Pink's

Pink's
709 La Brea
LA
323-931-4223

Pink's is known for it's hot dogs and the stars who come to Pink's. I think Pink's is very overrated.

I got there and the line was down the sidewalk and around the corner. I decided what the hell and waited in line. The wait took about 40 minutes on a Saturday night. I got the 10 in stretch chili dog and the Chicago Polish.

The 10 in stretch had chili, mustard, and onions. The hot dog was pretty good. Decent snap but the chili isn't anything to write home about. I would much prefer heating up some canned chili and putting it on top. The stretch chili dog is $3.10. I think Cupid's is a much better deal.

The Chicago Polish had mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes and lettuce for $3.55. The polish was mild but WAY overcooked. It was very tough eating the polish. The toppings were fresh but the Chicago polish is something I would stay away from.

If you never been to Pink's, you must go just to experience the place. But the hot dogs themselves aren't anything special. If you are at Pink's catch the northbound Metro bus on La Brea to the Hollywood and Vine station. Take the red line to Hollywood and Highland. Then walk to Skooby's. A much better hot dog without the long line.

The Pig-Closed

The Pig
612 N. La Brea
LA CA 90036
323-935-1116

The Pig bills itself as Memphis style BBQ. It maybe Memphis style but it doesn't compare to Jay Bees BBQ for the best Memphis style ribs in LA. I ordered the 5 bones of the St. Louis style spare ribs for $10.28.

The ribs lacked a true smoke flavor. I thought I was eating Tony Roma ribs. They were a little too tender. Again falling off the bone is too tender for my tastes.

I like the Smokin Spicy BBQ sauce. Maybe the best BBQ sauce in LA. The Pig's regular sauce is way too sweet. But the ribs overall are just OK though the portions are big.

I went on a Saturday and there was a gorgeous woman eating there alone. Not sure what's wrong with her but somebody that gorgeous shouldn't be eating alone at any time.

Parking can be a problem on La Brea. The Pig is on La Brea about half a block south of Melrose. The Pig used to have a location at City Walk but that has closed.

The Beach Pit BBQ

The Beach Pit BBQ
1676 Tustin Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA
949-645-7487

The Beach Pitt BBQ is owned by the son of former Baltimore Orioles and California Angels Doug DeCinces. (The Angels were called the California Angels when DeCinces played for them thus the name)

But just as Doug DeCinces could never replace Brooks Robinson, Tim DeCinces should NOT own a BBQ restaurant and try to pass if off as real BBQ.

I walked into the Beach Pitt and went inside to the counter. The man behind the counter asked "For here or to go?" I said "I'll eat here" He replied to take a seat anywhere outside and he'll take my order.

So I go outside find a table and sit and wait. And wait and wait. I must have waited 15 minutes before he came out to take my order. What the hell he was doing, I have no idea. NOBODY was in the restuarant.

Well he finally comes and I order the big portion of the ribs for $11.95 with sauce on the side and a double order of cole slaw. What is really stupid about the pricing is that the "bigger portion" is $13.95 and you only get one more rib. While the cost per rib is about 50 cents cheaper when you get the "bigger portion" it's still not my idea of a good value.

I wait about five minutes and the order comes out with the sauce on top of the ribs. I told him, I ordered sauce on the side. He takes it back and I get a new order of ribs with sauce on the side. If he would have bought back the ribs with the sauce wiped off, I would have walked out. That has happened at other BBQ restaurants before. But he didn't so I start in on the ribs. Big mistake.

The ribs were way too tender, like they were over cooked. I wish this myth of falling off the bone tender, would stop. When ribs are fall off the bone, it's too done. They didn't have any real smoke flavor and they were same of the smallest ribs I've ever had. The sauce is good. A nice flavor that would enhance a good piece of ribs. Too bad the Beach Pitt doesn't make a good piece of rib.

I would not go back to the Beach Pitt. The service is terrible. Nobody is there and I wait 10-15 minutes for somebody to take my order??? What the hell? Prices are a little high and the ribs are terrible. Not a good combination.

