Pink’s hot dogs come to the Strip
Pink’s is to Hollywood what Nathan’s is to Brooklyn: a hot dog institution. Whereas Nathan’s expanded, however, Pink’s has remained at the same corner (La Brea and Melrose avenues) on which it opened as a pushcart in 1939.
In August, that changed with a second location, facing the Strip at the south end of Planet Hollywood, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Las Vegas restaurateur Billy Richardson, along with the casino, licensed the name from the original Pink family.
On the menu are 23 dogs, plus four named for celebrities — Holly Madison, Kim Kardashian, Mel B and 2009 Miss America Katie Stam — who visited the restaurant during its grand opening and created their own recipes. There also are seven burgers.
“It’s the same food as in L.A.,” says Pink’s corporate chef Anthony Meidenbauer, explaining that it’s delivered three times daily by the same suppliers.
What matters as much as the food in Los Angeles is the experience of obtaining it: queuing behind the hungry crowd that almost always envelops the culinary landmark, sometimes alongside celebrities who never receive VIP treatment. Pink’s has no history here, so it relies on the recognition of California tourists and its convenience factor.
“Other than McDonald’s and Fatburger up the street, there’s not a whole lot of stuff you can grab and go — that you don’t have to walk into a casino and meander through the whole building to find,” Meidenbauer says. “We’re basically sitting on what we consider the 50-yard line of the Las Vegas Strip.”
Prices are nearly double that of the Pink’s in Los Angeles. However, this 1,900-square-foot location has several things its forerunner does not: room to eat, inside at the counter or on a balcony holding 60; a liquor license; and computerized operations, which means that the line — which can be more than an hour in Los Angeles — is never more than 30 minutes.
Pink’s is open from 11 a.m. to about midnight Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Appetizers: Onion rings, $4.50; french fries, $3.50; bowl of chili, $4.25
Entrees: Vegas Strip Dog, two hot dogs in one bun with chili, cheese, mustard, onions, guacamole and jalapenos, $7.25; Planet Hollywood Dog, Polish sausage with grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon and nacho cheese, $8.50; double pastrami Swiss burger, $9.25
By COREY LEVITAN