Fab Hot Dogs: Jersey lore in Reseda

A Bald Eagle ripper with and without a sauerkraut wig; tater tots

We don't delve into the hot dog category too often at EatingLA because, well, our tastes run more to tacos and beer. But finding ourselves in the Valley recently, we couldn't resist checking out Fab Hot Dogs in Reseda, home to a New Jersey-style dog called the Ripper. If it's your first visit, don't be distracted by the guacamole-laden Mexicali Dog or the Monte Cristo (turkey dog with ham, cheese, and strawberry jam!).
You're there to find out what Snooki might be snacking on when she's not getting drunk or knocked up, that is if she ever goes to Rutt's Hut, home of the Ripper. So you want the Ripper, a dog imported from New Jersey that's deep-fried to give it just a bit of a crispy skin. The house-made spicy mustard relish doesn't have the most curb appeal, but the mustard, pickles and vegetable spackle is just the right was to top these slightly greasy pups. And the super-crunchy tater tots instantly transported me back to the tots of my taste memory, like they never seem to taste anymore.
Maybe I don't get out enough, because the customers at Fab were almost more compelling than the hot dogs. There was a Snooki-lookalike if the "Jersey Shore" star were exactly twice as wide; a Samoan fellow who looked as if he might order by the dozen; an slightly alarming purple-haired mountain of a street person; a sparrow-like elderly woman in leggings ploughing through her order of dogs -- iconic hot dog stands are kind of the great equalizers of restaurants.
Fab Hot Dogs
19417 Victory Blvd.
Reseda
818 344-4336

DogHaus: Pasadena goes to the dogs

Dog Haus has plenty of seating, and a parking lot in back

Pasadena is a lovely town in many ways, most of them historic and a bit stodgy. But the food scene is changing fast with the arrival of more up-to-date spots like Intelligentsia Coffee, Daisy Mint, Cham Korean Bistro, Slaw Dogs and now another doggery, Dog Haus. Just up the street from Pasadena City College, Dog Haus has an industrial vibe with a somewhat more straightforward menu than Slaw Dogs. That's fine, since although Thai slaw and mango chutney sound intriguing on a hot dog, in the end they don't really add that much to the experience.

BLAST dog at Dog Haus: Bacon, lettuce, avocado, Serranos, tomato

I had a BLAST, which involves bacon, avocado and Serrano chilis. I know, it looks like a lot of mayo, but the canine take on a BLT worked well with their large, meaty all-beef dog and a little extra relish.

Double dog dare at Dog Haus: jalapenos, cheese, grilled onions

Sam was very pleased with his Double Dog Dare, which had lots of jalapeno, cheese and grilled onions. Tater Tots tasted exactly like the ones my mom used to make from the frozen bag, which just fine for a nostalgic interlude. If you prefer, there's turkey and veggie dogs, and a choice of skinless or snap dogs. Starting out early? Try the breakfast-y Grand Slam Dog, with bacon, egg and tater tots.
Dog Haus is a fun stop for students, families and Pasadena workers, with just enough variety to keep people coming back.
Yay: Also on the menu: burgers, sausages, fries, chili cheese fries, sweet potato fries, chili. If you don't want to spend $5.95 for a hot dog, you can get a regular dog with a few toppings for $3-4.
Nay: Seems a tad pricey for a hot dog. All the special Haus Dogs are $5.95. In contrast to Slaw Dogs which has a too-flimsy bun, Dog Haus's Hawaiian bread bun is almost too big, sweet and bready.

Dog Haus

105 N Hill AvePasadena

(626) 577-4287

Slaw Dogs: Pasadena takes baby steps to better food

The Picnic dog

ABLT Dog w/bacon

Belgian fries

Slaw Dogs is the latest entry in the fairly recent move to expand the definition of common foods -- from Cook's Tortas rainbow of tortas to the Counter's burger bar to the Kogi taco. It's a big step forward for Pasadena, which badly needs a culinary shot in the arm, especially in the low-to-medium end category. And Slaw Dogs has a truly impressive list of toppings and combos, from kimchi to truffle oil, from the Green Monster with green chili and spicy garlic salsa to the daily Market dog with toppings like kumquat chutney. While the basic beef dog is a reasonable $3.50, the toppings add up fairly fast, with most of the combo dogs from around $4.99 to $6.59. Add some fries and a hungry teenager, and lunch for the two of us was $22, but that's ok, it's all in the interest of research. I liked the bacon and avocado combo of the ABLT dog even more than my kumquat-laden market dog, which might have been better with grilled onions instead of rawish pickled ones. My natural casing "snap dog" didn't really snap, but it tasted like a good quality dog. Sam said the picnic dog worked better than he thought it might, marrying potato salad, bbq sauce and onion rings all on a hot dog. The fries looked really good, but they needed all the garlic and chipotle mayo to really give them flavor. Same with the onion rings -- good tasting breading, but it soaked up too much grease and got kind of soggy. And the bun -- subject of much discussion on Chowhound, I'm going to have to come down on the "way too small and flimsy for all these toppings" side.

