Culinary Capers - Pink's Hotdogs... Suicide Mission

Dead. All dead.

Or at least our heroes were shut down in a food coma for the next 24 hours after eating at the famous Pink’s Hotdogs in Hollywood, CA. They patiently staked out the hotdog stand that has been serving up wieners in Hollywood for the past 69 years. After an hour and fifteen minutes of menu surveillance, we stepped up to the counter and entered the all beef zone. The memory of our waitress was tested with our order but our gastronomic capacity was put to a true test when she returned with two trays of fully loaded hotdogs.

Surrounded with our backs against the wall, our only option was to eat our way out of this beefy predicament. Undaunted, our heroes overcame the hotdog suicide mission albeit wounded in the gut and deeply in need of antacids.

Here is the hotdog rundown:

Matt:
Millennium Hotdog: 12 Inch Jalapeno Dog topped with chili, onions, tomatoes and guacamole
Coleslaw Dog: Standard hotdog topped with coleslaw and BBQ sauce

Dan:
Martha Stewart: 12 Inch hotdog topped with saurkrawt, grilled onions, bacon, tomatoes, mustard and sour cream
Chili Cheese Dog: Standard hotdog with chili and nacho cheese

Mark:
Millennium: 12 Inch Jalapeno Dog topped with chili, onions, tomatoes and guacamole
Stretch Chili Dog: 10 Inch hotdog topped with chili, onions and nacho cheese

Brendan:
Lord of the Rings: 10 Inch stretch hotdog with onion rings and BBQ sauce
Chili Cheese Dog: Standard hotdog with chili and nacho cheese

Chris:
Stretch Chili Dog: 10 Inch hotdog topped with chili, onions and nacho cheese
Spicy Polish Dog: Polish sausage topped with chili, onions and nacho cheese

Lindsey:
Turkey Dog: Standard sized turkey dog with ketchup.

Culinary Capers - In N' Out Burger

Before heading on the last leg of our trip to the West Coast, we needed to pick up our mission objectives, which were hidden at the (in)famous In N' Out Burger in Las Vegas, Nevada. The objectives were encrypted in a top secret language and hidden off of the fast food chain’s standard menu. The In N’ Out Burger menu is fairly straightforward offering only about four items: Cheeseburger, Double Double (Double Cheeseburger), French Fries and Shakes. Behind this fast food front we would find the information we needed with our password of: ****** *****

Ahh, we trust that no one is reading this blog so it wouldn’t be a breach of national security to list the real password: Animal Style. When you say this while placing your order they will serve your burger with a special sauce not too far from the special sauce on a Big Mac except with sautéed onions. Ordering a Double Double ‘Animal Style’ isn’t too uncommon. The real secret lies in ordering your Fries ‘Animal Style’ as well. They come loaded up with the Thousand Island/Mayo based special sauce, sautéed onions, melted cheese and top secret mission objectives necessary to get us to the West coast.



The simple password works because the In N’ Out Burger ‘Animal Style’ French Fries are so disturbingly unhealthy that no person would ever order them. We dismissed any thoughts of our personal health and ate the fries for the mission. When all of the cheese, special sauce and sautéed onions had been mopped up with the last of the fries, we knew our next objective.

Next Stop: Los Angeles… The Windy City!
(Thanks Kevin)

Culinary Capers: Same Eats, Different Location

Scorned by time, our adventurers failed to eat at the second restaurant that has appeared on Food Networks Diners, Drive Ins and Dives because it closes at 2 pm. They still wanted some authentic Southwestern cuisine but hunger had onset at the same time as their disappointment while standing around in the parking lot of the closed Tecolote Café. Improvisation required running back to the van and pushing off down Cerrillos Rd in search of food. The food Gods didn’t make them wait too long before offering up a Taco Bell with the familiar but still delicious crunch wraps, double decker tacos and chalupas.
Oh… But wait. Did you enjoy that little snack of misdirection we just fed you? Instead we ate at Tortilla Flats famous for their blue corn tortilla enchiladas.

The authentic Southwestern restaurant also satisfied our ‘smackering for something sweet and boozey’ with margaritas. Many expressed concerns about the future treacherous gaseous roads they faced with their 4 hour drive towards Mesa Verde that night, but still they saddled up in the van and rolled out of Santa Fe.
Editor’s Note: I couldn’t think of a more beautiful office to be blogging from, than watching the sun set on the plateaus of New Mexico from inside a minivan.

Culinary Capers: Oklahoma Steaks

Worn from a long day of driving as our heroes continue their westward trek, they arrived in Oklahoma with both their van and stomachs running on fumes. The great state lent one its most famous resources, massive steaks, for $22.95 at Cattleman’s Café in Oklahoma City.

The steaks were butchered on site at the restaurant and fresh as can be from the slaughterhouse. We all ate the filet mignon wrapped in bacon with a side of salad and mashed potatoes smothered in white gravy. The hearty meal was topped off with apple pie a la mode which was decided upon by Matt who was Senior Pantalones for the day.
Curse our satiated guts! We had another 4 hours to drive to push on through to Amarillo, Texas before the day’s travels were finished.

Culinary Capers: Memphis BBQ

After a mid day investigation of Graceland our heroes were attacked by sharp pangs of hunger. They were rescued by a local Shaman Chef who cooked them up a regional meal of Pulled Pork Sandwiches to cure their cravings at a culinary treatment center called Tom’s BBQ. The owner/manager, Adam, prepares his BBQ by letting it slow cook for 3-4 hours over charcoal. The legend of his BBQ powers have become even more widespread after Tom’s BBQ recently appeared on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.
Both Adam and the rest of the staff were extremely hospitable to the achy-stomached travelers. The BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches were a one of a kind eating experience. When we unwrapped the sandwiches the soft buns were slobbered almost as much BBQ sauce outside the sandwich as inside. The BBQ prescription was accompanied by fries and complimentary strawberry shortcake. The pork was juicy and cooked to perfection so that it just fell to pieces. The meat was topped with crunchy coleslaw that was a perfect partner to the meat. The BBQ sauce was so sweet and tasty that it should be bottled and sold in shot form to comfort anyone having a bad day.
As a final parting present for our fully recovered travelers, Adam invited them to try the Rib Tips from Tom’s BBQ. These are the very tender ends of the ribs that are cut off of the ribs and seasoned with a dry rub. Tender meat surrounded small bones and formed an interesting eating experience. Most other BBQ places discard the tips but at Tom’s they’ve used all of the rib to warm hearts and stomachs of their patrons.
Tom’s BBQ is a must-visit for all Memphis travelers. Thanks to Adam and the friendly staff our heroes had the necessary nutrition to continue on their journey.