Andy Tullis / The BulletinDidi Ereman, left, helps a customer with his order while other patrons have lunch on a recent Monday afternoon at Pops Place in Bend.

Fans of the Pilot Butte Drive-In: Have you ever wondered what it might be like if hot dogs and burritos and pizza were on the menu?

The answer is at Pop’s Place.

A self-described “Ameri-Mex-Itali express café” in northeast Bend, Pop’s is owned by Sean Baldwin, who managed Pilot Butte’s new west-side restaurant during an ownership transition for 5½ years until late 2012.

Baldwin was also the chef mentor for the Bend High School culinary team between 2005 and 2013, so he knows his way around a kitchen.

Pop’s Place was born in May, when Baldwin purchased the former Spicy Lips Cocina Grill in a small strip mall on Butler Market Road at Northeast 27th Street, not far from Mountain View High School. With financial assistance from his father and stepmother, Earl and Nelda Baldwin of Texas, he launched the restaurant in June and celebrated a grand opening in August.

“I have called my dad ‘Pop’ since I was very young,” Baldwin explained. “And I’m not vain enough to call it ‘Sean’s Place’.”

‘Keep it simple’

The cafe is small — a handful of tables and stools seat no more than 20 — but it’s neatly styled, with old concert posters complementing the blues or country music that plays in the background. Two televisions in opposite corners are typically tuned to sports channels. And the kitchen, from the grill to the pizza oven, is open for all to see.

Patrons order at the counter, either from Baldwin himself or one of his two young employees, and wait for delivery.

Pop’s specializes in hot dogs, building a short menu around Nathan’s Famous Coney Island-style beef franks. “There are enough burger places in town,” Baldwin said. “I prefer to play to my strengths and keep it simple.”

Those strengths also include tacos and burritos along with specialty pizzas.

And soon, Pop’s proprietor said, they may also include breakfasts.

“I hope to start opening around 8 in the morning, shortly after the first of the year,” he said. “That’s what the game plan is. We’ll do the basics to start with — a sandwich, a burrito, a breakfast calzone, and biscuits and gravy — then later play with specials.”

Pop’s neighborhood location, a couple of miles from any other dining establishment, gives it excellent market potential, he noted.

Dogs and burritos

For now, Pop’s is focused on lunches and early dinners, opening at 11 a.m. on weekdays and closing by 7 p.m.

That’s more than enough time, however, to enjoy a hearty dog, and Pop’s chili dog ($6 for the medium size) is one of the best I’ve had in Central Oregon. The steamed sausage was delivered in a soft bun and cloaked in a mildly spicy, ground-beef chili with pinto beans, tomatoes and finely chopped jalapeño peppers.

It was then sprinkled with diced onions and covered in cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses. Available in three sizes (6, 8 and 10 inches), this dog was a meal in itself.

I shared my chili dog as a take-home order with my dining companion, along with a “loaded” burrito ($8.50). The Mexican wrap is offered with a choice of four meats and two styles of beans; I opted for shredded chicken and black beans. The meat and beans were generously and evenly distributed with rice, sour cream, pico de gallo and two cheeses in a large tortilla. I thought it was delicious.

My companion was not as effusive in her praise. She insisted the burrito was “not as good as a lot of other places,” and she even found the Nathan’s dog to be no better than ordinary. I disagreed. It wasn’t the first time we’ve had differing opinions about food, nor will it be the last.

Pros and cons

On other visits, I have sampled different items with varying degrees of pleasure.

A pizza and a salad were commonplace. An individual Hawaiian pizza ($13), with Canadian bacon and pineapple, comprised a half-dozen slices of thin-crust pie; both my companion and I prefer a yeastier crust.

The house salad ($2.50) was as basic as could be, with mixed leafy greens, chopped tomato, croutons and choice of dressing. Next time I would opt for the garden salad ($4.50 for the small size), which also includes carrots, zucchini and baby bell peppers.

A taco supreme ($3) made a nice snack. I chose (from among four meats) to have it with shredded pork, along with cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream. Other versions may include rice, beans and/or cilantro.

But my favorite Pop’s dishes may be the hearty soups of the day, which are not even on the printed menu.

Cream of spinach soup, rich and delicious, incorporated fresh leaves of baby spinach and bits of Italian sausage. Alfredo shrimp bisque was only a bisque so far as its namesake shrimp were pureed with cheesy Alfredo sauce; the addition of vegetables, including potatoes, mushrooms, spinach and peppers, turned it into more of a chowder.

It was very good, not something I expect to find at a typical “express café.”

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com