la.foodblogging

Life’s Little Victories #247: Driving by Pink’s at noontime and discovering a short line!

Life’s Little Victories #248: Getting in line just before an entire battalion of Oxnard police rode up on their motorcycles ready to chow down on Ozzdogs.

Oxnard. That’s like, what, sixty miles? Apparently real Pink’s devotees stop at nothing.

My favorite combo at Pink’s involves a spicy Polish dog appropriately tempered with nacho cheese to attain the perfect level of spice and flavor. This time I sampled the Harry Potter dog, in which the spicy Polish is topped with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, bacon and, of course, nacho cheese (never mind that Hogwarts probably doesn’t serve nacho cheese).

Be careful with that cheese, though, since it can make the bun soggy and you will have to eat your Harry Potter with a knife and fork. Also, I would not order grilled mushrooms as a topping again, as they had the slightly unpleasant taste and consistency of canned. But the fundamentals were still sound, and I quite enjoyed my meal. Next time, though, I’m going back to my usual Ozzdog (a spicy Polish with American cheese, grilled onions, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, and, yep, nacho cheese).

My friend had a pastrami dog, featuring the signature Pink’s all-beef hot dog. He noted the famous Pink’s “snap” which comes from the natural casing, and pronounced it a tasty lunch. The onion rings didn’t fare so well, though — I thought they were a bit greasy and mushy, instead of being crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Stick with the fries.

Pink’s is good. I don’t think Pink’s is worth an hour-long wait in the driving rain or a sixty-mile motorcycle ride, but it’s good. If you’re in the area and have a little time, stop by and get yourself a yummy hot dog.

Pink’s Hot Dogs
709 N. La Brea Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

By Maribeth (see more of her posts).