Pee Wee's Famous Hot Dogs and Hamburgers-Closed

Pee Wee's Famous Hot Dogs and Hamburgers
5942 E Edinger Ave
Ste 104
Huntington Beach
714-846-3100

Simple customer service can go a long way. If people open a restaurant and lack customer service skills, they need to learn them quickly or get out of the business. The most basic customer service is just greeting customers with a simple; "Hi." How hard can that be?

For Pee Wee's Famous Hot Dogs and Hamburgers, it was too hard. The hot dogs are pretty good but customer service sucks.



Polish dog, $4.95- Mattern Polish sausage with mustard and onions on a baguette. I know I picked the polish, but then I got to thinking, I could just go to Mattern Sausage and Meats, and get a damn Polish sausage. I didn't have to drive all the way to Huntington Beach in the middle of pretentious jerk people.

The polish was grilled, with a good char. The sausage was fine, but when I got out to eat, I want something that I can't make myself. I could have gone to Mattern and grilled up the Polish, for much less.

The baguette was nice and soft, with a chewy texture. I like the baguette but it did overwhelm the sausage, even though the sausage was 1/3lb.

I'm not sure but maybe all their signature hot dogs and sausage are from Mattern. If so what's the point of going here?



Classic hot dog, Vienna beef hot dog, mustard and onions; $2.75. The hot dog was ok, but a bit overcooked, too much char. But Vienna beef hot dogs are good quality and this was no different. The bun was straight out of the bag, not toasted, but it was fine.

Service was below average. I don't believe that asking to be greeted when I walked into a restaurant, is asking too much. I walked in and there were two people in front of the counter, I asked if they had ordered, they had, and went to the lady behind the counter. She looked at me but never greeted me, never said one word to me. I placed my order, she asked if I wanted fries with my order, I didn't, and then gave me the total. Greeting me would have been nice and that's something all restaurants should do.

While I was eating, she came out to clean the area and she noticed me taking pictures of the hot dogs. She must have thought the pics were going on that other food review site, because when I left, she said Thank you for coming. Now, I bet she would have never said that, if she hadn't seen me take pictures. I mean, I was standing right in front of her and she didn't even greet me, so I know she lacks any kind of customer service skills. The only reason she thanked me, was in the hopes of getting a good review. Well, that didn't happen.

I wouldn't go to this place ever again. Bad customer service and a polish sausage that I can get from the source, why should I bother coming back?

Brats Brothers-Closed

Brats Brothers
13456 1/2 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks
818-986-4020

Just little east on Ventura Blvd., from Boneyard Bistro, is Brats Brother. I guess they were on that show with the loudmouth jerk host, Diners, Drive ins, and Dives. I didn't see the episode but I wanted some hot dogs, so I dropped in.

They make their own mustard; try the hot and sweet wasabi mustard, what great flavor and texture. But they charge for toppings, 75 cents for onions. Come on now.



Frankfurter, $3.75, all beef. This frankfurter was grilled, with a nice char and a good snap. The bun is huge, almost overwhelms the frankfurter, but I love the texture and chewiness of the bun. It works very well with any brats, sausage or frankfurter on the menu. But this was way too bland, almost as if there was no seasoning. The size is good but was almost like eating, those overrated, Dodger Dogs.



Polish sausage-pork, $5.50. Whatever seasonings that was missing in the frankfurter, must have been put in the polish sausage. This is the best Polish sausage I have ever had. It was huge, I would say close to 1/4lb. The first bite and there was a ton of flavor bursting through. This is a mild flavor, not a spicy Polish, but it's great.

Service is good. The guy who took my order was nice and friendly. A great thing about Brats Brothers; BYOB!! Yes, you can bring your own beer.

I loved the Polish sausage and wouldn't have any issues coming back, but I do think Brats Brother is on the pricey side. I also do not like the fact they charge for toppings. I mean, 75 cents for onions???

