Surf's Up

Hot dogs-- the white tuxedo of my culinary world.  I like to bust it out every once in while when the setting is right-- like at a dodger game or on a first date down to the pier (one of those is hypothetical).  Sadly, these kinds of settings are few and far between in LA (disclaimer: I have yet to try Let's Be Frank but have heard good things.) That's why we were so excited when we visited Surf Dog up north.  It is a truly great hot dog stand, one that really embodies all the characteristics of the hot dog-- simple, bold, eccentric.

The stand is located on the edge of a softball field, just off the 101 freeway in Carpinteria.   The man who runs it-- I don't know his name-- is what people over fifty call "a real character." If you told me he was homeless and slept under the cart I wouldn't be surprised, yet it's also plausible that he's a movie producer who sells hot dogs in his spare time.  Either way, he's clearly not in it for the money.  When we arrived with a mere 50 cents in our pocket, he insisted we still take a dog and "pay him back later," a practice we later learned was a common occurrence. Are you listening, Robin Williams? Your next role is right here waiting for you.



Now, I should probably admit that when it comes to hot dogs I'm pretty easy to please. Give me a Hebrew National, a good bun, maybe a little sauerkraut and that's it, I'm happy. And that's exactly what you get at surf dog: no gourmet fixings, no artisanal ingredients, just a guy doling out decent hot dogs and a lot of good karma. And after your dog fix you get to walk down to the seal rookery and watch baby seals hang ten on poseidon's glorious waves. what more could you ask for on a saturday afternoon?

Surf Dog
Between the softball field and the driving range
Off the Casitas Pass exit of the 101
Carpinteria CA