Fab Hot Dogs — Restaurant in Los Angeles

FAB HOT DOGS offers a gastronomic pallette of colorful comfort.

The counter artists deftly create vibrant, tube-steak sandwiches.

The Chicago-style hot dog is an excellent example. ¹

First, a pink-red, all beef dog is heated in boiling water. When at temperature the color becomes an inviting red, it is encased in a cloud-soft, steamed, yellowish-brown, split bun, that's lightly coated with blue-black poppy seeds.

Next, layer upon layer of sweet and savory condiments fashion the collage.

First, a zigzag line of brilliant yellow mustard highlights the red hot. Next, tablespoons of chartreuse pickle relish and diced white onion are gently layered. Carefully nested, between the sausage and the bun, are two red tomato slices, and on the opposite side, two yellow-green sport peppers. Finally, a deep-green kosher pickle spear is placed on top and sprinkled with a dash of greenish-brown celery salt.

Perfection.

My system for devouring this mixed texture "salad on a dog" is to pull the pickle spear, squeeze the bun, and take a satisfying bite; then alternate with bites of fries and pickle. Be aware: hot sports peppers bite back.

It is considered gauche to squirt ketchup on Chicago's hot dog, but enlightened to dip crisp, golden-brown fries into the gorgeous red condiment.

Fab provides all-meat frankfurters and burgers. Order from Jessica or one of the other friendly, knowledgeable counter people. There is no table service.

Since hot dogs are reflective of the street culture of their regions, New York style frankfurters ² are combined with the acid fermentation of yellowish-green sauerkraut, diced raw white onions, and dark-yellow mustard, to provide the proper "Big Apple Tang." The sandwich is encased in a yellowish-brown, split, steamed roll.

Defined by California's Mexican heritage, ³ pink-red frankfurters, wrapped in pink-white striped bacon, are roasted to reddish-brown. The charred, bacon wrapped sausage is placed into a yellowish-brown, split, toasted roll. Lines of deep-red ketchup, bright-yellow mustard, and snow-white mayo, intertwine to highlight the protein. Fried, until charred, diced white onions, and multicolored peppers are layered, completing the "LA Street Dog."

At Fab, proteins may be boiled, steamed, fried, or grilled and enjoyed with a selection of Mexican and American soft drinks.

Gluten free buns, fries, chicken, onion rings, sandwiches, salads, and corn-on-the-cob, fill their menu. Recently, an assortment of "bowl meals" has been added.

They will mix or match to meet your dietary preferences.

Sit Indoor or on the patio. Telephone, internet, carry-outs, curbside pickup, and no contact deliveries are available.

Everything, including easy, free parking, and bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. Keys to use the bathrooms are available at the order desk.

Fab Hot Dogs has a special benefit for regular customers. Eat all that's on the menu (Not, hopefully, in one sitting.) and get a t-shirt and have your picture displayed in the "I Ate It All - Wall of Fame."

The Food Channel's Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) loved the place. His picture is proudly displayed.

So be a kid again. It's just like sitting at a picnic table on the 4th of July. Just chomp on a couple of yellow-green sport peppers and you'll experience colorful fireworks.

¹ Reportedly, the Chicago-style, all beef frank, on a poppy seeded bun, originated at Abe "Fluky" Drexler's Maxwell Street stand in 1929. Vegetable toppings were added to improve nutrition. During the 1930s, they sold for a nickel. ² In 1871, Charles Feltman opened the first Coney Island hot dog stand selling 3,684 "Dachshund Sausages" in a roll during his first year in business. ³ The Los Angeles bacon wrapped Street Dog, most likely arrived from Hermosillo, Mexico, in the 1950's. The dog was a popular snack during local baseball games. ...

I wish I could say this place was better. I ended up going for the Kansas City Dog. Don't get me wrong the sauce did not disappoint but everything else did. Walking in the place looks a gloomy & empty. The staff seemed to be half paying attention & also got my name wrong for the order but that's besides the point. The Service & atmosphere were nothing special. Where the experience lost its specialty was the food. I feel like when you order a hotdog from a place specializing in hot dogs that the cheese should at the very least look delectable maybe even melting but that wasn't the case for this location.. the hot dogs flavor was lost in an excess of grilled onions. The dog itself was not flavorful because of the onions, there was a good bbq sauce inside but it wasn't enough to uphold the rest of the weight of the overwhelming onions or dry tasteless cheese which covered the top layer of the dog. As a side I ordered some tator tots which was also short of normal, some salty. I really looked forward to the save & grace of this review to be their milkshake. I ordered a chocolate peanut butter shake which I looked forward to despite the depressing hot dog. I was informed there were no straws so I took the lid off the drink & began to try it out. It started ok with a huge taste of chocolate but the part that really disappointed me was the peanut butter flavor. It wasn't like it was evenly distributed & tasted like peanut butter... Nope. Rather the peanut butter was left inside like a giant spoonful of creamy store bought peanut butter. It was just a giant chunk sitting inside the center of the so called shake. That being said I tried finishing it but it just tasted so bad that I ended up getting rid of it. I'm sorry to say this place wasn't what I was expecting & it had so many good ideas but poor execution in the kitchen. I left photos of the menu in case anyone is interested in trying their food. I apologize as I do not see myself coming...

The food isn't all that. I never knew this place was featured on a food program. And knowing that now, I don't see why. I got a regular street dog and it in no way compared to a real authentic street dog. I just wanted to try it and was disappointed. Besides the food, my actual experience wasn't great either. The actual owner rang me up. I ordered a fountain drink and I didn't know they don't have Dr. Pepper in the machine, which was fine. I would've gotten something else, it wasn't a big deal. But then I noticed a little fridge in the corner with cans of Dr. Pepper in it. Now, Dr. Pepper is my favorite soft drink. So I walk back to the counter with the cup and ask if I can have the can of Dr. Pepper instead of the fountain drink in the cup as I hadn't realized they don't have it in the machine. The guy says, "Sure," takes the cup back and then says something like, "but don't do that again. This cup is what is called inventory. And when something is taken from my inventory, it cannot be replaced and I lose money." I just said, "ok" and got the Dr. Pepper from the fridge and went back to the table I was sitting at. My boyfriend had been in the bathroom between the time I got the food and sat back down again after that happened so he didn't know it happened until I told him after we ate and left. He said I should've told him and we would've gone to eat elsewhere. I didn't feel comfortable in there and I do wish I would have just asked to get my money back and given the food back and eaten elsewhere. It's unpleasant to be treated in this condescending manner when you are a paying customer and its your first time there. I probably won't be spending any money...