hot dog

Portillo’s Hot Dog – Beef and Sausage, but I Forget the Cheese Sauce

by Franklin on January 27, 2013

The first Portillo’s hot dog stand known as “The Dog House” opened in 1963. The small trailer with dedication from the ownder to serving “the best food” and “the best service” available grew to such an institution today. Having a Portillo’s in the relatively close city of Buena Park, it is always a treat, Probably the coolest place in Buena Park, Portillo’s is always a spot for a fun environment and classic American fare. Everyone loves a good joint where health gets thrown out the window. Being the new year and all, I had a combination of healthy and “real” food. Overall, it was an awesome experience.

The hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches at Portillo’s don’t scream healthy healthy, so I opted to start off with a salad. I know. Something is changing insdie of me. Maybe it’s the new year that is making me make these “right” decisions. Their chopped salad was quite surprisingly good. The iceberg and romaine lettuce was chopped finely. It was tossed with cubed chicken, gorgonzola cheese, red cabbage, pasta, tomatoes, bacon, green onions and house dressing. The mixture made for a delicious salad that was somewhat healthy. The gorgonzola popped with flavor and the pasta inside gave it some substanance. The finely chopped greens made this salad easy to eat. Delicious!

At Portillo’s, they have an Italian Beef with Italaian sausage sandwich. This had both thinly sliced, succulent beef with Italian sausage on top. I got the salad just so I can eat this bad boy. Stuffed with either hot or sweet peppers (I opted for the sweet peppers), the sandwich had a lot of pronounced flavor. The Giardiniera on top finshed this sandwich off nicely. The beef with the zesty Giadiniera made this sandwich a top pick. Yeah, I didn’t get the hot dog at Portillo’s. Personally, their hot dogs aren’t that great. It is all about the Italian beef and sausage. Because of the Italian sausage, I ate this more like a hot dog than anything else. A little mustard on top to cut the fat, and I was all smiles.

I really wanted to get the cheese fries. The cheese fries was just french fries with a side of cheese sauce. What is better than french fries that a side of cheese sauce? Gravy, maybe? I settled for some onion rings. I haven’t had it in a while and I thought it would go nicely with my beef and sausage sandwich. I was right! The onions rings really hit the spot. It was crunchy and full of flavor. The cheese fries can wait for next time.

Portillo’s is a really chill spot. The food is greasy and delicious, and the price is reasonable. Inside and out, the design of it all is unique and fun. On the day that I went, there was a small group of old school cars parked outside. Car club? Just to go to this awesome eatery with a cool vibe made my experience special. Food and all, this is one of my favorite Orange County picks for good eats.

Portillo's Hot Dogs on Urbanspoon

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Dog Haus (Alhambra) – Blutarsky Bringing Back the Tater Tots

by Franklin on December 12, 2012

The hot dog — it is such a simple thing, and everyone loves them. For me, I always liked it simple. A nice steamed bun, good quality all beef dog, and a little bit of mustard and onions – simple and delicious is all I needed. No ketchup please. Once I met Dog Haus in Alhambra, it all changed. I realized, new waves are coming through and my old school classic hot dog combination was no longer king. Dog Haus makes some crazy creations with both their hot dogs and burgers. Burgers being a close cousin to the hot dog, it was naturally an item on their menu. The best part about Dog haus is that their hot dog and hamburger buns are all made from King’s Hawaiian bread. Genius! The familiar bread rolls mixed with awesome ingredients make for good eats.

My whole life, all I knew was mustard and onions. Dog Hauses Old Town Dog changed my life and it changed the way I see hot dogs. This massive thing had a bacon wrapped 1/4 lb. dog, caramelized onions, sautéed spicy peppers, chipotle mayo, cotija cheese. Not only was it large in size, it was huge in flavor. The bacon wrapped hot dog was so LA, and so delicious. Smothered in caramelized onions, and spicy peppers, it had a nice crunch and bite to it. The chiopotle mayo gave it a nice smokey flavor and the cotija cheese was a nice touch in my opinion — it gave it that nice salty flavor and made everything perfect.

Put blue cheese on a burger, and call me happy. Add bacon on top of that, and you own me. The Blutarsky hands down has to be the best burger they offer. It’s not on their regular menu yet but I hope they put it on the menu permanently — this burger is bomb, my favorite Dog Haus burger hands down. I’m just a sucker for blue cheese, maybe that’s why. But this burger, with the patty, bacon, bleu cheese, and arugula, it has a great flavor. DO TRY. Blutarsky from Animal House, John Belushi’s character had a lot to do with this thing I suppose. Nonetheless, if you are a blue cheese fan, and a bacon lover, and just a fan of a good burger, get this one.