European Deli and Bakery-Closed

European Deli and Bakery 722 S. Grand Ave. Glendora 626-914-3959 After going to Spaghetti Eddie's, I noticed European Deli and Bakery and decided to give them a try, because I was craving a polish sausage. European Deli isn't really a sit down restaurant, but more of a deli/market that has a few tables. This reminded me of Mattern Sausage and Meats, but European Deli is more Polish than German, like Mattern, but they do have a large selection of Eastern European cold cuts and foods. But I did find it weird they sold some sausage made/sold by Mattern!! So I got the polish sausage plate, with hot potato salad, sauerkraut, and bread, $8.99. I loved this. The hot potato salad was unique because I'm used to cold potato salad. But this was great. Very tender, well seasoned potatoes. The sauerkraut was awesome, finely cut pieces of cabbage that wasn't too tangy, But what I really liked was the polish sausage. Like the sign outside said the sausages are made in Chicago and fresh. I bought a package of sausage that was produced about five days before, in Chicago, that's fresh!! The sausage is pork with a good blend of spices. A wonderful natural casing!! Service is OK. They are a bit slow but friendly. It was very busy when I was there, with people coming in for deli meats and sausage. This reminds me, I need to go back to Polka, for some good Polish food!! I would go back to European Deli and Bakery anytime. The next time I may try a sandwich.

Original Tops- Pasadena

Original Tops
3838 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA
626-449-4412

I first heard about The Original Tops when I went to Gus's BBQ. I believe the owners of Tops bought Gus's BBQ. Tops has been in Pasadena since 1952. This is the original location. There are other places called Tops, even in pretentious jerk Orange County, but they have nothing to do with this location. I have a feeling the original owners were from Chicago, since they have a Maxwell Street Polish Dog and a Chicago hot dog, though they do not use Vienna hot dogs, they use Hebrew National.

I decided to give Tops a try and wanted to go to Pasadena before it is invaded by T-sips and hicks for the National Championship game. This is a no frills diner style burger place. The burgers are charbroiled on a grill and prices are a bit higher than other comparable places. So I get the Kobe Bistro Burger, $6.79, with half pound of American Kobe beef, smoked mozzarella, caramelized onions, tomato, mixed greens, herb mayo on a ciabatta bun. The first thing I noticed about this burger was the size, huge!! I asked them if they could cut it in half, they did, and I was impressed at the size of both pieces.

What was interesting was the taste of each half. One half the Kobe beef was cooked well done, I would have prefered it medium rare, but the other half had burnt pieces, which isn't good.

I like everything they put on the burger, the fresh mixed greens were a nice touch and a welcomed changed from iceberg lettuce. The mozzarella was melted and didn't overpower the taste of the meat as some other cheeses tend to do. The caramelized onions and herb mayo was a good combination. I loved the ciabatta bun, lots of texture, soft and chewy. Good stuff.

Service was pretty good. Nice friendly people. But my burger took a little longer, ther were people behind me who got their burger orders before me. Either they forgot my order or it takes longer to cook the Kobe burger. Either way, not that big of a deal since the burger was hot and fresh off the grill.

I saw people order the onion rings, fries, and zucchini sticks and they looked great. I would go back to Tops to try their hot dog or Polish dog, other sandwiches and burgers but I don't think I would go back for the Kobe Bistro burger.

Update Dec 17, 2009




I was back in the Pasadena area and decided to go back to Tops for the onion rings, $2.89, and polish dog, $3.89.

The onion rings are among the best onion rings I have ever had. Super light and crispy, outside with some pepper in the seasoning. Not greasy at all. Inside a wonderful sweet onion, not greasy.

The polish dog came with grilled onions and mustard. The onions were just piled onto the polish, too much for my tastes. The onions made for a soggy, messy bun, which wasn't grilled or anything. The polish dog was grilled but was pretty salty. It had a nice snap but I couldn't get over the saltiness of the polish dog. The polish sausage at Costco for $1.50 is bigger and better. I wouldn't order this again.

I wish I got better service though. I got terrible service. The young girl who took my order had a lot of attitude and quite simply, she was a bitch. From the moment I asked what comes on the polish dog, she was a bitch. Why she copped an attitude because I asked what comes on a polish dog, is beyond me. When my order was ready, she never even said thank you. Terrible service and Tops needs to do something about it.

As I said before, Tops is a higher priced burger place. I didn't think the polish sausage was any good and the Kobe burger was underwhelming. After the terrible service, I won't return anytime soon.

Carm's Coneys-Closed

Carm's Coneys
488 E 17th St
Costa Mesa
949-515-7888

Sadly, this location of Carm's Coneys has closed. They are trying to open locations in Orange and Irvine. Hopefully it will happen soon.

I've known about Carm's Coneys since October, 07 but I haven't been there mostly since I don't go to Costa Mesa much. But I was finally in the area and decided to have a couple hot dogs at Carm's.

