I’m in Lexington, Kentucky, when I text George Motz about another burger restaurant nearby. He responds that I’m not too far from Dovie’s (107 W 4th St, Tompkinsville) and that I must hit it up.
Dovie’s is in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, and opened its doors in 1940. Dovie was the founder’s sister.
There are some empty parking spaces right in front. We walk to the old-school horseshoe counter, so I make my way to the farthest end.
There’s a lot of hustle & bustle with folks sitting down to eat and many grabbing bags of burgers to go.
Do you want your Burger, Squozed or Unsquozed?
I’m told I need to get my burger unsquozed; sure, I thought. So I strike up a conversation with Tina McIntyre, who happens to be the manager.
She explained the unsquozed or squozed thing. The burgers sit on a flat top in about half an inch of soybean oil.
Squozed means that you’d like to have your patty drained of all the excessive oil via spatula, and unsquozed with everything intact is the way to have it. I also ordered a hot dog, which received a nice crispy char from the oil bath.
The crispy char on the burger is the first thing I notice. It is not burned in any way since I know that will be everyone’s first thought when looking at it.
I removed the top bun, added the onions, a couple of pickles, and then went to work. The secret sauce under the bottom patty and on the bottom bun was a pleasant surprise.
Dovie’s Cafe sells a SlugBurger?
The texture is the next notable thing that told me this was not a full-on beef burger. Instead, it was more like a SlugBurger.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it might turn you off initially. However, a SlugBurger has beef and some extenders like flour or soybeans.
The Slug part of the name references counterfeit coins sized like nickels that tricked vending machines back in the day. It’s very soft and not like a regular ground patty you regularly eat.
My friends in South Florida will understand when I say the patty’s consistency is like that of a croqueta. It’s a match made in heaven since I love croquetas.
Dovie’s has been around for over 70 years. They’re doing things their way, and you can only hope Dovie’s will never change.
There is no phone at Dovie; hence no phone number exists.
Short video I shot at Dovie’s
Great Video about Dovie’s