At Dog Haus, you can kind of guess that they like to do things a little different. They have fries, but why get regular fries when you can get tater tots! Yeah. Remember those yummy little nuggets of crunchy, greasy potato clusters? They got those! You can even put them in your pocket and eat them later (Napoleon Dynomite). All kidding aside, the tots were too reminiscent of elementary cafeteria days that they were impossible to dismiss. They were crunchy and crispy. I even dipped it in ketchup, and I’m not even a fan of ketchup. I guess holding onto that memory as a kid was more important.

Dog Haus is an awesome spot. Their food is familiar done in a radical and new way. I mean, the King’s Hawaiian buns are amazing in it of itself. The flavors are on point and the price is just right. Come here for exactly that — the Blutarsky, Old Town Dog, and tots. What more can you ask for?

Dog Haus on Urbanspoon

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Chomp Chomp Nation – Singaporean Food Truck Serving Raffles, Not Ruffles

by Franklin on September 25, 2012

This by far is the most interesting food truck I ever came across. Not that the food truck looked different, but I guess it was because they served Singaporean food. I never really had Singaporean food so this was interesting to me. The flavors and style of the food was unique enough to the point where I just had to try it. Natively located in Orange County, the truck can be found all around OC for lunch and dinner.

I saw softshell crab on the menu and instantly knew that I had to order it. Fried too? Score! The softshell crab sandwich was seasoned with Singapore Chili and spices. It was topped with a sweet chili crab sauce and Tiger Slaw. Served with a side of Raffles root chips, the sandwich was near perfect. I wish the softshell crab was salted more. The spices and flavors were there — it just lacked the savory taste. The crab though was cooked nicely and had a good texture. The slaw and sauce took away from the crunch a little, but it wasn’t a huge deal. The crunch from the interesting root chips made up for that.

The hot dog in it of itself is an amazing thing. You can add or simplify it to however you want — it is a vessel that can handle anything — a blank slate. I have had some great hot dogs, and I usually prefer the simple kind. A little mustard, onions, and sauerkraut. Think Costco. When I ordered the Hawker Dog at Comp Comp Nation, I wasn’t expecting this. The flavor was so different and so unique — I never had anything like this before. The tiger slaw has 10 fresh ingredients, some of which are cilantro, lime, and chili dressing. The crispy slaw mixed with the meat mix inside and the hot dog made for a nice balance of taste and texture. This is what a $5 hot dog tastes like.

The Singaporean food at Chomp Chomp Nation surprised me. The taste was unique and balanced. Though not traditionally Singaporean, meaning not heavy on the rice and meat style dishes, the “burger” and “hot dog” approach was nice. It made for a nice vessel to try the food. If you ever find or come across this truck, take a chance.

Chomp Chomp Nation (Food Truck) on Urbanspoon

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Dog Haus Biergarten – Get Your Dog on, Get Your Beer On

by Franklin on July 29, 2012

After having my first Dog Haus experience at the Alhambra location, I had to see the place where they serve alcohol. The vibe inside is geared towards the drinking crowd. There were TVs everywhere, it’s dark, and there was alcohol everywhere. Not a big drinker by any means, I took advantage of their happy hour menu. I came here for the delicious sliders. I mean, making sliders on King’s Hawaiian bread is pretty standard nowadays, but Dog Haus seems to get it right each time.

Their sliders are so simple, but so delicious. I crave them. With only a beef patty, cheese, mayo, and grilled onions, these mini burgers don’t seem special, but they are. The beef patty is fully cooked all the way through, something I usually dislike. Surprisingly, the meat still retained its juciness. It was the juciest well done burger ever! You must be thinking to yourself, “well, that means it has a lot of fat”. Well, yes it was greasy, and it was delicious. The grilled onions were perfect as it gave it a nice crunch and savory flavor. Topped off with melted cheese, it was gooey and crunchy perfection — with a little mustard inside of course.

I was intrigued by their Grand Slam dog, so I ordered one. If the name doesn’t give it away, the Grand Slam dog is their rendition of a breakfast style hot dog. With bacon, hot dog, tater tots, and an egg, the whole thing was pretty much breakfast on top of a hot dog. It was tasty on its own, but together wasn’t anything special. The egg was awkward just sitting on top, and the bacon and hot dog clashed a bit. The addition of the tater tots, which were soggy inside, was just too much starch. A little sauce could have helped a lot on this, maybe I should have put some ketchup on top. I know, I hate putting ketchup on a hot dog. Maybe my stubbornness made this one not as tasty, but I will never put ketchup on a hot dog. Never!

One interesting thing I had was the sweet potato tots. If the name doesn’t suggest it enough, these are tater tots made with sweet potato. Genius! If sweet potato fries are popular, sweet potato tots are sure to be a hit. You know how sweet potato fries are never really that crunchy? The story doesn’t change for the tots. Though fried, it still never got crispy on the outside like their normal tater tots. It was a bit mushy and wet inside. The taste was very mild — not too sweet, not too savory. A nice sauce, maybe ranch or some kind of cinnamon pumpkin dip would have been perfect. Still worth a try I guess.

