Right in the center of Bridge Ave., the almost spookily wholesome, park-lined street that passes through the heart of the 5,000-person strong community of Delano, is Linnie’s. It’s a humble but ambitious joint, a hot dog and ice cream place that boasts “40 different varieties of sodas and 80 candies.”
Immediately after walking in and ordering a Spring Grove Lemon Sour soda, our eyes were immediately drawn to the menu listing for the Krunch Dog ($3.50). It’s a dubious-looking, supposedly-imported-from-Iowa concept that involves sticking cheese and potato chips on top of your hot dog.
The dog comes out buried under a raft of mustard, melted cheddar-ish cheese, and salt and vinegar potato chips. It’s a miniature “nachos-on-a-hot-dog” package that works far better than you might expect.
The bright acid of the chips and the kick of the mustard assert themselves through the cheese and soft bun, and the delicate crunch of the chips is a great textural counterpoint to dog and bun alike. In short: This bizarre-looking twist on a loaded hot dog really works. We devoured ours, happily.
The standard-issue Linnie’s Chicago Dog (also $3.50) isn’t bad — it’s a nice, balanced mix of toppings that falls a bit short on the celery salt and fluorescent relish. But the snap-less softness and underwhelming flavor kick of the dog itself work against the package as a whole.
Still: That Krunch Dog. Next time we’re rolling through Delano, we’ll make a stop and have it again.
Linnie’s Ice Cream, 100 Bridge Ave E, Delano, MN; 763.972.8840
Too bad…just looking at the picture it’s obvious this cannot be called a Chicago-style dog, due to the skinless wiener – but see if you can spot the other inadequacies.
If you’re going to go with a minimal menu approach you have to do it right.