Burgers and Dogs!

by Xani

Er, rather, dogs and burgers! That's what I ate my last day in LA. Oh wait, did I also have breakfast that day? I did. At Lulu's Cafe. Another cute corner outdoor spot, I had decent huevos rancheros but neglected to take any pictures. After that we spent a few minutes watching the NFL playoffs (man football comes on early on the West Coast!) and headed to the world famous Pink's for hot dogs. But not just any hot dogs. Hot dogs that we waited NINETY MINUTES for. Yes, ninety. An hour and a half. Previous to this the only things I have waited in line that long for are: the Alpengeist roller coaster at Busch Gardens (gotta get front!), airport security during Thanksgiving 2001, and 50% off my entire purchase at Loehmann's (totally worth it).

Anyhow, after an hour and half in line (at least it was warm and sunny while back East temperatures hovered in the single digits) we ordered our dogs. I got the spicy polish dog with chili, mustard and onions. Andy got a couple of regular dogs with American cheese and god knows what else. But the real story was the guys in front of us. Pink's has a number of specialty dogs and whatever these guys ordered was special, indeed.

Andy and I watched in amazement, then growing horror as each of their hot dogs (super-sized stretch dogs, 10" long) was covered in chili and cheese, then onions, tomatoes and lettuce (??), THEN topped with a massive pile of bacon, THEN topped with an equally massive pile of grilled pastrami!!! It was unreal. Best line of the day-- Andy: "I guarantee you whoever is eating those things does not have health insurance." Genius! I wish I had gotten a picture. I did get one of my spicy polish dog, which was really delicious and FILLING.

After a few hours of digesting and more football, Jenny and I headed down to Santa Monica to do a little more shopping (why not?) and meet up with my cousin Ann for one more dinner. I really wanted to try The Counter ever since EP's great meal there when she visited. So off we went for some Build Your Own Burgers. But first, we had to share their Shake of the Month, Birthday Cake Shake! Vanilla Ice Cream Mixed with White Birthday Cake, Rainbow Sprinkles and Topped with Whipped Cream-- yummy! And they were nice enough to split it into thirds...

We started out with a little snack of 3x3x3-- a dish of french fries, sweet potato fries, and onion straws, served with 2 different dipping sauces. All three were really hot and crispy, but my favorite was the onion straws... no the sweet potato fries... no, straws! I just can't decide.

Three kinds of fried delicious-ness

Soon enough our custom built burgers arrived. I got mine medium-rare with sharp provolone, grilled onions, and red relish on the side. And it was very tasty!

I don't remember the specifics of Ann and Jenny's burgers. I know Jenny tried the turkey burger which she said was very good (for a turkey burger). Ann made the wise decision to get bacon on hers-- my kind of girl!

The burgers were great but were, sadly, my last meal of my LA visit. The next morning I was off to the airport, then homeward bound in a middle seat, in the back of the plane. Boo! My breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day consisted of one (1) in-flight bloody mary. Double boo! Travel is the pits! But, its worth it to be able to keep visiting great friends and family in LA (not to mention eating great food)!

Happy travels,

X