Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

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.

Food

Why The Dog Face, Jonathan?

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive. 

()

LA Weekly readers will notice that Jonathan Gold (ahem, PulitzerPrizeWinning-FoodWriterExtraordinaire-JonathanGold is his official title, I believe) has been a little obsessed with hot dogs lately. First there was his extended meditation on his father's food legacy and the importance of the Chicago-style hot dog: "weekends were often dominated by [Gold Sr's] search for hot dogs in Los Angeles, and he would drive me and my brothers around for hours in the old Studebaker on the rare occasions he found a stand that he liked." Gold's best bets for Chicago-style in L.A.? The Infield in Sherman Oaks, Portillo's in Buena Park, and Vicious Dogs in North Hollywood.

And in this week's edition, he travels to the far reaches of Reseda to find a veritable panoply of dog varieties at Fab Dogs: chili cheese dogs, slaw dogs, Jersey-style Italian sausages, dogs wrapped in bacon and topped with jalapenos, even, I kid you not, a version of the infamous OkiDog: two dogs, pastrami, and cheese, all wrapped up in tortillas like a burrito. Looks like Fab has some major balls to go with those weiners.

Summer is as good a time as any to indulge in a good old fashioned frank -- and it's always important for Angelenos to remember that Pink's is far (far far far) from the be-all, end-all of L.A. dogs. Here are some of LAist's favorites: Skooby's in Hollywood, Let's Be Frank in Culver City, The Stand in Westwood, the Original Tommy's on Rampart, and of course, the $1.50 deal at Costco.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist