Okay, this is exciting, it’s the first road trip for our Dog Days Of Summer series. We’re headed to a legendary hot dog spot in Springfield, Illinois and we’re going to be featuring a trio of special guests.
The first one is coming up right now…
There he is, MBIP Pal and Wheelman, Scott Turley behind the wheel, driving us to Springfield, Illinois.
Scott found a legendary hot dog diner on Route 66 called the Cozy Dog Drive-In and they have a special “Cozy Dog” that Scott’s going to try. From what we could see online, it looks like the Cozy Dog is some sort of a corn dog on a stick, but we’ll find out when we get there!
Oh and I forgot to take the traditional door photo, I’m a little rusty at these road trip posts! I’ll remember next time!
And through the miracle of these here interwebs, you’re spared a 45 minute drive to Springfield and here we are at the Cozy Dog Drive-in.
The sign says that they’re better than corn dogs, so we’ll have to see when we order one!
We entered Cozy Dog and it’s loaded with stuff and souvenirs to look at.
I placed our food order up at the counter and the walls are lined with comfortable booths to dine at.
But before we settle in, let’s take some photos of this legendary place. If you’re like me, you’re wondering what the story behind Cozy Dog is…
Well, here it is.
Supposedly a member of the family that still runs this place discovered a restaurant selling battered hot dogs on a stick when he was in the army and brought the idea back here to Springfield in 1947.
The Cozy Dog Drive-In featured them and they’ve been serving them ever since. I’m curious as to how these are different than corn dogs though. Time will tell, Scott ordered one and he’ll let us know what’s so special about these when our food order arrives.
Wow, this place is loaded with souvenirs and memorabilia. Lots of fun things to look at in here for sure!
And of course there’s Cozy Dog Drive-In t-shirts for sale.
Sadly, the one thing they don’t have in here is beer. I had to settle for a Cozy Dog Diet Premium Cola. Oh well, what are you going to do?
Meanwhile, Scott and I settled into a booth and our food order should be here soon.
And just like magic, here’s our food order.
We got french fries, onion rings, cheese sticks and Scott ordered the legendary Cozy Dog! Let’s take a look at it…
There it is, the famous Cozy Dog.
Hmmm…it looks just like a corn dog to me.
Scott put some mustard on it and he said it was tasty…but it’s just a corn dog.
A little bit of a disappointment,, but we’ll just keep moving along here!
Okay, things have picked back up here after the slight Cozy Dog disappointment because our next special guest star has shown up and it’s none other than Chad Wallace!
Chad hasn’t been on the blog for over four years, since he was featured counting gumballs with me at Northwoods Mall back in 2018. Hopefully we’ll continue this tradition in January of 2023!
Great to see Chad and catch up with him…and it’s a little ironic that we’re catching up as he sprays ketchup on his lunch like a six-year-old child. Perfect timing!
Now it’s time to feature this week’s hot dog, the chili-cheese dog from the Cozy Dog Drive-In!
There’s Scott and Chad enjoying their Cozy Dog lunches and now I’m going to take a bite into this week’s featured hot dog.
It’s time for man to bite dog!
The chili-cheese dog was really tasty. The chili had a nice savory and tangy flavor, there was fresh shredded cheese and the diced onions were crisp and added a nice sharpness to the hot dog.
The bun was steamed and bakery fresh and this was a delicious chili-cheese dog. I still am wondering how the Cozy Dog is better than a corn dog and it’s a question I guess I’ll ponder till the end of time.
The last time Scott and I came to Springfield, I had plans fo meet up with a friend of mine that I hadn’t seen since we both worked at the Drug Store in Junction City back in the ‘70’s!
Her name is Ilene and something happened back then and she couldn’t make it, so I told her the next time we went to Springfield, I’d let her know and maybe we could join us then.
Well, today is that day, we’ve traveled to the Curve Roadhouse and you’re just about to meet the third special guest star of the day…
Here she is, Ilene! She’s looking spectacular and it was so much fun to see her after all of these years.
We traded stories about the Drug Store and what happened to both of us through the years and it was a real blast!
It was great to see Ilene again and thanks to Chad Wallace for showing up and to Scott for driving and hanging out.
What a fun afternoon and I hope to see all three of these special guests again soon!
——
2935 S. 6th Street (On Route 66)
Springfield, Illinois
217-525-1992
——
Related Posts: The Dog Days Of Summer @: Jack’s On Adams, Weaver’s Fresh Food & Drink and Emo’s Dairy Mart.