Friday, June 30, 2006

la cienega farmers' market.

la cienega  farmers' market tomatoes la cienega farmers' market herbs 2
la cienega farmers' market herbs 1 la cienega farmers' market chayote and persian lemons

currently my favourite farmers' market is the one at la cienega and 18th street, held on thursday afternoons from 3pm until 7pm. it's not very big, but it manages to have whatever i need, from organic produce to beautiful flowers, along with jars of local honey, freshly baked breads and pastries, handmade tamales, even locally made peruvian food. i am mostly curious over the kiosks with giant grills featuring louisiana-style cajun hot links, tacos al carbon, and my new guilty pleasure...

sausage grill

...the bacon-wrapped hot dog. it is as the name states, a hot dog wrapped in salty, fatty bacon, then grilled until well-browned and almost crispy, then served on a sesame bun with grilled onions and green peppers, along with tomato ketchup, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, and grilled fresh jalapeño peppers.

bacon-wrapped hot dog with grilled onions and peppers

there's no point in trying to be a purist about this--wherever you may get it, some 'dogs may be better than others, but they are truly just hot dogs, wrapped in the fattiest, saltiest bacon possible, and the ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise actually improve the flavour of the whole debacle. cuts through the fat and grease. this one was particularly good because the onions were grilled to sweetness, and the jalapeño peppers still had a bit of crunch along with the spicy bite. the bun held together well, and there was at least half an onion and half a green bell pepper atop the porky log. mmmmmmm. i wonder how many of these i can eat without giving myself a coronary. i wonder if i can find one in tomorrow's marketing expedition....

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

The bacon-wrapped hot dog sounds like a delicious heart-attack snack. My boyfriend will have an orgasm just imagining one...something to try very soon.

santos. said...

anon, the other sausages (in particular the spicy chicken and spicy beef sausages) are definitely higher quality and tastier, but they somehow do not match the sheer genius and decadence of the pork-wrapped beef 'dog. and then piling on that gunk on top is just icing on the cake :)

Acme Instant Food said...

OH MY GOD I WANT THAT HOT DOG RIGHT NOW. Can you tell that I'm killing time before going out to dinner..I'm kinda hungry. :)

Cathy said...

That produce is beautiful, but that hotdog... OMG!

santos. said...

acme, what did you end up eating instead?

cathy, it's a thing of beauty in its own right, in a wholly different way from all the produce (:

Anonymous said...

omy...they also sell bacon wrapped dogs from carts outside of some clubs. yeesss....sooo good after drinking and dancing!

Amparo said...

Haha! I just went there for the first time yesterday! I was also tempted by the yummy smelling hotdogs. Instead, I took home a couple of tamales. I grilled a whole tilapia that i got from there also for only $1.50! Welcome back to LA. :-)

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comoprozac said...

I stumbled upon your blog. Is your title an Afghan Whigs reference?

santos. said...

comoprozac, sorry, no. unfortunately, i have never had greg dulli wait for me at any corner....

thebigtomato said...

Wow, what an appealing review of the La Cienega Farmers' Market. As supervisor of this fabulous community farmers market I can attest that those hot dogs are to die for! I have to limit myself to 1 per month or I'll be lookin' like one too! Our produce is so fresh, and the prices are good as well. Thank you Santos for the beautiful pic's. Stop by sometime and I'll buy you a dog!

Unknown said...

While there do not forget the fabulous Kettle Corn and next to this stall is a wonderful cheese truck, with the most delicious cheeses and cold cuts.
This market is a "must visit" for anyone!