pairs4life wrote:

Khaopaat wrote:In addition to a Reuben Pulaski and a Veal Deal, both of which were excellent, had some serious, real-deal, no-foolin'-around truffle fries for lunch at Franks N Dawgs today:

Time for me to go back. I went once without having read this thread (it's across the street from Trader Joe's & I had a hankering for fries before I shopped), never bothered because I don't eat meat. The regular fries were great & Iwas astonished to see a vegetarian offering. Hmmm, maybe tomorrow

I'll meet you there! Just let me know what time

are they only available on the weekends still?

Commbrkdwn wrote:are they only available on the weekends still?

Yes, Friday-Saturday-Sunday only, per the menu board.

Went this past Friday, right before they closed, and had a great meal. I really enjoyed how about 70% of the menu (don't quote me on that percentage) is done with house made sausage, which to me is well worth the price. My brother and I got the Foss Hog and the Nawlin's Dawg and we split the truffle fries. Both dogs were awesome, it is tough to say which one is better because they are both so different. My truffle fries did not come with shavings either, but the taste of the oil/butter truffle infusion used on the crispy fries worked well. I totally forgot about the mystery corn dogs, as corn dogs are my favorite, so next time I must try one of those.

i just had the 'veal deal' for lunch and thought it was amazing. the sum was greater than the parts, which is exactly as it should be. the sausage was fine, but needed the sharpness of the preserved lemon, the sweetness of the golden raisins and the crispy bite of the sweetbreads to make it shine. truly one of the best things i've eaten in a long time. i wish i could praise the fries the same way. i watched them being double cooked, and i got them hot out of the fryer, but they just aren't as great as i would like them to be. i think they still need to be browner, to bring out the potato flavor. i compare most fries to those from jimmy's hot dog on west grand and these looked great- not too thin, a decent color, the perfect saltiness- but to me, anyway, something is missing. it isnt that important, since i'd rather eat their sausages...... justjoan

I had the FU- marinated tofu, strips of grilled portabello (really, really thin), chevre, grilled eggplant relish & some sort of pesto (I think) with fries.

This was delicious and I don't like tofu. The bun was absolutely fantastic. I just don't know why they don't use a firm or extra firm tofu instead of the firm that they were using.

Great service and I want to go back to try the Fried Green Tomatoes with mozzarella (I think) & remoulade very soon.

pairs4life wrote:This was delicious and I don't like tofu. The bun was absolutely fantastic. I just don't know why they don't use a firm or extra firm tofu instead of the firm that they were using.

Were they using like a soft or silky tofu?

David Hammond wrote:

pairs4life wrote:This was delicious and I don't like tofu. The bun was absolutely fantastic. I just don't know why they don't use a firm or extra firm tofu instead of the firm that they were using.

Were they using like a soft or silky tofu?

- Yep. It didn't crumble, like a firm extra firm may have, it just kinda gushed in the mouth.

G Wiv wrote:I should note one missed-mark corn dog has not diminished my enthusiasm for Franks n' Dawgs.

Revisited Frank n Dawg's corn dog today and damn glad I did, crisp exterior yielding to a juicy full flavored polish complete with noticeable Snap. Swipe through the caraway flecked mustard and you have a smile inducing bite.

Reuben hit a high note, crispy potato pancake, brat, sauerkraut and 1000-Island dressing, I'd love an order of the crisp lacy potatoes by themselves. The Black Sheep, figs, black oyster sauce, buttermilk puree, hint of basil with lamb sausage sounds discordant, but came together like a marching band doing John Philip Sousa on the 4th of July.

Only small fumble was the cheese fries, my dining companion suggested, I counter with crisp regular fries are really good, she- I love cheese fries......... Second time I've had the cheese fries, second time they were soggy, limp and not up to the other offerings.

Franks n' Dawgs count me a fan.

Enjoy,
Gary

Lunch at Franks n' Dawgs today. The spicy duck sausage was outstanding. The sausage was tasty, not very spicy, but that's ok. Pickled carrots and pineapple chutney nicely balanced out the rich sausage, and a few chicharones provided a nice extra crunch.

The Frank N Stein, on the other hand, was a miss. A short rib and foie gras sausage with caramelized onions. Good in theory, but salty to the point of being nearly inedible.

