Well surprise surprise, we found a new place in Kent! It seemed like this had been revisit territory for a bit now.

Well, ok, so honestly we have been inside this building before. We didn’t know it when we walked in, but it turns out this is the former home of Little City Grill, which we visited back in 2018. We all had the vague feeling as we pulled into the parking lot that we had been here before, but as we walked inside and absolutely nothing looked familiar we just assumed we were all thinking of someplace else.

I mean, we have been doing this since 2013. Restaurant dejavu is real.

Anyway.

We did ask the server and they said the owners gutted the place to open this one about a year ago. Mystery solved.

The menu at The Blind Squirrel is typical bar fare like burgers, wraps, wings, apps, etc. Which we all know this group has no issues with.

And jumbo hot dogs, which on this evening had Shane’s attention right away because apparently he’s had a craving for a bit now.

But wait, it gets better! Turns out the Wednesday special is $2 off the jumbo hot dogs. Sometimes the stars align.

And sometimes you also forget that just because they’re on special it doesn’t mean they’re any less of an actual meal. As in, when the server asks you what side you want with each of the THREE jumbo hot dogs you order, you should maybe say you don’t need sides with all of them.

Or you can just load up on starch, as your meal(s) arrive and you not only have an original jumbo dog with chips.

But also a chili dog with chips.

And a slaw dog with tots.

Good thing we also got an appetizer of chips and Lawsons chip dip too, no?

Seriously, if there’s news of a potato shortage in our area anytime in the next few days I will feel somewhat responsible.

There may already be a dip shortage, though, because that little tiny cup you see in the background of that photo doesn’t seem like nearly enough for this one app order, much less the two more side orders that were about to show up at our table. Suddenly we longed for The Lockview philosophy of giving you the full Lawsons tub at your table.

Perhaps in an attempt to balance out the starch overload, the chips and dip app also comes with carrots and celery. Like wings? Odd. But I guess this is the closest I’m getting to a salad tonight, so we’ll call that a win I guess.

Because we also don’t discriminate in the many ways in which potatoes can be served, Ted got pierogis as his app.

They smelled really good.

To the surprise of no one, I got the Philly steak sandwich with tots. Some restaurant somewhere should probably just call this meal “The Stephanie” because this is truly my go-to option anyplace we visit.

And I was not disappointed in the meal here. The Philly arrived steaming hot and was a fairly large portion, enough that I ate it all but was definitely full afterwards. The hoagie bun wasn’t too much bread and the taste was great. The tots were just crispy enough without being overdone. *chef’s kiss*

Ted got the chicken club sandwich and chips. He chose the jerk seasoning on his chicken.

Ted thought his sandwich was good but small. He said he wouldn’t recommend that meal on its own if you were hungry, but that the addition of his app made it just the perfect amount. So that worked out.

Actually he even contributed some of his chips to Shane at the end of his meal. Because clearly he needed more. 

Speaking of Shane, let’s check in on how he fared with his table full of hot dogs and potatoes, shall we?

Shockingly, Shane finished all three of his hot dogs. All. Three.

Now that left a lot of chips and tots untouched, but the three dogs were all finished by the end of the meal. He started with the original and then moved to the chili and saved the slaw for last. Which he said in retrospect was a good move because the slaw dog was the most filling and so he was glad he didn’t start with that one.

But he said it was tasty, a good mix of sweetness with the cheese and heat from the chili. He also gave props to the relish on the original dog, which he said he wasn’t sure if it was homemade but he really liked it. 

He thinks if he had eaten them in a different order he might’ve had different opinions because the variations on each one definitely changed the taste. Maybe he needed something other than potatoes to cleanse his palate in between?

Shane also admitted that two dogs probably would’ve been plenty, and three was certainly a stretch to finish. But that especially with the $2 off special it was a great deal for that insane amount of food.

And he’ll be eating chips for lunch tomorrow, since he filled an entire to-go box with just those leftovers.

We would definitely recommend The Blind Squirrel if you’re looking for a low key evening out for bar food and cold drinks. It’s a cool little place – emphasis on little, since the bar area has only a handful of tables (some of which were taken up in this evening with the setup for karaoke) and seats at the bar, along with a room in the back that can at times be rented out for special events. But it has a cool vibe, and didn’t feel like a typical college town place.

The next time Shane has a craving for hot dogs – which may be 2027 after this feast tonight – I think I know where we’ll be headed.

Picked by: Steph