<strong>By Pamela Brownstein</strong>

The little building just off Sea Island Parkway on Lady’s Island beckons with the promise of delicious dogs — and The Dog House definitely delivers.

The Lunch Bunch took advantage of the unseasonably warm January weather and enjoyed our food while sitting on the picnic

[caption id="attachment_9488" align="alignright" width="150"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_06071.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-9488" title="DSC_0607" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_06071-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> The Basic grilled hot dog with mustard, ketchup and relish[/caption]

tables outside.

[caption id="attachment_9486" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_06141.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-9486" title="DSC_0614" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_06141-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a> The Dog House owner Dick Purdy, right, is seen with his friendly staff Becky, left, and Karen.[/caption]

Buck was especially hungry and ordered the traditional hot dog topped with the basics — ketchup, mustard and homemade relish. He also liked the grilled Boar’s Head bologna sandwich topped with sauerkraut. All the toppings are homemade, including the Spicy Dog House Onions, chili, sauerkraut and cole slaw.

I followed my Jersey roots and had the Fuggetaboutit — a grilled Italian

[caption id="attachment_9487" align="alignright" width="150"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_0613.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-9487" title="DSC_0613" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_0613-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> The “Fuggetaboutit” is an Italian sausage topped with grilled peppers and onions.[/caption]

sausage topped with grilled peppers and onions. The bun was soft and the perfectly cooked components made for a warm, yummy sandwich.

Kim and Elizabeth both ordered the soup of the day, a flavorful Tuscan white bean soup homemade by owner Dick Purdy’s wife, Geraldine. The couple recently retired to the area from Long Island, N.Y., where they ran a restaurant for many years. Dick said he was enjoying retired life and playing golf, when his wife saw the empty building available and thought it would make a perfect roadside

[caption id="attachment_9489" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_0606.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-9489" title="DSC_0606" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSC_0606-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> Homemade Tuscan white bean soup of the day.[/caption]

restaurant. Geraldine ended up working at Where’d You Get That? consignment store in Port Royal, but the seed had been planted for Dick, and he opened The Dog House last August.

If you’re headed out to Hunting Island, it’s located on the left side of the road just after the next light past Publix. It’s a great place to stop and grab a bite, and they carry a wide selection of sodas, chips, pretzels, ice cream and old-fashioned “barrel style” pickles.

The Dog House is at 381 Sea Island Parkway and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 843-770-0013 for to-go orders and you can also “like” their page on Facebook.