I got The City Dog, $4.50, a coney, $3.95, and the 1/3 Pounder, $4.65. The hot dogs are grilled to order so expect a wait. This isn't like those nasty Dodger Dogs that are kept in a warmer.

I loved The City Dog. Again no snap but this was a Sabrett hot dog. If you're from New York you know all about Sabrett. This was an great hot dog, though it did lack a snap. The hot dog was well spiced and flavorful. The City Dog comes with that special red onion sauce that makes getting a hot dog in NY a great experience. The sauce is best described as a tangy, thin, tomatoey sauce with onions. The buns are slightly grilled and very fresh.

The Coney was very different. I've never had a white hot dog before. The Coney is made with all white veal and very mild. Not a spicy dog and there is not snap. But a good hot dog but different. I liked it but not enough to order this again.

The 1/4 pounder was an all beef dog that was ok. I put yellow mustard and raw onions and the dog was OK but nothing overwhelming. Again no snap and little flavor or spice.

Service was GREAT. I know I have a very high standard for service. I know I've called high school aged kids punks because they have no clue about customer service. But this was very different. I had two younger kids help me. A young girl who looked to be a high school kid and a guy who looked a little older, maybe a senior in HS. Both were GREAT.

The guy took my order first. He greeted me promptly and was very nice. I ordered the Coney and the City Dog and he answered my questions. I then went to get refills and the young girl was very helpful and friendly. After eating the two hot dogs, I ordered the 1/4 pounder from the young girl. She was again friendly.

I liked Carm's Coneys. I know the prices are a bit high but they have a happy hour, Mon-Thur, half priced hot dogs, wings and sausage from 2pm to 4:30pm. OK not the best times but I'm going to try and make a happy hour and try their wings and sausage. But overall good quality hot dogs and good service. So look for an update very soon!!!

Update August 10, 2008






So I made it back to Carm's Coneys for their happy hour. I had the small order of buffalo wings, $3.50, a Frank, $2, and a Polish Sausage, $3. They were all half priced during happy hour, Mon-Thr 2pm-4:30pm. The buffalo wings were huge, not small wings you get at other wing places. The wings were fried and had a mild sauce on them. They were good and I would have ordered them even at full price.

The Frank is a Hoffman's beef frank. Again it lack a casing and thus no snap. But a good solid overall hot dog.

The Polish Sausage was very good. A huge piece of kielbasa that was pretty spicy. But they overcooked this. If this was cooked right, it was have been great. But charred outside is not what a polish sausage should be.

Service was great again. I placed the order with the same young girl from Saturday. She was nice and friendly again. I ordered the wings, City Dog, and the Polish sausage at first but then she said they had run out of wings and the owner was bringing them down to the store. I didn't mind the wait, I wasn't in a hurry and was told it was no problem. I ordered a beer, Blue Moon, with the wings and the manager told me she was buy me another beer. I said no problem, I understand things happen. When I went to pay she took off $2 for the beer. I wasn't expecting it but I thought it was good customer service.

Carneys- West Hollywood

Carney's
8351 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood
323-654-8300

If I'm in the area, I will go to another location of a restaurant I've already tired. So I was in West Hollywood and I decided to see if there is any difference between the Carney's on Sunset Blvd and the Carney's in Studio City. The first picture is the view of Carney's going east on Sunset. The second picture is what Carney's looks like when going west on Sunset. There is plenty of free parking behind Carneys, the entrance to the parking is on the west side of Carneys.

I'm glad I did. I think at least for hot dogs, the West Hollywood location is better. I ordered their Chicagoan hot dog with mustard, relish and onions for $2.71. The hot dog had a very nice snap and the onions and relish were fresh. The buns are not steamed or toasted and aren't anything speciall This isn't a true Chicago hot dog but close enough. I think it's good but nothing great and I think going to Costco for a $1.50 hot dog and soda is a much better value.

I tried the mild Chicagoan Polish sausage, again with mustard, onions and relish. They actually split the polish and grill it. Well they over cook the polish sausage and I'm not impressed.

Carneys is a nice place to eat and has a nice unique dining experience, since you're eating in a converted train. The hot dogs are good but a little on the high side. If I'm in the area again I would go back to the Sunset location. The Studio City location is too close to other great hot dog places.

