Food Review: “Pink’s”

While many may enjoy the simplicity of a boiled ballpark hot dog topped with neat squiggles of ketchup and mustard, not too far from both Dodger Stadium and UCLA, the famous Pink’s is expanding horizons one crazy hot dog at a time.

A veritable Hollywood landmark, Pink’s first opened in 1939 and has been serving up hot dogs to crowds of hungry people ever since.

The store has expanded from its days as a small pushcart, the prices have increased ““ wouldn’t it be nice if lunch still cost 10 cents ““ and the menu has extended its range, though hot dogs, blanketed in a surprisingly wide array of toppings, still remain the focus of attention.

Forget boring old ketchup, mustard and relish, at Pink’s, even a chili-cheese dog seems pretty tame. Topping options include sour cream, onion rings, jalapeno slices, nacho cheese and even hamburger patties.

At Pink’s, hot dogs are not even limited to a bun; many come wrapped in a tortilla, burrito style. And for those with truly gigantic appetites, options such as the Three Dog Night ““ three hot dogs wrapped in a giant tortilla with three slices of cheese and three slices of bacon, topped with chili and onions, all for $6.45 ““ are sure to satisfy.

Pink’s is not for the health conscious ““ though there is a vegan hot dog offered ““ or the faint of heart. If the mention of a hot dog doused with shredded cheese and spicy chili (Pink’s signature offering) is already clogging your arteries, then you should probably just bypass the place and find somewhere where you can get a nice salad.

Though Pink’s might not be easy on the heart, it is easy on the wallet. Most of their hot dogs are about $4 and make for a filling meal.

While there is usually a line winding around the sidewalk in front of the counter to place orders, time passes fairly quickly as customers pass the time perusing the vast menu of cleverly named hot dogs ““ including the Martha Stewart (bacon, sauerkraut, sour cream and chopped tomatoes) and the Ozzy Spicy Dog (nacho cheese, American cheese, grilled onions, guacamole and chopped tomatoes). Almost all of Pink’s offerings bear homage to a celebrity.

Once it’s time to dig into one of these messy masterpieces in the back area of the store ““ Pink’s isn’t exactly formal enough to merit designation as a restaurant ““ customers might actually be able to find their dog’s namesake as the walls are covered in signed headshots of all the stars who have indulged at the joint over the years.

““ Elizabeth Packer