Dog Days

Is there life for Valley hot dog lovers beyond Rubin’s Red Hots?

I’m a stand-up sausage eater myself and I want to know, so I spent the better part of the last week in quest of a dog that could equal or surpass the one served at Rubin’s, that peerless Sherman Oaks stand where Chicago dogs rule and the hand-cut fries are cooked in pure peanut oil. This is a brief report on what I found.

The Wiener Factory is a bright green box located on one of the tonier stretches of Ventura Boulevard. Most people who come here treat it as a takeout place, but if you insist on not eating your dog in your car, two hard, round stone tables are available.

The dogs served here are made for the proprietors by a small company whose name is not divulged. They come in three varieties: regular, all-beef and Polish. All three are served on fresh, chewy buns. These good-tasting dogs are priced at $2.05-$2.70.

The Wiener Factory’s best is the Polish, a sausage with a sneakily sharp bite; it spurts a dangerous amount of juice when pierced. The all-beef is mild with a nice beefy flavor. The regular, made from a mixture of pork and beef, has a flavor that I’d describe as pleasantly nondescript.

Good toppings are available. In addition to a piquant brown deli mustard, you’ll find homemade red cabbage (which goes quite well with the Polish), shredded Jack cheese and sweet, fresh chopped onions.

The Wiener Factory, 14917 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. Street parking. No alcohol. Cash only. (818) 789-2676.

Heading west, we come to Cupid’s Hot Dogs, a cute red-and-white stand hard by a carwash. The sausage purveyor who provides Cupid’s its dogs is a trade secret, I was told by an employee behind the order window.

Two hot dogs are available here, the regular ($1.95) and a quarter-pound kosher dog ($2.50). The kosher is definitely better, because it is juicier, fatter and smokier--all in all a far more satisfying pup.

Cupid’s is obviously fashioned after the L.A. legend called Pink’s, whose famous chili dog, in my opinion, you have to be a native Angeleno to love. As at Pink’s, a regular Cupid’s hot dog comes with mealy, bland chili, chopped onions and yellow mustard with a sharp, vinegary bite. With the kosher dog, a slice of good kosher dill pickle is substituted for the onion.

Both hot dogs taste better without the chili, which masks their good beefy flavors.

Cupid’s Hot Dogs, 19336 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. Parking lot. No alcohol. Cash only. (818) 774-1150.

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Finally there is the Wienery, a bright, cheerful place where you order in the kitchen and then repair to either a patio or a small dining room emblazoned with beer signs. This is the one major hot dog venue with good beers on tap, in case you like suds to wash down your dog.

The hot dogs, from Chicago’s famous Vienna Beef Co., are high in price but also in quality. All come with mustard, relish and onion, unless otherwise specified. Kraut and chili are also available.

These are probably the best dogs I’ve tasted outside Rubin’s. They come on good steamed buns and are properly tender and juicy. I like the knockwurst ($3.20) best, and then the Polish (also $3.20).

The Wienery, 21028 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. Parking in lot. Beer and wine only. MasterCard and Visa. (818) 704-5556.