The other night Jonathan and I went to see the Goat Rodeo Sessions at the Hollywood bowl in the Hollywood hills. It is set up like a classic Greek natural outdoor amphitheatre, and has a perfect view of the Hollywood sign. It was such a wonderful concert. Yo-yo Ma and Christ Thile are the front men, really, of the quartet, with guest singer Aoife O’Donovan who adds her bluegrass songbird vocals to their phenomenal instrumentals.
After an already excellent evening we decided to finish with a post-concert “snack” at Pink’s in Hollywood almost at the corner of La Brea and Melrose. It’s such an old school walk-up-and-order place with plenty of seating between the inside and back patio space. There is plenty to choose from on the billboard menu, and loading up is encouraged. It’s not meant to be gourmet or fancy, just simple, classic ingredients with a few twists to make things interesting. For instance, I got the Pastrami Reuben dog, one of the specials. It is a Polish 9” stretch dog topped with pastrami, mustard, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut. OOF! It was plenty satisfying. There were all the flavors I had been craving, just like a good deli sandwich from Katz’s in NYC. If you are a Reuben/Pastrami person try this dog. Jonathan got the Spicy Polish dog, my second choice, which turned out to be really really spicy. I like spicy, but this was pushing it. I got through the half he gave me (we split them) and it was almost a struggle. We also had to have a side of onion rings and cream soda to make sure it was a balanced meal. Got to hit all those food groups, carbs, sugar, saturated fats, condiments, veggies….you know.
Going to a place like Pink’s is partly for the food partly for the experience. Despite the dirty tables and sometimes chairs, and the one fluorescent flood light outside, it is worth going for the hot dogs even if you’re not a hot dog person. For the hot dog/old school fast food connoisseurs it is a must try. I strongly insist that you check it out, as you will most likely find something of interest on the menu. They also put a smiley face on the Spicy Polish, which I thought was an awesome touch. That’s what I call customer service.
Pink’s Hot Dog
Hours:
Monday 9:30 am – 12:00 am
Tuesday 9:30 am – 12:00 am
Wednesday 9:30 am – 12:00 am
Thursday 9:30 am – 2:00 am
Friday 9:30 am – 12:00 am
Saturday 9:30 am – 3:00 am
Sunday Closed
Dinkel Dines 