Paul Pink

Paul Pink, who turned a dusty Hollywood street corner into an exuberant pink Mecca for chili dog lovers and late night noshers, has died at age 87. The co-founder with his wife of Pink's Famous Chili Dogs stand suffered a heart attack Thursday at his La Brea Avenue eatery that is a favorite of movie stars and the merely hungry. "He sat down at the desk, where he's been for the last 57 years, and just leaned back and passed away," said his son, Richard.

New York is famous for its pastrami, Buffalo for its chicken wings, Chicago for its deep-dish pizza. And if a culinary historian in 2196 were to look back on the specialties of 20th century Los Angeles--at least in the years before goat cheese pizza and El Pollo Loco--most would have chili on them. Los Angeles is the birthplace of the chili size and the chili burger and the chili tamale and chili fries . . . and not least, the chili dog.

New York is famous for its pastrami, Buffalo for its chicken wings, Chicago for its deep-dish pizza. And if a culinary historian in 2196 were to look back on the specialties of 20th century Los Angeles--at least in the years before goat cheese pizza and El Pollo Loco--most would have chili on them. Los Angeles is the birthplace of the chili size and the chili burger and the chili tamale and chili fries . . . and not least, the chili dog.

Paul Pink, who turned a dusty Hollywood street corner into an exuberant pink Mecca for chili dog lovers and late night noshers, has died at age 87. The co-founder with his wife of Pink's Famous Chili Dogs stand suffered a heart attack Thursday at his La Brea Avenue eatery that is a favorite of movie stars and the merely hungry. "He sat down at the desk, where he's been for the last 57 years, and just leaned back and passed away," said his son, Richard.

The multiracial citizenry who inhabit Southern California in varying degrees of can-we-all-get-along? harmony have nothing on the rainbow coalition of local restaurants. Seldom seen in foodstuffs other than M&Ms, blue figures in House of Blues, downtown's Blue Cube hamburger stand and Pete's Blue Chip, an Eagle Rock sandwich joint named for owner Pete Vagenas and for the (usually) positive connotations of blue chip stocks.

Jerry Primack of Canoga Park was in the pink Sunday as he arrived at his mother-in-law's house for what he believed would be a quiet dinner to celebrate his 50th birthday. His pink turned to a blush once he realized the more than 60 people standing outside the house holding pink balloons were there to whisk him away on a school bus to his surprise birthday party.

The gig: Co-owners of the Pink's hot dog stand. Richard Pink, 65, his sister, Beverly Pink Wolfe, and his wife, Gloria Pink, inherited the stand near the corner of Melrose Avenue and La Brea Boulevard in Hollywood from Richard and Beverly's parents. Richard Pink, a real estate lawyer for ING Real Estate, holds the title of president. His wife oversees operations and promotions. The family took the business from a humble pushcart in a weed-choked lot to a Hollywood landmark.

If you're a mushroom lover, this new mushroom slicer may be just the thing for you. It can slice up a box of mushrooms in minutes, though we found it works best if the mushrooms are fresh and firm. The steel blades will slice a batch of uniform mushroom slices for salads, soups or stir fries. It also works well on strawberries and some vegetables. It locks closed for easy storage and is dishwasher safe. Mushroom Slicer, $14.95 from Sur La Table stores.

Ever since the Winnetka 20 movie theater opened last year in Chatsworth, Lila Carone has come here almost weekly, usually in the afternoons. But it's not the bargain matinees that draw her. It's the food--specifically, the Pink's chili cheese hot dogs. A Los Angeles culinary institution, Pink's hot dogs were available only at the original Pink's stand on La Brea Avenue near Melrose Avenue until the Winnetka 20 started selling them last year.

Have you ever been to Pink's when it opens in the morning, when the giant blocks of chili in the steam table haven't yet completely melted into orange grease, when the customers consist mostly of cops and copy-shop dudes, when you talk yourself into believing chili dog breath before noon may not be a liability? Consider the Pink's dog, uncouth and garlicky, tapered and uncommonly slender, skin thick and taut, so that when you sink your teeth into it, the sausage . . . pops . . .

July 4 puts me in mind of hot dogs--and some of L.A.'s legendary eaters. The celebrity record at Pink's on La Brea is still held by Orson Welles. "He'd come here at least once a week," the late founder Paul Pink once said. "He'd eat anywhere from 12 to 15 hot dogs at one sitting." At the frankfurter-shaped Tail o' the Pup on San Vicente Boulevard, manager Dennis Blake recounted the feats of visiting football players, such as USC's 270-pound Keith Van Horne.