What a lamely workified two weeks it's been! Alissa & I have been trying to get lunchy for the past ten days to no avail. And for that, we apologize. But today the light at the end of the tunnel shined bright & we were able to sneak out for the most hasty Burbank Biting yet. A 3:45 lunch. A lunch that would ruin my dinner. A lunch that threatens to rise up in the middle of the night & strike back. A lunch that could, quite possibly, ruin my digestive tract for life. And it was worth it(???).
Today's late lunching took us to Larry's Chili Dog on Burbank Blvd. A large sign on the wall boasts that they've been serving Burbank for over "50 Years." Alissa wondered aloud why they had put that in quotes as I pondered it silently....
Larry's is one of those little corner shack-type restaurants with a sweet sign that you can't help but to notice when you drive by. Seating is outside only (which can be a little brutal when Alissa takes the only chair in the shade, presumably to protect her Casper the Friendly Ghost-esque skin, while you sweat in the glaring sun) & there's a walk-up window for ordering. At that window was John. I already knew what I'd be ordering from John, and I'd been dreading it for weeks...
The basics: It's called Larry's CHILI DOG. Need I say more? Well apparently, yes I do. Because they have a lot more than just chili dogs here. They also have chili burgers, chili fries, chili chicken things, chili turkey things, chili veggie-based items, chili breakfast morsels, etc. Oh, and a lot of other non-chili stuff too.
Alissa: I will now admit that I was a little jealous that Cory ordered something that allowed him to feel naughty and dangerous... but I guess he had to deal with digesting it as the night progressed and that part probably wasn’t so badass. Or literally was. Meanwhile, I was at the fair eating a chicken fillet between crispy creme jelly donuts to make up for it- but that’s another story.
So. What did I order? I got the Hawaiian Dog. That’s pineapple chunks and bbq sauce piled on a hot dog. It’s also grilled onions at John’s recommendation. And I got it with a veggie dog, as it is my intention to let you know if there are vegetarian/vegan options at these places. Though I am not vegan/veggie now, I have been both, and have many friends who are- and it’s nice to know that if you don’t eat animalparts you can get something to eat at a place called Chili Dog Larry’s, right?
Anyhow- it tasted just how you might think it would. BBQ sauce is not overpowering... bun is nice and soft. I did not feel horrible after eating it either. I cannot say it was EFFING amazing- but it was totally pleasant. I realized while eating it that it was truly missing the fat/salt component that meat would have delivered. Pork and pinapple? DUH. But I can say- I would have been real happy to find this when I was completely not eating les animaux.
John said that he will cook your dog- veggie or otherwise however you want. He said most of his vegan customers get it grilled. But that he can boil or DEEP FRY whatever you order. John is totally down for your ideas- not a dog nazi. He seems game for experimentation so I totally recommend you look at what they have and ask for whatever you come up with. I think I blew it by not ordering a bacon-wrapped deep fried veggie dog. NEXT TIME. But the fact is- you can eat something that isn't totally going to clog your arteries and allows you to work through the rest of your day without dying on your desk. Which is nice. And oh yeah- I also got strawberry soda, which is awesome. Obviously. They have a handful of delicious-looking bottled sodas. Grape will be next for me!
Cory: You know those anti-smoking ads you used to see that said something along the lines of, "every cigarette you smoke takes 5 minutes off of your life"? Well, I kinda feel like a similar warning should be posted regarding what I ordered. Oh, wait...it sorta is...
John recommended that I top it off w/ chili, which I did because, hey, it's in the name of the restaurant. It took a little longer than I thought it would to arrive (presumably because John was back there masterfully hand-crafting this beast, and when it finally came out it looked...um...menacing.
The plastic knife & fork indicated that this is a dog too big to be treated like a dog. But I did anyway. After scoping it out for a bit & carefully selecting the "first bite zone", I picked it up & chowed down. Chili, bacon, rings, hot sauce, and polish sausage. Amen! This thing was AWESOME. Granted, I will never ever EVER have it again (because it's now a full 24 hours later & I'm still feeling it), but damn am I glad I tried it once! The genius behind its construction is what really propels this thing to greatness. Everyone knows that bacon-wrapped dogs are the bee's knees, but threading it through onion rings & DEEP FRYING it? Brilliant. The hot sauce added a nice tang to the meaty friedness & the chili was the perfect addition. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that chili isn't included in the standard-issue Mini Stroke. I just makes it that much better.
And, as daunting a task as it seemed to finish the entire thing, I easily could have. But Alissa said I didn't have to. So I didn't.
And then I exploded.
Good Bite? Or just totally bites?
A: Good bite. I'd go back fo sho. You might want to wait til the heat calms down a little tho- cause it's only outdoor seating. John said he nearly just closed for the day during the record heat on Monday... but had one customer every time he almost called it quits.
C: Good bite. So long as it covered in chili (and bacon...and onion rings...and hot sauce), how can it possibly be bad? Though my hot body may never recover...
Info:
3122 W Burbank Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 842-0244
Open Weekdays 10am-5pm; Sat 11am-4pm
**Our reports are based on one visit/meal- so we're far from experts on these joints! so if you have advice or experiences you'd like to share, please feel free to enlighten us & our readers! Our goal is to give enough info that someone might feel okay trying somewhere new (or know to avoid it!). Thanks for reading :)
