Kat's 9 Lives

My coworker kept raving about Dog Haus and I finally drove by one while I was in San Gabriel Valley.  I decided that Ms. Lin Guide and I needed to stop for a bite just so I can see what it is all about.
You have to enjoy the irony that they are located next to LA Fitness.  Either work hard and burn off all the extra calories you get after eating there or think about the unhealthy snack while exercising since you walk by this place on the way to the gym.
Everyone there was very friendly and had a very laid back vibe.  The sun was strong that day and beating down on us.  I would recommend sitting somewhere shaded as the light can be blinding.  Since it was our first time, we debated on what to get and this place was a snack interim so we needed to save room.  The people there recommended "The Fonz".  It's a spicy Italian link, hot pastrami, and melted mozzarella in a grilled King's Hawaiian roll.
Was this anything special?  I thought it was decent but nothing I would drive so far for.  Maybe I just ordered the wrong sausage.  They put a generous layer of pastrami but there wasn't any oomph or pow in the flavor.  There is a sauce bar where you can try all the different dipping sauces and add a real kick to the flavor.  They also have a lot of accompaniments for you to layer the 'dog'.
For our side, I wanted to get Tater Tots.  Who doesn't love fried tater tots?  It was nicely fried and crisp but nothing too special.
The best thing I have to say was my Root Beer Float! It's a little pricey IMHO when I first ordered it but the root beer they used was great.  They used Sprecher root beer and this was my first time trying it but it was very well made.  I would definitely recommend getting their root beer and maybe a tub of ice cream to enjoy at home! We guzzled that drink down and they actually give you a pretty hearty portion so in the end it was sort of worth the price.  They use local ice cream nearby.
All in all it was not bad but I don't know if it was anything that special that I would crave for.  I would be willing to come back for snack the next time I have some downtime and maybe find another sausage to satisfy the craving.
Dog Haus
410 E Main St 
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 282-4287

I don't know why I do this to myself all the time! Yet again I stand outside the Legendary Pink's in LA waiting for a freaking hot dog! If you have ever been you will KNOW that the line is freaking LONG ALL THE FREAKING TIME! I am not kidding you! The first time I came at lunch and imagine how long that was! Recently during X-mas we came when I was deathly ill around 11PM to Midnight and yet we waited an hour or so! On Thursday night we went around Midnight after Ms. Lin and I both had a nice dinner/event... we waited 50 minutes. When is there NOT a wait????? If anyone knows, tell me! lol
Before I get to the food review I have to disclose some really bad news right now. I don't know what happened, but on Sunday during dinner I somehow seriously injured my back. These pas few days you might be wondering what happened to me... I will probably be in bed resting and not moving at all for a week or so. Sorry, so bare with me. =*( Catch up by reading some old posts! ^_-
After the first time I came here I realized that I don't like the hot dogs nor the chili on top. So why do we come back you ask? Luckily the first time I came here I was nice enough to buy Ms. Lin a Jalapeño Dog and that was delicious! So now we come just for the Jalapeño Dog and we always wonder if it's really worth the extraneous effort! Well we still love the flavor or maybe we are a glutton for punishment? You can feel the snap when you bite in and boy is that chunky dog filled with jalapeños! YUM YUM! I am normally not a fan of spicy things but this was one of the things that got me started. No pain no gain right? lol
While we were waiting in line we kept debating on if we wanted more! Of course we are greedy so we ordered a third dog, even though we already had a bunch of food that night. O=) We both unanimously agreed on America The Beautiful Dog! It's a 12 inch Jalapeño Hot Dog topped with Pastrami, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomatoes! The pastrami was actually very tasty and well flavored. They were very generous in the toppings and I really enjoyed the bacon. *drool drool* Maybe I will get some Pastrami sandwich next time. That's how good it was. Darn! Then I will have to wait in that freaking line! Boo! Well I guess I am a glutton for punishment! ^_-

Pink's

709 N La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Goodness, I don't know why I am up so early today! Being up at 9AM is unholy for me, so I thought maybe I should post something then ^_^. I have been here before with my ex-coworkers and they loved it. For me, I have only thought this place was mediocre. I mean Pink's was good, but I don't think I am a big hot dog fan. What sold me at Pink's was their Jalapeño Sausage it's so delicious. I decided to give Jerry's Dogs a second try. The service was friendly as usual and the place was clean. For Orange County, this is not a bad place. This time around I have a buy one get one free coupon too!
I wanted to try their Chili Cheese Fries. To my surprise, I actually really liked it. The fries were crispy and drenched in chili, I only wished they put more cheese on it. It was really good and I would recommend this, but I don't know if it's worth $3.50 when you can get a similar thing at other fast food places for like a $1.29
Since I really love the Jalapeño sausage at Pink's, I wanted to give this place a try. It's a Texas style lean pork with Tex-Mex spices then smoked with jalapeño. The specialty of this place is that you get to choose an endless amount of toppings on your dog. There was so much that you can't even see the picture of the sausage. I got the mushrooms, bacon bits, white onions, red onions, and sautéed onions. The spicy flavor was subtle, not as big of a pow wow like Pink's. It was decent, but I don't think I will order this again.
We also decided to try the Smokey Joe's Kielbasa sausage. This was actually really good! I got the same toppings, but after a while you get tired of the toppings because I can't even take a full bite of everything at once. Eventually I gave up and just ate the sausage. This was packed full of flavor, unlike the jalapeño sausage. The texture and snap was just right.
All in all this place was alright. I am still not impressed. Service was friendly as usual. The best part of the meal was the fries I think, although the Kielbasa was a close second. There's still some coupons left for me to use, but I don't know if I'd come back to use them. If you like hot dogs or sausages and can't or won't go to Pink's in LA, then I guess this is a good 2nd choice. Whoever wants to try this place and wants coupons, let me know I still have two of them.