[twitter]Buddha Dog
613-476-3814
172 Main Street West
Prince Edward, ON
@buddhadog

If you need a great idea for a Calgary food truck, look no further than Picton, Ontario’s Buddha Dog. But this dog shop isn’t a truck, it’s an actual sexy little joint on Picton’s main drag.

Buddha Dog‘s philosophy is simple, find local ingredients and pair them on simple plates. You choose a sauce (sweet, savoury or spicy) and a cheese – they put it on a mini wiener and bun.

The staff are relaxed in their service, much as if they were bound to drop into down dog to meditate between orders if the pace becomes too much to handle.

The menu is basic; dogs, salads and some soup. That’s it – which makes it perfect for a food truck. You should be able to crisp the buns, grill the dogs, squirt the eclectic sauces (smoked ketchup, chardonnay mustard, aioli) and slice the cheese (chevre, old cheddar, jalapeno jack) quickly to keep up with demand.

The tiny 2oz dogs are quickly grilled on a panini press and feel more like hot dog sliders. Don’t be embarrassed to order a flight of 3, heck you would probably have room for 6 if you were mildly hungry.

I like the concept, but it expected more from a bricks and mortar location. The dogs are tiny, the philosophy of the restaurant is on a wall behind diners while an abstract mean nothing map of local growers, farmers and wineries faces you. The staff is loose, their effort slack and lunch left our group wanting more (yes, we did hit a drive thru on the way home).

The logo is cute, the idea is an interesting locavore gourmet twist, it just feels incomplete – unless it was on wheels.

3 dogs, 2 bottles of water $14.