Pretty at Pink's

There may be no beloved LA institution that is more detested by the fooderati than Pink's, the famous hotdog stand on La Brea and Melrose. I may be the last foodie to defend Pink's but defend it I will. The meat, while good, may not be as good as Carney's, the fries not as good as Skooby's, but the overall dog experience is grand.

The Pink's dog has a nice, mild flavor with an excellent snap. The buns, steamed in their bags, cling to the dog in a way that a toasted bun never does. In fact, the steamed buns may be the thing that makes the Pink's dog what it is. I always think toasted hotdog buns taste stale and don't sufficiently mesh with the dog, but with the steamed Pink's bun, the dog and bun combine into a single, glorious meat-bread entity.

Pink's may be known for its wide variety of add-ons and weird celebrity influenced dogs, but when it comes to dogs, I'm all for simplicity...which means no guacamole, chili, bacon, pastrami, cheese or other non-dog indulgences. Maybe kraut, maybe onions, but more often than not, only mustard graces my dog, and that is the proper way to enjoy Pink's.

I also like the fries and onion rings which, reconstituted from their frozen state by the frier, have a nice crisp skin.

Is it worth the giant lines you'll find on a Friday night? It is definitively not. That's why I typically pick up a 10:00 am breakfast dog, barely any wait at all. Breakfast of champions, indeed.