New Name, Same Taste - The Hound House in Culloden

A coworker told me about a new hot dog place he'd seen over the weekend. He said it was on Route 60 in Culloden and it was called "The Hound House," so off I went thrilled to find a new HDJ in Culloden that could apply some market pressure on Hillbilly Hot Dogs.

You see on my previous visit to the Culloden location of the Lesage/Huntington based Hillbilly Hot Dogs I found that there was precious little to be thrilled about. The hot dogs were dull, the chili was weak and the slaw was uninspired. The decor was cool but the food was not. So I am thinking that another HDJ in the area, if it offered quality hot dogs, would force Hillbilly to step it up a much needed notch. Competition is usually a good thing.

But on my way through Culloden when I came to the place where I last saw Hillbilly's, instead I found The Hound House! I found out from the new owner that Hillbilly's has been out of business for quite some time, and that there have been two other HDJs in this building between Hillbilly's and The Hound House.

So, is the Hound House an improvement over the past tenants? Well, it's different, but I'm afraid it's not better. The slaw is a little better than Hillbilly's, but the chili isn't quite as good. The bun wasn't steamed or heated. The weenie was unremarkable. The decor that was so fun and irreverent as Hillbilly's is now just lifeless.

The Hound House does offer entertainment in the form of pool tables in the back room ($1 per game). Other than that, there's really nothing much to report about this little out of the way HDJ. As for a rating, well, since Hillbilly's garnered 3 Weenies and since The Hound House is pretty much the same, we'll leave the 3 Weenie rating in place.