Oh the park at Echo Park. While it is unquestionably a Mecca for local Hispanic family picnics, it is also unquestionably working hard to attract the local hipsters. Hence, Square One at the Boathouse exists literally in the boathouse where people can rent paddle boats and serves up some good-looking if not exciting-looking food.
I chose the Organic Hot Dog on a Wheat Bun, which is clearly not a cluster of words that I enjoy uttering, but I do like hot dogs so whatevs. Plus I ordered the chorizo chili and cheddar cheese on top so there’s that. Oh and the Hand Cut Fries.
The hot dog began in disappointment, as apparently the chili and cheese included onions. They were diced so it was extra hard to take them out, but that I did. Then, the whole wheat bun completely failed to hold together so I was left with a very difficult eating situation, but eat I did. And it turned out the flavors were all there. The hot dog was nicely grilled with a solid snap, while the chili had a good kick and the cheddar was white.
The big winner, though, was the fries. I don’t know if these were fried in crack but they were potentially some of the greatest straight up fries I’ve ever had. I wish I could explain why, but really can’t say besides the fact that they were perfectly fried, perfectly salted and apparently being hand cut had something to do with them as well.
For a meal in the park, Square One at the Boathouse is not bad, but not especially great either. However, for a place to grab some fries as a snack, holy crap this place is amazing.
