Tuesday, November 24, 1998
Carney’s hot dogs not so hot
FOOD: Theme restaurant offers uninteresting eats, no good reason
to return
By Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Toot-toot, all aboard! Grab a burger, grab a dog and grab an ice
cold, frothy pint to slosh it all down with. Because without
libation, this meat train only partially delivers.
Although Carney’s on Sunset Blvd. has been considered somewhat
of a Los Angeles landmark, this train-car shaped hot dog stand must
have acquired its reputation more from its creamy yellow box-car
design than its menu. Offering more than patties and dogs alone,
the joint has lost its focus without providing any worthy
gastronomical substitutes.
At $2.50, the Carney’s Hot Dog would seem a deal, including
chili, mustard, tomato and onions. Yet, the measly little wiener,
placed in a flimsy white bread bun, might as well have emerged from
the Vons frozen food section. Certainly nothing to get the taste
buds quivering, this slab of meat lies slathered in a tub of bland
chili.
For $2.20, the New Yorker Hot Dog is no tastier. Even with
prickly sauerkraut and mustard, the dog itself remains filling, at
best. Only a sudsy Heineken, a steal at $2.75, provides the
illusion of satisfaction with the standard meal.
Sadly, even the $2.75 cheeseburger scrimps where it should
splurge. The fresh chili, onions, tomato, pickles and mustard only
disguise the two pancake-shaped meat patties which unobtrusively
rest between the two scrappy buns. Hardly substantial enough to
sink one’s teeth into, this sandwich doesn’t even ooze delicious
meat juice. No fun.
Even those who wish to appease an appetite for fresher fare will
come away craving more. The Thai Wrap, at $4.75, has too many
flavorless shredded carrots and crunchy noodles. The small
proportion of red bell peppers and mere trickle of spicy thai
peanut sauce fail to flavor the overwhelming amount of lettuce in
the soft, fresh sun-dried tomato-basil tortilla. Although the wrap
definitely feels healthy, only the scattered morsels of grilled
chicken breast give any indication that real food has entered the
belly.
Even the sides of french fries ($1.55) taste no crunchier or
fresher than that of any other venue. And for dessert, the
chocolate-dipped, frozen banana ($1) really doesn’t blow one’s
mind. Generally, the only reason to visit Carney’s would be to grub
in a train car on Sunset for relatively little money and then say
you did it. Otherwise, save up for a feast on pricier meals
somewhere up the street. The staff may not be as friendly nor the
ambience as relaxed, but your belly will smile and thank you.
Carney’s is located at 8351 Sunset Blvd., in West Hollywood. For
restaurant hours, call (310) 654-8300. A complete meal costs $5 –
$10.
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