Triple truffle fries were subtly truffley, but a skimpy portion (and no shaved truffles). Given how rich the sausages are, I was fine with a smaller portion of fries.

Sold Out!

We went for dinner around 7 pm last night and were told, unfortunately we had parked, that they were out of bread and closing early. The gent told us the Lollapalooza marketing was to blame.

I hope they have enough bread going forward. DH was really upset there was no sausage and truffle fries in his immediate future.

Like the prior poster, our previous visit was truffle fries without the shaved truffles as well.

DH and I are officially regulars. We've managed to keep it to once a week.

Those of you who are in love with all things meat, the Frank N. Stein looks intriguing. It's got short rib & foie gras.

The sandwich with tofu has yet to fail for this late-to-the-party enjoyer of tofu (even I can't believe I just wrote that ).

Gettin' a little love on the Meat & Potatoes show tonight to boot!

I visited Franks 'n' Dawgs for lunch today. I ordered the Spoiled Brat, Mystery Corn Dog requested to be a polish and a jr fry. The brat itself wasn't my favorite. I'm certainly spoiled with the regularity of which I get Ream's brats so it was probably a mistake to even order the brat here. I couldn't decide what to get and this was what came out of my mouth once I got up to the counter. The roll though, wow that is a winner. The polenta polish was outstanding. Thin crisp outer shell with non of the issues posted about earlier. The polish was juicy and flavorful. I could have eaten a couple of these. The fries were a bit soggy, but even mediocre fresh cut fries are better than most fries at other places.

ronnie_suburban wrote:The mission:
Eradicate -- via intensive culinary assault -- the after-effects of Thanksgiving

Double Ducker
Duck sausage, duck confit, shaved foie gras torchon -- this really should be called the Triple Ducker

He shouldn't have posted this picture.
It was a very fine dog, indeed.
I stopped myself from ordering the Keema but now I'm hoping Mr. Pie is in the mood for lunch after stopping at Hoosier Mama tomorrow.

Went for dinner tonight. First time. Definitely won't be my last! Everything was wonderful! Sausages were really moist. Excellent buns. Thoughtful toppings well-executed. Food served fresh and hot. The man at the register couldn't have been more friendly, too! Go on the weekends so you can get their triple truffle fries!

Dawg Flight:
(L to R)
KRAZY KIMCHI DOG: spicy beef sausage, braised short rib, kimchi, braised turnips, basil.
BRUNCH DOG: pork loin sausage, cobb smoked bacon, fried egg, maple mayo.
TUR-DOGGIN DOG: turkey and date sausage, duck confit, herb garlic aioli, house pickled onion relish and carrots.

Dawg Flight.

The GOVERNATOR DOG: Austrian pork and Swiss cheese sausage, apple compote, glazed cranberries, white wine mustard sauce, chives.

The Governator Dog.


The Governator Dog.

Triple truffle fries.

Triple truffle fries.


Triple truffle fries.

Cant believe I still havent made it in for those fries

New item: Duck sausage topped with rabbit rillettes, crispy sweetbreads, guanciale lardons, cassoulet, frizzled brussels sprouts, caramelized leeks, pickled mango, and wasabi aioli. Oh, and a pork chop.




Ha ha, I make joke! I am jokester!

Really, this is just my typically obnoxious way of saying I agree with:

aschie30 wrote:I don't think they're as adept as Doug in creating combinations that don't overwhelm the sausage. Proof that a fried egg on top is not always an improvement.

The stuff I tried here was cooked with great care but not conceived with great care. The "Tur-doggin" had a very enjoyable duck confit on top of a sausage that was at the same time heavy and yet didn't really taste like anything. (I defy anyone to detect the alleged dates it contains.) Compare with Hot Doug's Turducken sausage, which was one of the best things I ate last year. (Full list coming in early 2014.) The kimchi dog was better -- once you removed the humongous portion of (very nice) short ribs, you could actually taste the sausage underneath some of the blandest kimchi I've ever had. Unfortunately, the sausage casing was rubbery and hard to bite through. Now some of the reviews of this place take pains to distinguish it from Doug's by pointing out that these dogs are cooked by actual trained chefs, as opposed, I guess, to the riff raff Doug employs. And indeed, in all my years of going to Doug's, his humble kitchen elves have never managed to serve me a dog at the medium rare stage -- a feat that the pros here nailed on their first attempt. I thought about sending it back, but we were in a hurry and I wasn't going to be able to finish the whole thing anyway, so I just ate around the pinkness.

