For years, UCLA has been on the verge of greatness. A
world-class academic institution, the school offers a superior
program for undergraduates and cutting-edge research facilities.
The school is also set in a vibrant, diverse and sun-drenched city.
Yet, one rarely hears UCLA mentioned by the world’s great
scholars when the finest universities are being discussed.
And that may be because UCLA has never had a decent place to
grab some late-night food on the way back from bars.
Every great school has such a place. UC Berkeley has the
venerable Top Dog, and it is the No. 1 school on U.S. News &
World Report’s 2005 list of the best public universities. UC
Santa Barbara has Freebird’s World Burrito, and since 1998,
four UCSB professors have won Nobel prizes.
But last fall U Dog opened for business on Gayley Avenue, giving
hope to the Westwood community that some day, UCLA too will have a
formidable late-night food option and possibly more Nobel
laureates.
U Dog quickly emerged as a cult favorite among UCLA students.
The eatery is inexpensive (92 cents a sausage, for now at least),
open late (until 3 a.m., Thursday through Saturday) and most
importantly, delicious.
“At first I thought, “˜These sausages are
amazing,'” fourth-year mathematics student Adam Hirsch
said. “Then I tried the Santa Fe Turkey sausage with cheese
and now I’m borderline addicted.”
Hirsch is not the only person with a favorite sausage ““ I
spoke with several of the businesspeople associated with the
establishment and each told me about his preferred dog.
Principal owner Richard Shindle enjoys the basic U Dog while
manager Dave Woodard loves the Kielbasa because “it’s
one of the few outside of Coney Island where the sausage snaps back
at you when you bite into it.”
My favorite is the Knockwurst ““ so smoky, yet so
refined.
Shindle, who splits his time between Santa Rosa and Los Angeles,
was inspired by the success of Top Dog to open his own sausage
emporium.
“I always wanted to bring that atmosphere to a college
town and make it a good place to eat,” he said.
To that end, U Dog is a significant addition to Westwood
Village. The nearby Roll-In similarly provides collegiate customers
with inexpensive fare, but it is no match for U Dog in terms of
ambience and culinary achievement. While Shindle said there are
plans to open U Dog branches near other universities, for now,
we’ve got the only one. It’s a small business, and
it’s flourishing in Westwood ““ where it seems only
corporate eateries like Chili’s can survive.
Eating at Chili’s and its corporate brethren in Westwood
(California Pizza Kitchen and Corner Bakery Cafe, among others)
makes me want to see a Jerry Bruckheimer movie and buy a fake
vintage t-shirt from Urban Outfitters. Eating at U Dog makes me
want to watch a François Truffaut film at a locally owned
movie theatre (you know, the kind that has been going out of
business in Westwood for the past few years).
Shindle said business is steadily increasing, and so U Dog may
already be more than a cult favorite. But as its popularity
increases, the eatery may soon do away with the fantastically low
prices that have attracted so much attention. When U Dog first
opened, the sausages were priced at $2.77. Prices quickly dropped
to their famed 92 cents mark (an even $1 with tax), and have held
despite many rumored increases. So, on your way back from a local
bar, in a disoriented, drunken stupor, you’re able to use
pocket change for a midnight snack. But price increases loom.
“We talk about the price constantly,” Shindle said.
“It has not been decided yet. We don’t think we are
going to go as high as $2.77 across the board, but we may take some
of the more expensive sausages up to that level. We are toying with
the idea of always having a special to ensure an affordable meal
for the students.”
There are rumors that the basic U Dog could stay near the 92
cent mark. I implore Shindle to think of the students when prices
are changed. After all, I wasn’t joking about drunken stupors
and only having pocket change.
The phrase “drunken stupor” reminds me of the
breathtaking scene that can be found outside U Dog on any given
Thursday night around 2 a.m.: students happily mingling, sated and
set for the weekend. Every university needs a place like U Dog to
foster a sense of community.
Top Dog, Berkeley’s community-fostering eatery, has been
around since 1966. Even Shindle admits Top Dog is an inspiration,
so I wondered how Berkeley students who have sampled U Dog feel it
compares to their venerable eatery.
“I think the service was a lot better at U Dog,”
fourth-year Berkeley film student Aaron Schmidt said. “U Dog
has more class than Top Dog and it was clean, but as far as flavor
I think Top Dog is better.”
A nuanced comparison of the two establishments merits another
column, but I will say that there’s a reason my cousin Gabe
applied to UCLA and not Berkeley.
Shindle and Woodard want you to have a pleasant experience at 2
a.m. on a Thursday night. They want to make sure that your sausage
tastes exactly right, and that they’ve found the right bakery
for those buns. In the end, that’s what will make U Dog an
integral part of the UCLA community. Hirsch agrees, having summed
it up in a terse burst of hyperbole.
“U Dog is gradually replacing UCLA as the four most
important letters in Westwood Village,” he said.
E-mail Miller at dmiller@media.ucla.edu