Having a Dog Haus in Alhambra was a blessing. I mean, yes, it is only a few minutes away, but the drive to Pasadena can be annoying. When you are in need of a drink though, Dog Haus Biergarten is the only one that serves alcohol. The atmosphere and vibe there is more about drinks than food, which isn’t a bad thing. They offer the same goodness as Dog Haus in Pasadena and Alhambra, but with the convenience of a bar. I’m sure there are a lot of happy hungry people out there.

Dog Haus Biergarten on Urbanspoon

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The Pint House – Oktobeerfest Is On And Poppin’

by Franklin on October 25, 2011

I was in Downtown Fullerton, and I came across The Pint House.  From the back, where the parking is, there were lights outside streaming across the dining area. There was a smokey smell coming from this place and it looked nice.  We wanted to give it a try.

The inside was like an upscale pub with a bar and nice seating area.  I was surprised to see all of the prices so low.  The interior was really nice.  You can get the nice quiet and quaint inside or the live music filled air, a little rowdy outside. Check the bottom for the video of the live band playing fun German style music.

Lucky for us, Oktobeerfest was going on.  Every Sunday in October, from 4 to 8, they had a special going on for food.  $6 got you parmasan fries and a bratwurst, and all appetizers were 25% off.  Awesome if you ask me.

The bratwurst was really tasty.  It was juicy on the inside and it had a nice snap. I did not like the bread they used — too much bread for the amount of sausage.  Also, the bread was a bit chewy.  I kind of liked the chewiness, though others might not like it.  The parmasan fries were tasty as well.  It was nicely seasoned and the cheese was a great addition.  For 6 bucks, you would expect just regular fries, but the fact that they give you parmasan fries was a plus.

What is better with bratwurst than some beer.  We ordered a beer in the take home pint class mug. They surprised us with any kind of beer, but we had an inkling it was Blue Moon.  We got to take home the mug as a souvenir.

You can also substitute the parasan fries for onion rings.  Their onion rings were surprisingly tasty.  The batter was light, and the flavor was definitely there.  Dipping it in the ranch dressing was great.  I was expecting maybe 6 to 8 pieces, but the plate was filled with onion rings.  This too was only 6 bucks. Amazing.

We were a bit hungry so we ordered the cheese quesadilla.  This was only 5 bucks, plus 25% off.  That is less that 5 bucks, if my math is correct.  The quesadilla was supposedly grilled, but that was not the good part.  Their fire roasted salsa was amazing.  It made this normal quesadilla taste so much better. A quesadilla is a  quesadilla — melted cheese between tortillas.  The fire roasted salsa had a deep dark color from the char, and it was amazingly delicious. If not, I would come again just for that salsa.
I was surprised at this place.  The menu was was impressive and the prices for the Sunday Oktobeerfest was even more appealing. What was cool to me was the live band playing Planning where to eat isn’t the best.  You sometimes stumble upon something new and something great.  I tried The Pint House, and I was happy to find their menu to be tasty and cheap.  The food was delicious and the salsa was memorable.

The Pint House on Urbanspoon

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Papaya King – Hollywood Takes On a New York City Icon

August 25, 2011

It took 80 years for Papaya King to come to the West Coast.  Anyone who lives in New York knows what Papaya King is all about.  This is their right of passage.  The Hot Dog of NYC. It went through countless years of media, press, and New York culture, and here it is now.  Just [...]

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Pink’s Hot Dog – The Historical Hot Dog Cart Goes Hollywod on Us

June 15, 2011

Pink’s hot dog is up with the best of Los Angeles.  When you think of LA, what comes to mind?  Hollywood, beaches, In-n-Out, palm trees.  Somewhere in that list, Pink’s should come up within the top 10. Pink’s is a Hollywood icon, and have been a Los Angeles landmark for years.  By the way, being [...]

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Oki-Dog, World Famous

March 18, 2011

World famous you say?  It’s not quite gourmet, nor is it really a classy place to go for a first date — Possibly not classy enough for the next 10 dates.  Before I come off as sounding too snobby, I want to say that this quirky little restaurant is actually famous. Well it is popular [...]

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Berkeley Dog – Casual Gourmet Hot Dogs

February 21, 2011

The hot dog is snack food.  Something about the hot dog is satisfying.  In LA, it’s all about the bacon wrapped hot dogs.  Its fast, its easy, and its somewhat filling.  The hot dog is well known as “mystery meat” — it’s street food.   In Orange County (Brea, CA), they do it a bit differently.  [...]

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