The Stand

The Stand
17000 Ventura Blvd
Encino
818-788-2700

The Stand is a hot dog place on Ventura Blvd. Every Monday, after 5pm, at The Stand is $1 Stand Dogs. I decided to try The Stand. I went in and the place was almost empty but by the time I left it was starting to get packed. I ordered three Stand Dogs. Mustard and onions, stand corn relish, and stand red sauce.

The hot dog itself lacks any natural casing which means no snap when you bite into the hot dog. But otherwise the hot dog is very good with a nice flavor. The toppings are fresh. Mustard and onions my regular hot dog was good.

The Stand corn relish takes a little getting used to. As you can see from the picture there is a lot of corn but it really doesn't belong on a hot dog.

Not a big fan of the Stand Red Sauce either. The red sauce is almost like ketchup.

The regular price of the Stand Dog is $2.95. A bit on the high side but for a $1 they are well worth it. I would only come back on Monday's but would stick to regular toppings like mustard, onions, tomatoes, and regular relish.

Good service and they do have TV's so you can watch Monday Night Football. They also have $2 draft beer specials on Monday.

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!!!!

My Brother's Bar B Q-Closed

My Brother's Bar B-Q 21150 Ventura Blvd Woodland Hills CA 818-348-2020 They only serve baby back ribs at Mr. Brothers. Stepping into My Brothers is like stepping back in time when Love's Restaurant was around. Mr Brothers has the same decor as the 1970 and 80's Love Restaurant chain. We got their in time for the early bird special and I got the baby back ribs. The baby back ribs are OK though they are not smoked at all but for $12.95 they are a good deal. The ribs were a little too well done for my tastes. Some ribs were almost burnt. The BBQ sauce was just too sweet. I got fries and the garlic mashed potato. Fries were done just right. The mashed potatoes were OK. Service was very good. I wouldn't go back to My Brothers. Update January 19, 2011 I know I said I would never go back to My Brother's Bar B Q, again and that is still true; I wouldn't go back for the BBQ ribs. But, I read that My Brother's serves broasted chicken and I wanted to try it. I believe My Brother's is the only place in the San Fernando Valley, that serves broasted chicken. I got the half broasted chicken, $8.25, a la carte. The chicken is suppose to be cooked to order, but I wasn't that impressed. It wasn't as juicy as other broasted chicken that I have tired. I did like the crispy skin, but this was an average example of broasted chicken. Service, for to go orders, was terrible. When I walked in, a young girl was sitting down, talking with her friends. She didn't bother to get up and greet me or the couple who came in right after. She just sat down and asked if she could help me. The couple, who came in after me, was dining in, and she told them, to pick any seat. Again, never bothering to get out of her seat. Terrible first impression. I asked to make sure they had broasted chicken and she said yes. I then asked how is that sold, by the piece, as a meal, etc? She finally got up, got a menu and told me "How about I give you the menu and you can see for yourself." Nice, friendly service. While waiting for the broasted chicken, a man came in to pick up an order of broasted chicken. I asked him how the broasted chicken was. He said very good but the service, sucks. I agree. Broasted chicken takes 15-20 minutes to cook. I was waiting about 10 minutes when my order came. The terrible host said they had made extra chicken. I felt the box and it was hot and when I opened up the chicken it did seem as though the chicken had been cooked within the past few minutes. I would not go to Mr Brother's again. The terrible service and the average broasted chicken.

Mr Cecil's-Sherman Oaks-Closed

Mr. Cecil's
13625 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks 91423
818-905-8400

Mr. Cecil's in Sherman Oaks is the suburban BBQ. What is suburban BBQ? A place that thinks cooking a piece of meat in an oven and drowning it with BBQ sauce makes it BBQ.

I ordered the 1/3 rack of St. Louis Style Ribs for $9.69. Not worth it at all. The ribs lacked any kind of smoke flavor. The liquid smoke they used must have wore off. :) The ribs were tender. The bbq sauce was one of the best I've had, a nice blend of sweetness and spice. The 1/3 rack doesn't include any sides.

I would not go back to Mr. Cecil's though I will go to their West LA location on Pico and try it.

