Blue-collar fast food restaurants can be a little predictable: burgers and fries, hot dog and fries, Polish sausage, grease, sodas, you know the drill. And upon seeing the beginning of this west side sign, "Hound Dog's Burgers," you're thinking it's the same old grimy burger stand; that is, until you see the rest of the sign: "and Teriyaki." Whoa. That's an awesome twist. Hound Dog's Burgers and Teriyaki serves both cheap American grub and equally cheap Korean delicacies, proudly specializing – and refusing to pick a side – in the cuisines of two separate continents.

So let's start with the American part of the menu: two hot dogs with all the fixings for $3.99 or a cheeseburger for $3.90 comprise the "fresh off the grill" standards, stockpiled with thin French fries. The Italian beef, Italian sausage, and the six hot wings meal provide other alternatives, none over $5.

On the oriental side, everything's served with white or fried rice, with entrees like the chicken teriyaki ($5.05) or the bi bim bob steamed rice with mixed veggies and Korean beef as clear standouts.

On first inspection of Hound Dog's, one has to ask: Why is their menu in, like, four different places? There's one near the back, one near the front, and all around there are handwritten papers and crudely designed signs of specific entrees that have evidentially accumulated over the years. And there's something kind of charming about that, as if at some point the owners were so randomly pumped about selling, say, a Klondike bar for $1, that they had to post it somewhere. Frankly, that's kind of endearing.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Andy Seifert