Dog Day Afternoon

Tube steak or not tube steak? That is the question . . .

Comments (0) By Jonathan Gold Wednesday, Aug 5 1998

...continued from page 1

Rubin's Chicago red hot is served in a steamed, seeded roll, moist but not soggy, with the requisite pickle spear, tomato wedge, chopped onion, and a schmeer of piccalilli dyed a violent green you might better associate with some of the less subtle Op Art paintings of Bridget Riley than with something actually eaten as food. Not bad: the goods, in fact. But the traditional celery salt is either missing or so subtle as to appear as if it is, and instead of the necessary handful of sport peppers there is a lone pepperoncini. And Rubin's Red Hots commits the mortal sin of using a kosher-style dog that, while large, is not Vienna brand, and whose casing does not snap when you bite into it! Still, in the dog days of summer, you could do lots worse. 15322 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; (818) 905-6515. Open daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Lunch for two, food only, $8-$12. No alcohol. Takeout. Lot parking. AE, MC, V.

The Shack

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Oki Dog

5056 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019

Category: Restaurant > American

Region: Mid-Wilshire/ Hancock Park

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Pink's Famous Chili Dogs

709 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3338

Category: Restaurant > American

Region: Hollywood

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The Shack is an archetypal beach hamburger dive, a crowded joint in the heart of Playa del Rey with sister restaurants on Oahu and in Santa Monica. The basic unit of exchange here is something called the Shack Burger, a quarter-pound of ground meat and a Louisiana sausage crammed together in a bun. The sausage is ruddy, spicy, grilled crisp; the hamburger patty is charred in a way that you may associate with backyard barbecues, totally carbonized but oddly appealing in its acrid blackness. There is lettuce, mustard, grilled onion on request, all the usual stuff, and a cold bun that tastes right out of the package. The Shack Burger seems repellent on the surface - and will seem repellent an hour after you eat one - but at the time, it is irresistible, all grease and smoke and snap: dude food without peer. 185 Culver Blvd., Playa del Rey; (310) 823-6222. Food served daily 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Lunch or dinner for two, food only, $8-$14. Full bar. Takeout. D, MC, V.