Ask a foodie: Burgers, dogs, schnitzels, and free Thanksgiving dinner for first responders, oh my!

I really haven’t learned my lesson yet. In spite of my knowledge of this particular shortcoming, I continue to have preconceived notions of a restaurant before I go and actually visit. I can hope this only doesn’t extend to people I meet, and my one blind spot is just restaurants. I’m sure that’s it. I’ll be a work in progress until I’m gone.

Regardless, I visited Turk Dawgs at their new restaurant site at 2502 Tanner Drive in Cape Girardeau. Turk Dawgs started out as a food truck, but now you can go in, sit down and have a much bigger variety of food. But more about that later. I want to talk a little about 2502 Tanner Drive. I have eaten at several restaurants in this same space that are no longer here. For me, it started with Ikhatta, a sweet little Indian place that had food I couldn’t get anywhere else. After that was gone, I ate at Encore Pizzaria+Kitchen, though not for this article, and they now have a different location. Now, it’s Turk Dawgs, and it is a lovely little space, like eating in a European open air market, but inside and quieter.

Originally, Turk Dawgs was all hot dogs, fancied up and loaded with nifty toppings, and you can still get that now. My husband ordered a dog called the 1/4 pound Turk-Nado, which is topped with homemade chili and Velveeta Rotel cheese. It was immense, sloppy, and absolutely delicious, everything you could ever want out of a chili cheese dog.

I ordered a couple of things for us to split, so I could try a bit more of the menu. I wanted to try one of the smash burgers, a thing that I never ordered from the food truck. I was feeling mushrooms in a big way, so I ordered the Mushroom and Swiss Smash Burger, served with a side of fries. I also couldn’t resist the smattering of German dishes that are on the menu, and I ordered a Jager Schnitzel, a lovely thin breaded patty covered in a homemade mushroom gravy, served with fries and red pickled cabbage.

Our food came out in good order, smelling delicious. I tried the schnitzel first, and as hoped for, it was melt-in-the-mouth tender, crispy on the outside, and that gravy, that gravy I could put on anything, from scrambled eggs to roast beef patty melts, potatoes, my dog. It was a rich, brown gravy, full of mushrooms, and you betcha I dipped my fries in it too, and didn’t leave a spec behind. A bite of the schnitzel with a tiny forkful of that tangy cabbage to cut the richness was divine. Speaking of fries, Turk Dawgs’ are solid. Crinkle cuts, fried appropriately dark golden brown, not floppy, wonderful.

The Mushroom Swiss Smash Burger had punch-in-the-face flavor without being too salty. The edges of the burger were crispy, one of the hallmarks of a good smash burger. That brioche bun was soft, buttery, a little sweet, and an enchanting medium brown with a shine. Just wonderful bread. But when I peeked beneath the burger to see the mushrooms, I actually said, “Holy crap!” out loud. Luckily, no one besides my husband heard me. I quickly turned my plate around and showed him the absolute mountain of mushrooms that sat under the burger. In my experience, mushroom Swiss burgers tend to be light on the mushroom part, but not this one. This one was perfect.

So then, not having spent enough money yet, we ordered a home made Southern Fried Apple Pie. This thing surprised me. It was wrapped in flaky, melt-in-the-mouth dough, of a texture that I didn’t think would survive frying but managed to superbly. The apple filling wasn’t too sweet, but chunky, and it was drizzled in a caramel sauce that was the best thing I’ve ever tasted on apples, and served with a scoop of ice cream and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Don’t let Turk Dawgs fool you. This isn’t typical food truck fare from fifteen years ago, all fried and monotone and bland. This food has real flavor, real creativity, and unique flavors.

Also, it is run by good folks who love their community. On Thanksgiving, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., they are open for business, but if you’re a first responder, your meal is on them, with thanks. This is a great place and will be added to my regular rotation.

Rebecca LaClair travels to a new place every week to try food from a trendy restaurant or one she hasn’t been to yet.