Lil' Buddy's

In a word: Movie theater snack bar without the price of admission.

The specs: #00947   
201 Janesville St., Oregon 53575
Details at
Official web site, Facebook

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JM ate the chili dog and the mac & cheese dog.
Nichole ate the Chicago dog.
We also bought some popcorn.
The bill was like $3/dog.
JM gave Lil' Buddy's a B+; Nichole gave Lil' Buddy's an A- (see our grading rubric).

Lil' Buddy's falls into one of those categories of place that is barely a restaurant, yet is exactly the kind of thing that we like to learn about. It's basically a popcorn store a la Rural Route 1 or Clary's. In addition to this, however, there are hot dogs, ice cream, and slushes. It is sort of like a stripped down Carnival's where popcorn is truly the star.

JM got a pair of dogs: the chili dog was mostly as expected except that it was a little bitter, with a chili sauce that did not quite achieve his ideal of a great chili dog. The mac & cheese dog was better with perfectly shaped and perfectly cooked noodles served with an understated but tasty BBQ sauce. Nichole's Chicago dog fell right where it belonged, which was well within the canon. She enjoyed it.

Of course, man cannot live on hot dogs alone. We got three bags of popcorn, including a honey mustard, a salt and pepper, and a peanut butter and chocolate blend. Each flavor is truly bold, expressing itself early and often. Grabbing a bag of their popcorn means never having to guess at what the flavor is; it is obvious. Also delicious.

There are a couple of other flavors we want to try, and so we will likely be back next time we pass through Oregon. Furthermore, since Capital Creamery has closed, it seems like the best place in Oregon to stop on a warm day.

Comments

[Chris]

That Chicago dog looks very authentic. I'll travel the 10 miles to try one. Have you tried the Home Depot Chicago dog? If so, how does it compare?

[nichole]

It's been a while since I had a Depot Dog, which are my favorite just for the context, but this one compared really favorably. Say, do you know if it's true that the green relish is a recent-ish development in Chicago dog preparation?