Between Bluefield and Bramwell sits a little burg called Bluewell. I've always wondered if the founders simply took the two town names and combined them or if there is some kind of well nearby from which comes blue water. I wonder about things like that all the time.
But I don't have to wonder where to go in Bluewell to find a hot dog, hamburger or a dairy treat. There is only one place and that place is Lynn's.
Lynn's is the last of a dying breed: The curb-service dairy bar, but it looks like a walk up place. In fact both times I have been to Lynn's I mistakenly walked up to the window to place my order and have been met by a car hop coming out the side door. She took my order but then I had to show her which car I was in so she could bring my order to me. I sheepishly slunk back to my car and waited.
While I waited I considered the signage on and around Lynn's. There were the obligatory banners advertising sundaes and cones and the obligatory Pepsi changeable letter menu inside, behind the unused ordering windows. There was also hand scrawled messages on the window glass that made it abundantly clear that Lynn's is serious about hamburgers, hoagies and hot dogs; promising "Lynn's Famous Chili" on the hot dogs.
Of course, by this time I already knew that Lynn's was serious about hot dogs because when I placed my order they passed my sure-fire litmus test: "Everything", I was told most confidently, includes chili, slaw, mustard and onions: Perfect answer that always - and I mean always - predicts greatness.So it should come as no surprise that Lynn's rates highly. Every piece of this hot dog is of superb quality. The bun is steamed to perfection, served in a wax paper sleeve made it wonderfully soft. The weenie was as good as it gets and Lynn's Famous Chili was as good as advertised; nice slow burn and a good meaty texture. The slaw was a perfect compliment to the chili, but was served a little too sparingly for my tastes. It was made from shredded cabbage which gave it a different texture from the more typical chopped stuff. The onions were tasty and the mustard added some zip. There was simply nothing wrong with this hot dog.
This is the furthest south in the state we've been for a hot dog review and it was very nice to find such a wonderful specimen clear down here next to the Virginia border. There's no doubt that Lynn's deserves a Five Weenie rating.
I used to go to Lynn's all the time when I was a kid with my dad. Place looked a lot different back then but that was about 40 years ago. Honestly, I've never had a hot dog as good as those were.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm... that looks goooooood!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Bluewell and was practically raised on these slaw dogs. When I moved to Savannah in '96, I tried getting these South Georgia folks to eat a slaw dog and was met with MUCH disgust and opposition. The first time I took my husband to visit my hometown, the VERY FIRST PLACE we stopped was Lynns for one of the slaw dogs I had been going on and on about. I know I'm home when I bite into one.
ReplyDeleteAlmost 13 years on and I still haven't been able to convince my husband to actually bite into one, but I have to say, it's one of the things I miss most about home. Lynn's Drive-In is a true institution and most of the people around Bluewell, Montcalm, and Bramwell were raised on those dogs.
Great review! You've got me aching to take a trip back home. :)
I grew up in Montcalm, WV. A visit to Lynn's was always a real treat. In my teens worked a summer as a car hop.
ReplyDeleteThere is no hotdog in any state across this great country of ours that comes close to Lynn's. Wish I had one now.