Yesterday, my friend (who loves, loves, loves hot dogs) and I went on a noble quest for Downtown LA’s finest gourmet hot dogs. We had a flyer for Big Ed’s Gourmet Hot Dogs, which was basically a cart located in some alley. Focused on our mission, we prepared to hit the pavement with our heels in search of the proverbial needle in the haystack. Luckily for us, our knight in shining armor, or hybrid car from the motor pool, swept us off our feet and joined us in our merry cause. Long story short, we found the alley and the cart, with many thanks to our “knight.”
It turns out that Big Ed became Tony-n-Pete, an alley cart in the Old Bank District. They serve customized hot dogs and sausages, plus sandwiches, among other things. I ordered the Cahuenga, which is a jumbo beef hot dog with sautéed onions, chili pepper, sauerkraut and brown mustard. Having never had sauerkraut before, that was an adventure in and out of itself for me. The hot dog was pretty tasty and juicy, the sauerkraut the perfect complement. I wish that the onions were cooked longer, because I think that caramelized onions with that hot dog would have been sublime.
