I have to put in a food “plug”. After my morning owner’s meeting I headed out to drive the Gatlinburg By-Pass and find Cades Cove but first I needed some lunch.
I was looking for a place the concierge recommended. I thought they said “The 3 Bears” but I hadn’t spotted it when I saw Smokey Mountain Shakes -N- Dawgs. It had room to park so I figured I’d grab a hot dog and be on my way.
First of all they advertise that this is the “Home of the Moonshine Dawg”. The owner was at the grill when I stepped in. As I put in my boring order for a naked dawg with mustard I asked him to tell me what a moonshine dawg was. Of course it’s a secret family recipe. But he did say they soak the dawgs in moonshine. The moonshine infuses the dawgs with a unique flavor. He assured me the alcohol cooks off. (Sure it does). He asked me if I wanted one but I decided to pass. I had places to go and things to see.
But I did decide to indulge in a “shake”. I figured It would be a long time until dinner so I ordered a chocolate shake. They only have 1 size and it came with the straw standing straight up. MacDonald’s can’t compare. I requested a spoon because that’s the only way that shake was going to get eaten. It was awesome.
It’s a family owned business and they are real friendly folks. Seating is limited to only about 6 small tables. There’s a long list of toppings going by names like Choo Choo Dawg (beef dawg wrapped in bacon and deep fried and served with cheddar cheese on a toasted hoagie and topped with a special sauce), Super Purple Cabbage Slaw Dawg, Mac Shells -N-Cheese Dawg and so on. The list is too long for this space.
Strawberries seem to be the desert specialty and they are fresh. The owner was ordering them by the pallet while I was having my lunch.
If you get to Gatlinburg you won’t go wrong with a stop here…103 Mills Park Rd (at the corner od highway 321 and Mills Park Rd, Gatlinburg.)