(photo by wm. christman)

After almost two decades (really!), I finally made it to Pink's. LA's classic hot dog institution eluded me through the sublime and the ridiculous. The former being a nigh-on-cool spot to see and be seen in and the latter as fodder for the myriad of "gotta-eat-more-insanely-over-loaded-and-spiced-food-than-anyone-else-ever-could" reality sport-eating shows (paging Mr Richman, paging Adam Richman...white courtesy coronary bypass phone please...).

My best friend in LA, Les, chided me for not having ever gone. "But, but...I thought it was chili dogs as deep and as wide as your head...and I'm scared...", I whined. He shook his head then put his Freud hat on and told me that sometimes a chili dog is just a chili dog. And it just so happened that Pinks' version was pretty tasty.

So as part of my January 15th 50th birthday celebration (thanks Janet!), I finally went to Pink's. And it was very, very good. They source their own hot dogs and make their own chili. Even standing in line for 20 minutes was worth it. And I didn't walk away with any sort of bloat. In fact, I felt just shy of full. Perfect.

And as a native Californian, I hang my head in shame for not going sooner.