stand in line and socialize for half an hour until you finally reach that amazing lady who takes your entire 6-person order without writing anything down and gets it right every time. Or sometimes you get to the end of the line and Ed Hardy walks up to you and gives you $200 for your two hot dogs because him and his girlfriend don't want to wait in line (true story, happened to me).
Mmm...Pinks.
Once upon a time at Pink's, three people max---usually two sarcastic black guys who looked like Ike Turner and a burly white woman---would handle any rush without creating much of a line.
Now, with 20 girls chattering and bumping into each other, five people ahead of you can mean a second 15-minute wait just to pay.
Ed Pink would not have allowed this!
Here's a tip. Park at the flower shop next door. If anyone hassles you, tell 'em you know Mrs. Miyazaki.
Man, I give up on Laist. First the bad music picks, now this thing about to replace Pink's??? Yes, we all make dogs at home AND we ALSO go to Pink's. Stay home and that'll make the line shorter for the rest of us that actually like the traditions of our fine city. Why don't you next give recipies on how to make hamburgers, because, you know, the waits at Apple Pan are kinda long.
Anyone living in L.A. should have eaten at Pink's. Maybe even go there once a year. Other than that, it's not very special. I hope it's always there for nostalgic purposes but the hot dogs aren't some god-send that people would want to go there all the time and the only thing preventing them is the long line.
Honestly, if I just want a good, relatively simple hot dog, I go to Carney's.
Ugh - I totally agree. I've lived in LA for 4 years, stood in line once for a hot dog, and after tasting it only ate half and decided to never go back. Mushy blandness. My preference would be an authentic Chicago Char-dog - really about as far from the offerings at Pinks as you can get. I guess it just boils down to what you like.
Oh, LA. Only there would you wait in line for a hot dog like it was some novelty.
The post-Pink's diarrhea is totally worth waiting in line for.