I want to emphasize that nothing I tried was bad; the individual components were actually quite good -- they were just all somewhat discordant and there was too much of them. Again, I have to echo aschie30: "gut bomb". My guess is that the process of creation of these dogs involves trying to do various "cheffy" things to them so as to make them unique, justify the price, etc. But this seems to result in lots of rich toppings, generously applied, all stuffed into an enormous, buttered roll. I was glad to be able to switch between several different sausages, as each one quickly grew tiring. Thank God we didn't order any fries.

"But cil," you may ask, "aren't you a big fan of Kuma's, which similarly revels in lily-gilding with its jaw-dislocating creations? Aren't you, in fact, just a giant hypocrite?" To which I reply, first of all, don't call me "cil". That's not a thing and it sounds stupid. Second, it could be that ground beef, seasoned simply with only salt and pepper, is assertive enough that its taste registers even under loads of toppings -- there is no subtlety to be lost there, unlike with a flavored sausage. Also, it's possible that I'm just a giant hypocrite.

I know this all seems very negative, but truth be told, I'm sure I'll end up here again to try some of the other sausages. But for now, whenever I want an unusual, yet well-balanced, sausage sandwich, it looks like I'll have to stand in line.

cilantro wrote:
Ha ha, I make joke! I am jokester!

Insightful review, though now "cil" is unavoidable, the same way I say "seebs" to myself for seebee ("seebs" is a current unfortunate Russian hipster shorthand for spasibo, 'thanks').

Sant

Took me a while, but I finally tried this place. 11am on a Tuesday morning, ample parking and no live, which Hot Doug's had honestly prepared me to expect. My wife got the Truffle Mac 'n' Cheese Dog, I got the Krazy Kimchi. Both were delicious, and I'm already planning my next trip. I can easily imagine adding this to my rotation in addition to Hot Doug's. I can't put my finger on it, but I feel they each serve a different craving.

I've been to Fn'D three times before and broadly agree with prior posts that, in comparison to Hot Doug's, some of the flavors and combinations at Fn'D lack a certain je ne sais quoi.

Still, it's a good place overall and I want these guys to succeed (Doug's is usually too difficult to get into) so I return to Fn'D periodically. The last time I was not disappointed.

Earlier this week I had the Le Merguez, one side in the Iron Dawg competition. I'm not sure this is what Fn'D is shooting for, but it compares favorably to Doug's. The moderately strong lamb flavor of the sausage was complemented by the stilton/pear topping, and more-or-less held in place physically by a creamy yogurt sauce. The light dusting of sumac and pistachios lent eastern Med notes to the overall product, with the nuts providing variety in texture (the tiny mint leaves only added color). The sausage casing was more, well, robust than I'd like, but this is a small complaint. If it's still available next time I'm in the Clybourn Corridor, I'll order Le Merguez again.

Went here again on Tuesday, and there was a stiff looking older couple ahead of me in line.

"What is your most traditional hot dog?" asked the man.

"Um, none of our hot dogs are that traditional," said the guy behind the counter, only more politely than I give him credit for.

"But which would you recommend as your most traditional?" the man pressed on.

Forgot what he ordered in the end - the Black Sheep? - but he also had the cole slaw, and when asked by the attentive staffer if he liked it, he complained that he liked his slaw "more traditional."

I visited Franks n' Dawgs this Sunday after a long, long night of drinking. I've been craving Chicago dogs since moving to NYC, so on this trip I decided to dedicate one of only two meals I was going to eat out to F&D (I tend to just eat at home when visiting Chicago).

Though I enjoy F&D's specialty sausages immensely, I really wanted a Chicago style dog. Never having ordered anything other than the aforementioned sausages, I was surprised to learn that there are no Chicago dogs on the menu, and that F&D uses Boars Head.