Jerry's Dogs-La Habra-Closed

Jerry's Dogs
1360 S Beach Blvd
Suite C
La Habra CA
562-697-4644

Update Nov. 8, 2010.

I went back to Jerry's Dogs because the pictures I posted weren't that good.

I found out that Jerry's used white oak wood to grill their hot dogs. The buns are steamed.

I got the Jerry's Signature Dog, $3.85, topped with Cleveland Stadium mustard and raw white onions. The Cleveland Stadium mustard is a spicy mustard, but not as spicy as the brown mustard.

The hot dog is an all beef dog in natural casing. The hot dog has a nice snap but the meat isn't that flavorful. The first time I went to Jerry's Dogs, the Signature Dog was $3.50. It is now $3.85. That's not bad, for the price to increase by 35 cents, in five years.

Service was pretty good. The guy who puts the toppings onto the hot dog, allowed me to taste the Cleveland Stadium mustard.

The question about hot dogs; is the hot dog worth the extra money from a $1.50 Costco hot dog. While I think Jerry's Dogs is reasonable, now, it isn't worth the extra money. A Costco, hot dog would be better.

Oct. 24, 2005 Review:

A nice hot dog place in the middle of chain restaurants make Jerry's Dogs stand out. The La Habra location is the on the corner of Beach and Imperial Hwy. They also have a location in Santa Ana off the 55 freeway.

All hot dogs are prepared over a wood fire grill. I ordered the Jerry's Signature Dog for $3.50. At Jerry's you can have as many toppings as you want, just tell the guys and they will put whatever you want. So I asked for yellow mustard, raw onions, tomatoes, celery salt, and a pickle spear. I was surprised when the guy said Chicago style. I wasn't sure if they would know what Chicago style is, so I just list the toppings. He even ask do you want peppers and as readers of my blog should know, I do not put peppers on my hot dogs.

The hot dog was good but not great. The toppings were all fresh. But the hot dog itself had a decent snap but seemed to be a run of the mill hot dog. Nothing special but nothing bad either. The signature dog is the only hot dog with natural casing.

Good friendly service but I think the place is a little overpriced. I would go back to either location but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Skooby's-Closed

Skooby's
6654 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323- HOT-DOGS

WOW what a great surprise. After the disaster that was Taste Chicago, I go to Skooby's. But since it's a Friday night on Hollywood Blvd, parking can be and was a pain in the butt. It was terrible. Next time I go and I will go back soon it will take the Red Line Metrorail to the Kodak Theatre and then either walk or take a bus to Skooby's.

I first ordered the Skooby's Original Dog for $2.50 with onions and relish, I had to put on the regular yellow mustard as they only have brown mustard. Boy was I surprised!!! A great hot dog. Very nice snap and the bun was toasted on the grill and is the best hot dog buns anywhere!!! I'm so impressed I order the Bacon Cheedar Dog for $4. Again great snap with the hot dog. The mixture of spices in Skooby's Hot Dogs make it one of the best hot dogs I've ever had. Lots of bacon and cheedar cheese and yellow mustard. What great stuff.

I'm sooo damn impressed with Skooby's. I would go back again very soon.

July 1, 2009




Ok, very soon became almost two and half years but I finally made it back to Skooby's. The Original Dog was on special for $2.00 and I got it. This was served plain and I put on yellow mustard and raw onions, as you can see on the bottom picture.

It is great to know that the quality of the hot dog has not changed at all. A great hot dog with a wonderful snap, nice texture and seasoning, just wonderful.

A major plus was being able to wash this down with Coke made with real cane sugar, none of the HFCS junk.

Service is good.

To me this is the best hot dog place in LA, especially now that Weiner Factory has closed down.

Taste Chicago-Closed

Taste Chicago
603 N Hollywood Way
Burbank
818.563.2800

Maybe it's because the Chicago White Sox are in the World Series but I was hungry for some more Chicago style hot dogs. So I decide to go to Taste Chicago in Burbank. Big mistake. First there were three accidents driving there, bunch of idiots driving and not paying attention. Next I get to Taste of Chicago and six people are in front of me in line and only one person taking orders. So after about a twenty minute wait I order a Chicago Dog with no peppers and you had to request the bright green relish for $3.84.

