Happy Hound - Los Gatos

I've been on a burger and hot dog kick lately. Must be the approaching summer. This cold weather needs to high-tail it outta here already! One fun place that's just over the hill in Los Gatos is the Happy Hound. It started in 1971, so you know they know what's up.

Happy Hound (Yelp)

There's only a few tables inside and several around the back, so when this place gets busy, to-go is the way to go. We got there at 6pm on a Saturday night and grabbed a couple stools at the counter.

The menu is basic - hot dogs, burgers, chicken sandwich, fries, onion rings and drinks/shakes. You can watch them grill it all up through the glass. So would the food be better than a Boardwalk snack shack or fast food?

Our first order was the Polish Dog ($5.95), which was on a roll with tomato, red onions, mustard and pickles. You get your food in a plastic basket with checkered wax paper. The sausage was grilled perfectly and the roll was toasted. So far, so good!

We got the medium fries ($2.95) instead of the small and the massive size. The massive one would feed an entire little league team since it filled the whole bag. Medium was enough for the two of us, but the fries weren't spectacular.

The onion rings ($3.95) were actually pretty great! They come with either ranch or BBQ sauce and the batter was thick and crispy. They use some sort of seasoning on it and it was a step above the norm.

I was feeling like a burger and got the basic ($4.95) with lettuce, red onion, tomato and pickles. I couldn't get a lot of flavor from the meat, unfortunately, so I'd have to rate it sub-par. A bit too much onion too, so I took off most of it.

I don't know a lot of places in Los Gatos to get a hot dog, so I'd guess this is the place to go. I'd definitely come back for the onion rings, but would stay away from the burgers.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 6 (+1 for onion rings)
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Value for price: 6
Overall: 5.50

Munch Downtown

Sometimes you feel like a five-course meal with soup, salad, steak, veggies and dessert. Sometimes you just want a decent hot dog. Today was a hot dog day and the kid and I headed out downtown. I had found a coupon at Record Store Day (I'm all about the value) for free fries. Good enough to check it out.

Munch (Yelp)

I'm going to guess that the owner who chose the decor was a child of the Eighties. Pac-Man is on the sign and menus (Munch - get it?) and there's bright yellow everywhere. It really stands out on the corner of Pacific and Laurel. This is the second new restaurant to open in this neighborhood in the last few years (KC's Sports Bar the other). Hopefully, it will bring more people to this side of town.

Inside is bright and clean with big video screen menus up above. You can see the cooks grilling up all the food and there are condiments on the counter too. I really liked the record album pictures around all the walls.

Just the basic, plain hot dog for the kiddo! At $4, you would hope it was a decent size and of good quality. Correct on both points. They advertise their "world famous" Philly Cheese Steaks made with 100% Ribeye steak. Also, burgers, corn dogs, chicken strips, Chicken Parm and a Veggie Rice Bowl.

I got the Kraut dog ($5) with the (free) fries on the side. Normally, they are $2 and yes, I shared. There was a generous amount of sauerkraut covering the hot dog and I was fine with the price tag. The fries were crispy and hot.

For dessert, we got the Deep Fried Twinkie ($3). It was on a stick, but we cut off pieces, so we could share. Powered sugar and a chocolate sauce covered the top and the cake inside was soft and fluffly. Quite the treat!

It's good there's another hot dog place downtown - Jack's being the other one. Too bad the Santa Cruz Warriors season is at the end, since I could see stopping here often before games. Definitely grabbing some grub on the way to the Boardwalk concerts this summer.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 6
Atmosphere: 6
Value for price: 7
Overall: 6.5

Jack's Hamburgers

How could I have a food blog with Santa Cruz in the name without having reviewed Jack's? Today, I rectify this predicament! Jack's has been around downtown SC for decades. The story I heard is when the original owner was going to sell in the 90's, the printers at the Sentinel newspaper bought it. They had been going there for years and didn't want to see it closed. Thank you, printers!

Jack's (Yelp)

I met Big Al for lunch here and he texted me there was still a few spots in their little parking lot around back. It's right on the corner of Lincoln and Walnut, so there's other (paid) parking all around.

You go in to order and it's your standard burger menu. Burgers, shakes, fries. But there's always specials posted on the wall too. I've gotten a good tuna sandwich there when I wasn't feeling like a burger. But burgers are where they shine. They call your name and you pick it up at the outside window. Lots of tables outside to soak the sun. Bring shades.

Big Al got the Cheeseburger Basket ($7.25) with a coke. Is there anything more American? It's served in a coffee filter (brilliant!) and the burger is wrapped up too. The fries are crispy outside and soft and fluffly inside. They are sized in between a shoestring and a steak fry. And they go great in ketchup. Lettuce, tomato slice, pickles and red onion round out the hearty sandwich.

I went with the Mushroom and Swiss Special Turkey Burger Basket and a drink ($8.50). These take a bit longer, but so worth it. I added some mustard and enjoyed it to the last bite. It did get a bit sloppy at the end, but who doesn't love that? Good to the last drop.

Who like deals? This is a late lunch or early dinner deal, but look at the value! They also have a sweet deal for the kiddies = hot dog and a drink for $4. That one is for anytime. They are closed Sundays and there are no bathrooms, so plan ahead.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: n/a
Atmosphere: 8 (sunny), 6 (cloudy)
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7.5 - one of the better burger joints in SC!