Thai slaw dog with chicken sausage, spicy peanut-coconut satay dressing, cilantro-carrot slaw

The verdict? Slaw Dogs has lots of great ideas and between the chicken sausage, veggie dog, turkey dog and several beef and pork varieties as well as burgers and salads, there's something for everyone. Love the concept -- but the bun and some of the executions could use a little tweaking.
The Slaw Dogs
720 N. Lake Ave. #8
Pasadena
626-808-9777

The Doghouse, and a confession

You guys probably think I'm some kind of tube steak connoisseur. I mean, not only does my profile photo show me chowing down on a unique New York System wiener in Rhode Island, but I appeared on national television judging Bobby Flay's hot dog against Pink's hot dog. Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Pink's isn't that good, so I feel like my judgement was correct in that case. But basically, hot dogs are not a priority for me when there's more Thai food and falafel still to be revealed. That's a pretty long disclaimer just to explain that there's a new stand in La Canada called The Doghouse. It's probably the only place in the tony suburb you can get lunch for $3.50. If you have a starving teenaged boy who just did two hours of advanced karate, as I do, he will be pleased with the chili dog. If you're me, you will remain largely neutral on the sauerkraut dog. But if you're a real dog hound and you're reasonably close to La Canada, then it's your duty to check out the Doghouse and report back.
The Doghouse
Foothill Blvd. at Young Dr.
La Canada

Dolce Isola, Let's Be Frank, pupusas and more...

It's not quite as interesting as a week with Jonathan Gold's stomach...but for lack of any formal reviews this weekend, here's 36 or so hours with Pat's stomach. Every other Saturday, I'm stuck in the vicinity of La Cienega and the 10 for an hour and a half. The immediate area is a food wasteland, with nothing but Samurai Sam's within walking distance. But I've found a wealth of lunch places within a five or ten minute drive of there. In the past I've hit Cafe Surfas, Meltdown, JJ's BBQ, The Point. Today I had hopes that maybe Father's Office's new location had secretly opened and I would be invited to sneak in and try it. No luck -- the Let's Be Frank lady says she thinks April 15 or so looks more likely, and reports that FO will be open for lunch Friday, Saturday and Sunday, yay! Some nice benches for the patio had just arrived, and as Laist pointed out, the plywood is down. I was planning on going to Dolce Isola for lunch, but couldn't pass up the grass-fed dogs and organic sauerkraut, so I surrendered to Let's Be Frank. I love the concept of a basically guilt-free hot dog and the freshly grilled onions were excellent; I'm not sure I was crazy about the concept of a low-sodium hot dog, which to me lacked a meaty punch of flavor. Next time I'll try the pork brat, made from pigs that were lovingly coddled and sung bedtime stories to before butchering, or something like that. I eventually made it to Dolce Isola, which is the bakery that used to be next to the Ivy and still supplies their desserts. On an odd block of Robertson shared by Midnight Records and the Mystic Emporium, Dolce Isola is a little slice of European charm with funky antique chandeliers and weathered French cafe chairs. In addition to freshly-baked baguettes, cookies, croissants and pies, there's a selection of sandwiches like Louisiana crab cake, Croque Monsieur and Capri meatball. And coffee, and gelato. The oatmeal cookie was particularly tasty, and there's a refreshing lack of attention to cupcakes. We did pick up a miniature caramel spice cake, but a gremlin in my house devoured it before I could report on it.

I never got over to Echo Park this weekend to check out the new restaurant The Park -- I only got as far as the Atwater Farmer's Market. Flan King has joined the lineup of stands, and the pupusas looked too good to pass up, so I tried a nicely-griddled cheese pupusa con todo -- just the thing for a blustery Sunday morning. And now I must go roast a chicken, so that is all.
Dolce Isola -- 2869 S. Robertson Blvd. 310-776-7070
Let's Be Frank -- across from Father's Office on Helms, Culver City
The Park -- Sunset and Douglas, Echo Park