The Critical Consumer

Today for lunch, a friend and I went to the semi-new “The Dog of Nashville” on Belcourt Ave. I’d heard it was coming and knew it had veggie and turkey dogs, so I thought it sounded like a good idea, especially after learning that McDougal’s down the street got a 45 on their latest Health Inspection! Ugh!

The interior at “The Dog” is pretty plain, definitely not as festive as some of the other establishments on Belcourt Ave., but they do have a small patio for outdoor seating. Still, I can’t imagine they’ll have enough indoor space once the weather cools down just a little more.

The menu seemed varied enough, multiple types of hotdogs, a few bun selections, and a multitude of toppings.  They also have a few typical sides, like fries, onion rings, baked beans and cole slaw. The hotdogs themselves range from $2.75-$3.25, but then as soon as you add on anything other than the basic condiments, the price goes up in $0.25-$.0.50 increments depending on what you add. The sides are between $1.50-2.00, and then drinks are pretty cheap. My total came to over $8 for a turkey dog and 2 sides (the menu on the website has outdated pricing).

I was kinda expecting a hotdog that was out of the ordinary…I dunno, maybe larger than store-bought dogs, or plumper, or something. But, when it came out, it was basically just a regular ole’ hotdog on a regular size bun. I asked for ketchup, mustard, onions and mushrooms. I swear, there was one strip of ketchup and one strip of mustard and then a meager sprinkling of onions and mushrooms. I could understand the minimalism if the hotdog had been something extra tasty, but really, the condiments were the only hope of sprucing up an otherwise very boring dog.

The sides were completely unproportioned…a large cup (and I mean, 8oz styrofoam cup) of baked beans and then an itty bitty, maybe 3oz cup of cole slaw. I think if each could’ve been somewhere in between, it would’ve made more sense.

All in all, the place didn’t impress me much. I may go back sometime, but it was definitely nothing to howl about.