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