A bit disheartened, I nonetheless ordered a jumbo "Chicagoesque" - 1/4 lb Boars Head dog with homemade pickles, onion relish, some kind of tomato preparation and beer mustard. I was disappointed. The Boars Head dog doesn't have the garlicky punch of Vienna Beef, and the house-made ingredients, though clearly prepared with love, skewed way way too sweet for me. None of the pickles, onions or tomato offered enough acid or salt to counterbalance each other. A good Chicago dog achieves a delicate balance of salt, sour and a hint of sweet (from the relish). Not so here.

I ordered one of the specials to try to salvage my lunch - the "ramp it up" - Chicken sausage, pickled ramps and asparagus and sauteed morels (more like a morel paste). This was a seriously good sausage sandwich; the chicken was course and juicy, the pickled ramps lightly sweet and tangy, and the morels supremely earthy and buttery. My girlfriend and I both practically swooned over this thing. This sausage also managed to avoid a problem I've encountered with some of F&D's preparations - it was not over-topped.

The buns and fries remain awesome.

FYI - from F&D's Facebook page:

CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS

Franks 'n' Dawgs will be closed until Thursday 5/19. We're taking the time to provide the restaurant with some TLC as well as install additional equipment which will enable us to add some new menu items in the coming months (which we're VERY excited about!!!!).

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

and, back open (from Facebook):
====================
RENOVATIONS COMPLETED!

Franks 'n' Dawgs will reopen at 11 am on Thursday 5/19. All our improvements have been completed and the new equipment installed. Now comes the fun part - playing with our new menu options which we hope to have on our menu board within 4-6 weeks!

Went there for dinner on a last minute decision on wednesday. They were really kind to let us in even though it was 7:25 and they were about to close. Loved the china town duck, the lotus root added a nice crunch and acidity. The turdoogin was also really good. I absolutely loved the duck confit on top!
What makes them special is the delicious bun that can hold a lot more ingredients than a regular hotdog bun. The dawgs are very substancial and fulfilling and I could not finish the southerner. The triple truffle fries were good but the truffle smell was pretty subtle for something that is called "triple truffle". They still were crisp and delicious and I really enjoyed them. Everybody was really friendly too! I cant believe I had never been here, but now that I know, I cant wait to go back!!

Has anyone tried F'n'D's charcuterie yet?

Might be a little off-topic. We tried Franks n' Dawgs at Dose Market this past weekend. While cooking offsite can be difficult, I was a bit disappointed. My husband ordered the Southerner - Pork-based sausage with cornbread crumbles & BBQ sauce. And that was pretty good. His sausage was cooked perfectly. I ordered the Tur-doggin and was more disappointed. The duck confit on time was excellent. However my sausage was under-cooked and pink in the middle, even after I requested for a well-done sausage. I noticed that some of the links were coming off the griddle looking a bit under-done, so I thought I'd try to avoid this issue and request well-done. Again, I understand the challenges of cooking offsite, but I wish I could have enjoyed mine more.

I hope to try their actual restaurant location sometime soon!

I wanted to try it this weekend at Dose Market too, but the line (if you can call it that) was ridiculous. Not a problem since Pleasant House was there and I can never pass up an opportunity to eat a pie. Plus the Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcake was amazing.

Sausages looked good so hopefully I can make it there soon.

Ate at Frank n' Dawgs last week and enjoyed myself.

Seared Swine Pork sausage, white wine pickled pumpkin, grape & smoked onion relish, candied ginger & sage aioli & dijon mustard

This Iron Dawg challenger is from Vie, and tasted great. Components worked together perfectly, but I had an issue with the casing being a bit too flimsy.

Cheese Fries Fresh hand cut Idaho potatoes twice fried topped with mild shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses

Good amount of cheese and didn't have that Kraft shredded cheese taste (you know what I'm talking about).

Fiancee Dana had

The Southerner Slagel Farms pork loin & caramelized onions sausage, corn bread, cherry bourbon BBQ sauce & scallions




and

Triple Truffle Fries Yukon Gold waffle cut fries, truffle oil, truffle butter, truffle salt & freshly chopped herbs


The Southerner was delicious, but really difficult to keep together and eat. I love Franks n' Dawgs and am very happy for their later hours when I'm not able to make it to Hot Dougs.