I made the 40 minute drive to Mechanicsburg today to visit Big Dawg Americans Grille which is owned by rllgthunder (
http://roadfood.com/Forums/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=26747 ). He talked about his restaurant a few times but this was the first time I got a chance to visit it.
It is in an area with fierce competition (but no chains...hrm.) Memphis Blues, one of my favorite restaurants in the York area, is right beside it. Tokyo Diner, The Italian Oven, Pizza Town USA, a bagel & sandwich shop, and a Family style restaurant are ALL in the same strip mall with Big Dawg's.
We went at about 5:00pm on a Saturday and were the only ones in the place. Judging by the amount of tables (and the cool bar-sitting area) I could tell he probably does good business during lunch.
The decor is fairly basic, but super clean. Carpeted floors and painted walls give a nice feel to the place. It may not have some of the culture that some older places have, but it does let you know they care about their establishment.
The friendly waitress instructed us to sit "wherever we wanted". Normally for me I would have chosen the bar, where you could see the food being prepared by the guys in the back (one of them may have been rllgthunder!) but since mom was along we opted for a four seat table.
The menu is pretty basic, but entirely unique. All of their special hot dogs are a foot long, they come in 6 options. I got the Houston BBQ Dog which had american and cheddar cheese, bacon, onions, and BBQ sauce. My dad decide on the New York dog which had traditional brown mustard and cheese. My mom picked out one of their 3 'regular' sized dogs, which are actually a different beast all together. The 'regular' hot dog is firmer and a bit spicier, reminded me of a texas style "jumbo" weiner. The hot dog that I had was simply superb. The dog was cooked perfectly, the bacon was wonderfully crisp and the cheese and onions created a harmonious gift from god that was delivered on a fresh tasting kaiser roll. Dad felt pretty much the same way about his NY dog.
Dad and I both got fresh cut fries, which were SUPERB, I ordered mine as "cajun" which had a pretty nice kick to them...if you don't like spice I would definitely avoid them. The regular fries are great too.
Mom got chili with her order and when I asked her what she thought about it she said simply: "It's good." While this may not sound like a standing ovation for the chili- trust me. It is. She is VERY VERY picky about her chili.
Big Dawgs also offers Hamburgers and Hot Sausage as well as fresh soup and sandwiches during lunch hours. We will definitely be returning in the near future and I suggest those of you who live within 30 minutes or so take a trip on over!