Rubin's Red Hot-Closed

Rubin's Red Hot
15322 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks
818-905-6515

Rubin's Red Hot is across Ventura Blvd from the Sherman Oaks Gallery. Rubin's was made from part of the L train from Chicago. When you're at Rubin's you almost feel like you're in Chicago.

I tried the Chicago Polish for $3.96. The polish is topped with mustard and kraut. First off the bun was an onion bun with some poppy seed. So not off to a good start. An onion bun? Come on, all poppy seed bun. The polish itself was lacking any flavor. The toppings were fresh, I really liked the sauerkraut. But the topping mean nothing when the polish is a bland piece of meat.

The service is good but the parking is terrible. The next time I go, I would park in the Gallery and walk to Rubin's. But I won't have to worry about that since I won't go back.

The Wiener Factory-Closed

The Wiener Factory
14917 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks
818-789-2676

The Wiener Factory is one of the best hot dog places around!!! The service is great. I ordered the all beef-mustard, relish, and onion dog for $2.75 and the chili cheese dog for $3.15.

WOW both of them were great. The hot dog itself has the right blend of spices and has a nice snap. The only think I didn't like is they use brown mustard instead of yellow mustard. Next time I'll remember to tell them to use yellow mustard. The toppings were all very fresh and I really enjoyed my first taste of a Wiener Factory Hot Dog.

The chili cheese dog is just overloaded with chili, cheese and onions, a steal at $3.15. The chili was a little bland, not spicy which is good for my tastes. The cheese and onions were nice and fresh.

I really enjoyed going to the Wiener Factory. Great service and great food. My favorite hot dog stop along Ventura Blvd!!!!

Carneys

Carneys
12601 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA
818-761-8300

Carney's is my third and final stop to celebrate the Chicago White Sox winning the 2005 ALCS. My other two stops were Cupid's and QT Chicago Dogs.

As you can see Carneys is a very unique location, a renovated train. A nice way to stand out. Today though some idiot got into an accident right in front of the parking lot entrance to Carneys. Oh well, plenty of street parking so that isn't too much of a problem.

Still continuing the Chicago theme, I went to Carney's to try their Chicagoan Hot Dog and Spicy Polish. The Chicagoan Hot Dog was $2.44. The hot dog comes with on a steamed bun which made the bun a little soggy. The hot dog was pretty good but as you can see it isn't a true Chicago Dog, no pickles, tomatoes, or celery salt. But relish and onions were fresh. Overall a good hot dog but I think Cupid's is a better hot dog and a better deal.

Then I tried the Chicagoan Polish Dog grilled for $3.36. When you asked for it grilled, they will split it in half and put it on the grill. Not bad but the polish dog certainly wasn't spicy. I think a little overpriced and not worth it. Mustard's in better.

There were many people who ordered burgers during the time I was there. I may go back and try a burger. I would pass on the hot dogs or polish dogs.

Mustard's Chicago Hot Dogs- Los Alamitos

Mustard's
3630 Katella Ave
Los Alamitos CA 90720
562-598-1662

While driving to Pittsburgh Chicken and Taters, I found Mustard's second location in Los Alamitos. Having already been to the Mustards in Long Beach, I decided to drop in to compare the two locations, and to honor the Chicago White Sox winning the 2005 AL Central Division.

I ordered the charbroiled Chicago dog which is a skinless hot dog with the usual Chicago hot dog toppings. Very good stuff but I do like the snap of the natural casing. Though I would order a charbroiled Chicago Dog again. The Chicago Dog was $2.90. The Chicago dog is the second picture.

Then I ordered the Comiskey Park Pole. A polish hot dog with relish, grilled onions, tomatoes, and mustard. Great stuff again. $3.01 was the cost for the Comiskey Park Pole.

There is no difference in the food between Mustard's in Long Beach and Los Alamitos.

I would go back again.

Mustard's Chicago Hot Dogs-Long Beach-Closed

Mustard's
3387 Atlantic Ave
Long Beach, CA 90807
562- 427-6435

I found Mustard's while going to Royal Buffet. A pleasant surprise. A very good hot dog.

The second picture is the Jumbo Chicago Dog for $2.91 without the peppers. It was very good. The hot dog has a natural casing and was served hot. The toppings were very fresh and tasty.

The third picture is the Jumbo Comiskey Park Pole. A polish sausage instead of the beef hot dog. Again good stuff. $2.91.

I was very impressed with this place. Good prices, good hot dogs. And a good location, just north of the 405 freeway on Atlantic.