Fab Hot Dogs

From left to right: The Chicago Dog, Firecracker Polish Sausage, The Hillbilly Hot Dog.

Fab Hot Dogs is truly fabulous!  Variety, creativity and freshness are the keys to Fab’s success.  Along with a little help from Food Network’s Guy Fieri.  A feature on “Triple D” has pretty much overwhelmed the tiny restaurant that had seating for maybe 10 people.  Details on their move to a bigger location are on their website.  But now with a review from The Fun Foodie, they might have to consider taking over the Staples Center.  Okay, maybe not.  

Anywizzle, before stumbling upon Fab Hot Dogs on Yelp, the legendary L.A. institution that is Pink’s Hot Dogs was my easy favorite.   Pink’s dog has a unique “snap” that is unforgettable, along with a rich and savory chili that just completes the whole experience.  But Fab is even better.  Their wonderful wieners have that great snap, but you can also get them steamed, grilled or — get this — deep fried.  Aw, yeah, baby, they’re even better than they sound!  

Known as “The Ripper”, the deep fried dog gets slightly charred and pleasantly crisp on the outside, and just explodes with flavor and juicy-ness in your mouth!  My first visit there, I tried “The Bald Eagle” which is as majestic as its name.  It features a ripper topped with Fab’s own mustard relish, which is a tangy mixture of mustard, pickles, onions, cabbage and magic (seriously, that’s got to be the secret to making it so good).  My most recent visit is pictured up top.  The Fun Wife (who doesn’t like hot dogs, mind you) has fallen in love with the Chicago Dog, which is authentically adorned with neon relish, sport peppers, onions, tomato, mustard, a pickle spear and celery salt.  It’s just a big ol’ party in a soft poppy seed bun, yet another nod to the windy city.  I added grilled onions and peppers to the Firecracker Polish Sausage, which was really tasty, and really spicy.  You really need to be a fan of fiery foods to enjoy that.  I ordered the Hillbilly Hot Dog (with a ripper) pretty much because I liked the name.  The odd combination of their excellent homemade chili with cole slaw and jalapenos somehow works.  It was awesome!  Or maybe it’s all about the ripper.  You could probably top the ripper with wheat bran and flax seeds and it would be good.  Not to mention cleansing. 

Is there a cuter food on earth than tater tots?  No stale, soggy school cafeteria tots here.  Fab fries ’em up nice and crisp, a great change of pace from ho-hum french fries.  The Fun Kids dig ’em with cheese sauce.

 

Hot dog lovers must make a pilgrimage to “The Valley” for their frankfurter fix.  I believe that even most hot dog haters would come to appreciate the wienie wizardry of Fab Hot Dogs.