Grub Scout: High-tail it to Hardin Valley's Double Dogs for solid burgers, sandwiches, more

I promise you one thing from the outset of this review. Despite the unapologetically canine motif of our latest dining destination, Double Dogs, I refuse to make any reference to this new Hardin Valley restaurant “going to the dogs.” I generally eschew such trite sayings, and I have a bone to pick with anyone who disagrees.

All that said, Double Dogs will certainly appeal to those who call themselves dog lovers. Canned barking emanated from the large doghouse standing sentinel near the entrance as The Grub Spouse, The Grub Sprout and I arrived to sniff out this Kentucky-based eatery.

Double Dogs was packed on a weeknight, and despite its sports bar atmosphere, we saw lots of children of all ages, so they do seem to cater to families. The far wall of the main dining and bar area is covered with nine large-screen TVs, and smaller screens are liberally placed throughout the rest of the restaurant, including the ancillary dining room where our trio was seated.

Nearby, we noticed several wall-mounted prints of sports heroes depicted as cartoonish canine caricatures. And Double Dogs is evidently named after two dogs named Bo and Chancey, whose stories are told inside the menu.

Speaking of which, we pawed our way through the menu listings, which starts diners off with a selection of chicken wings and fingers, served either plain or with a choice of nearly a dozen sauces. There are also several salads and fried appetizers, including Bo’s Dog Bowl Nachos, which are served in an actual metallic food dish for dogs (as are kids’ meals).

Made with chili, Italian sausage and refried beans, the nachos were tempting, but we opted instead for an order of six chipotle barbecue chicken fingers. We were very pleased with the fingers and their notably flavorful — though not intended to be spicy — sauce.

You’ll find a handful of entrees on the menu (chicken pot pie, steak, shrimp, etc.), but sandwiches and burgers account for most of the fare. Sandwiches include Philly cheese steak, grilled chicken, hot chicken fingers and The Dachsund — an American-style Hebrew National hot dog.

Third-pound burgers include the straightforward Betty Burger, a mushroom and Swiss, and a blue-cheese burger, while the Double Dog Burgers are two-patty creations with toppings like bacon, jalapenos and barbecue sauce. The Big John is a behemoth of a burger, made with double meat plus split hot dogs, chili and all the usual burger fixings.

The Spouse got a pork tenderloin sandwich, The Sprout got a BBQ bacon burger, and I got a buffalo burger (made with buffalo meat, not Buffalo sauce). My main issue was that these burgers cost in the $8 to $9 range and didn’t include any side items. We paid another $3 to split a side order of onion rings (the only other choice is fries).

However, we weren’t barking up the wrong tree with our selections, which definitely put an end to our stomachs’ growling. The burgers were juicy and tasty, even the one with the leaner buffalo meat. The pork tenderloin sandwich was enjoyable as well, and our onion rings, though breaded instead of battered, were hefty and well prepared. For dessert, The Spouse and I split a delicious turtle cheesecake, hoping it wouldn’t give us too much of a pooch.

The lively atmosphere, diligent service and memorable bar food all added up to a good first impression for this new franchise, and I think Knoxvillians should at least check it out once. I double-dog dare ya.

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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