After another ten minute wait for the food, my Chicago dog finally arrives. As I was watching the guy behind the counter make the hot dog, he put the peppers onto my hot dog then looked at the order and took the peppers off. The bun was a plain hot dog bun no the poppyseed bun that are standard for Chicago dogs. The hot dog was flavorless and bland. The toppings were pretty fresh but didn't make up for the lack of flavor of the hot dog.

Not impressed at all. This place is very expensive and not worth the wait or the drive out there. I wouldn't go back. Not a good example of Chicago style hot dogs.

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.

QT Chicago Dogs-Closed

QT Chicago Dogs
8650 Reseda Blvd.
Northridge, CA 91324
818-993-1999

Just down the street from Cupid's, is QT Chicago Dogs. My second stop on my hot dog quest, to honor the Chicago White Sox winning the ALCS.

A jumbo Chicago Dog is $2.69. But that's without natural casing. A natural casing Chicago dog is a $1 more. But I decided just to try to regular Chicago Dog first. A Chicago dog has onions, very green relish, mustard, pickles, tomotoes, celery salt and hot peppers. I always get my Chicago Dogs without the peppers.

The jumbo Chicago Dog is decent sized. But I wasn't impressed with this Chicago Dog. The other toppings seems fresh but I don't know, something is missing. When I went to Mustard's and had their Chicago Dogs, I felt I was in Chicago watching the White Sox at Comiskey Park. At QT I felt I was in LA eating a a restaurant that was trying to copy the Chicago Dog.

Nice service, friendly people but I wasn't impressed with the hot dogs. So much so, that I didn't order a polish dog as I normally do.

I may try the Chicago Dog with natural casing but $3.49 is kinda of steep compared to other places

Cupid's Hot Dogs-Closed

Cupid’s Hot Dogs
9039 Lindley Ave.
Northridge, CA

To celebrate the Chicago White Sox winning the 2005 ALCS and going to the World Series, I decided to do a hot dog run. First stop was Cupid's in Northridge. Then QT Chicago Dogs, and the last stop was Carney's, in Studio City.

Cupid's is just south of Cal State Northridge and offers a very simple menu. Hot dogs with mustard, onions and chili. On request, ketchup and relish can be added. Cheese is 25 cents extra. The only other thing on the menu is soda.

I ordered one hot dog with everything and one hot dog with mustard and raw onions. I had the mustard and onions hot dog first. Very good stuff. The hot dog had a nice snap, good flavor, and was hot. The bun wasn't toasted or anything, just out of the bag. The onions were fresh and I did enjoy the hot dog. For $2 it's a good deal.

What isn't a good deal is the everything dog. The everything dog has chili, mustard and onions. The chili tastes like the chili Del Taco puts on their chili cheese fries, had a Mexican spices flavor to it. And I hate thin, runny chili, AKA chili water. I was not impressed. The hot dog itself had the same snap and was served hot. The everything dog is also $2.

I would go again to Cupid's but I would not order anything with chili

Hacienda Village Meats

Hacienda Village Meats
2021 S. Hacienda Blvd.
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
626-330-5555

I had plan to try the sandwiches from this Italian Deli but with the rain I decided to try a pasta dish. Big mistake. I ordered the chicken parmigana with spaghetti instead of the penne pasta for $6.45. The chicken were like very thin chicken fingers. They were kind of tough and not tender. The sauce was so thin I could almost drink it with a straw. The garlic bread seemed more like buttered toast, garlic flavor was lacking. The only good thing I can say about this the chicken parmigana is that they do give you good portions.

I will try some of their sandwiches next time. The meats and breads look very fresh. But I will not have a chicken parmigana sandwich.

Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken- Long Beach-Closed

Property of The New Diner

Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken
1004 PCH
Long Beach, CA 90806
562-218-7778

Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken is a very good fried chicken. A nice crunchy skin with a nice kick of spice. I only ordered two breast pieces for $3.50. Very good flavor and moist.

I believe this is a chain but is much better than Popeye's or Church's.