Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Fab Hot Dogs: A Little Piece of Jersey in the Valley
()
Just as I reached Fab Hot Dogs in Reseda, forty-five painful minutes on the 101 from Los Feliz, my iPod kicked up Bruce Springsteen, the unofficial state poet of New Jersey. It was a good omen, given all the noise about hot dog excellence on LAist lately.
The ripper, Fab’s deep-fried dog, is a Garden State original, featured since at least the 1930s at Rutt’s Hutt in Clifton, New Jersey, at the gritty junction of Routes 3 and 21. Joe Fabrocini drops the very same dogs Rutt’s uses into boiling oil, and the resulting dog is super-crispy outside yet juicy within. A Bald Eagle is a ripper with Joe’s own mustard relish, garlicky with an elusive note of celery seed, and less acidic than Rutt’s.
Does the dog measure up? And tater tots! after the jump...
Support for LAist comes from
()
The deep-fried carb options to accompany the ripper include fries, Frito pie, and a big surprise: tater tots! These are not haute tots, but go great with the frank and could be a meal in themselves. (After all, as Margaret Cho says, weekends are for carbs!)
()
Fabrocini, a New Jersey native from West New York (yes, it’s in Jersey, and the first syllable gets the emphasis) offers a full menu of grilled or steamed dogs with lots and lots of optional toppings, as well as Polish sausage, a turkey dog, a veggie dog, and burgers. He even has Yoo Hoo!
How did Fab’s ripper measure up to Rutt’s? Tastewise, it was totally on target. Reseda isn’t exactly Clifton, but as I finished up my tater tots (one order = lotta tots) an older, Jersey-worthy guy who announced that he drove all the way from Sherman Oaks – although he coulda been from Passaic or North Arlington – came in and started kvetching about the friend he was supposed to meet here, the guy is always on time, but he was late, what a pain, and hey, what kinda dogs you got here? He would be right at home at Rutt’s.
Fab’s has three two-tops and three stools at a counter, but whaddya whining about? At Rutt’s you’d be standing at chest-high counters staring at the Passaic River. If you’re not in the Valley already, Fab’s is a trek, but it’s worth the trip.
Fab’s Hot Dogs
6747 Tampa Avenue
Reseda
818-344-4336
www.fabhotdog.com
Support for LAist comes from
(And if you’re traveling east: Rutt’s Hutt, 417 River Road, Clifton, N.J. 973-779-8615. No, there’s no website – whatta you, a wiseguy?)
Photos from Beth Kopley's flickr page.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist