TOD
I wonder what my first chili dog or chili cheeseburger might have been. I must have had such a thing before I was 22 or 23, but unless I think of any before I moved to L.A., it would have to be Tommy's (I worked one block from the Beverly Blvd. & Rampart location) or maybe one at the Hamburger Hamlet. Or a chili dog at the Orange Julius -- maybe on Hollywood Blvd., but definitely in later years at Stan's in Westwood. WHOA--another memory just kicked in. Was there a Julius in Beverly Hills, on Wilshire at Beverly or Canon? North side of Wilshire?
Favorite in the burger department would probably be Tommy's, and later, the Carney's version of it. But it was something I only ever got when I was prepared to have a very messy eating experience. I never got the hot dogs there, I was too much of a burger nut to want to bother. In later years, I have loved the chili dogs at Nathan's original place in Coney Island, but I found even the ones at other Nathan's outlets to be just about as good but without the sea air.
As for what I like on them -- always raw onion, and sometimes grated cheese, depending on place and mood. But the onion is a must. I recently learned that a splash of mustard (just good old French's yellow mustard) is also a refreshing flavor addition. Just don't goop it up like you might on a regular hot dog.
I now haven't had chili on a burger in perhaps three decades, but I do make chili, cheese, and onion dogs at home. I actually bought supplies for them last week and tonight would be a perfect night for them.
