A Good Night at Frank's

I'm getting sick of seeing local businesses die.  It seems like the best ones come and go within months.  Everyone likes to talk about supporting local businesses, yet you find yourself more than willing to jam your face with Mcdonalds or whatever else is more convenient to your day.  Binnie's Dog House, which existed in Plainfield for roughly 7 minutes, is a good example of a business that should have gotten a better chance of survival.

Here is hoping that the latest hot dog place to hit Plainfield, Frank's Night Out, 12337 S. Route 59, doesn't suffer the same fate. 

When I find a good place to eat, I make it a point to tell people about it.  I post pictures of the food on Instagram.  I mention the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.  I'll text people to check it out.  Sometimes people will go. Sometimes they will ignore me. 

It just so happens that some people, craving hot dogs that go beyond the ordinary meat tube on a bun, took me up on my recommendation.  The response?  Every one of those people loved the place enough to tell their friends about it.  They started posting pictures of it on Instagram and Facebook.

Suddenly, there are people looking at pictures of the food and saying, "Wow, I've gotta go there."  My friends and I have started a bit of a grass roots (albeit online) movement to make Frank's Night Out more popular.  We "social-media" adopted the place, hellbent on its survival.

The menu isn't huge.  But it's certainly effective.  For those averse to trying great tasting food that goes a little bit beyond your comfort zone, they have the standard fare of Chicago-style hot dogs and a burger they call a Chubby Burger.  You can get it as a single, double or triple burger.  The burger is a sloppy, greasy, wonderful thing.  They have their own sauce (the entendre-laden chubby sauce) which adds to the burger very well.  If I had a quibble, it's that they need to toast their bun just a bit longer. I love me some toasted buns.

But if you are going to go there ready for a cost effective eating experience, then let me guide you through a menu I've traversed three times over the course of the week, so as to bring you the best possible review.  There are other dogs on the menu, but I'll give the rundown of the ones I've eaten, or have gotten input on from those who have eaten it.

The Cheesehead. This is what Green Bay Packers fans dream about when they sleep(I mean, beyond Aaron Rodgers doing a good commercial).  They drench cheese curds(fried cheese balls for those who are blissfully unaware of this artery clogging delicacy), Cheddar Cheese sauce, and grilled onions into the bun.  The onions bring this entire dog together.  Warning, you will need a nap afterwards.

Tijuana Dog.  Enjoy south of the border flavors without having to go to Mexico and become a pawn in the drug war.  They put chorizo, queso fresco, onion, sour cream and cilanto on it.  I love ALL of those things. My second favorite dog on the menu. My favorite?  Wait and see.

Carolina Dog.  I've been on a big pulled pork kick lately, trying to get my ever changing slow cooked recipe right.  This dog has the pulled pork, covered in barbecue sauce, covered in coleslaw, and then topped with onion rings.  And yes, this does taste as amazing as it sounds.

Thai One On. If you aren't familiar with Thai food, let me give you a quick insight.  It's better than every other food you've eaten in the past day or so.  It mixes easily available ingredients with wonderful sauces and spices.  Every time a new Thai restaurant opens, a Burger King catches on fire.  The Thai One On has cucumber slaw, Sriracha, avocado and goat cheese crumbles.  I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Memphis Madness. I'll warn you now, you probably won't think this hot dog is any good. Well then, don't eat it. Go eat at Subway or somewhere else that doesn't care if your food tastes good or if you get ring worms from eating it.  But, if you are ready for a taste adventure, then go for this hot dog which features: a bacon wrapped hot dog, covered in sauteed jalapenos, and slathered in peanut butter.

Yea, you probably think it sounds gross. Yea, you probably won't try it. Yea, you are dead wrong for having this opinion. It's great.

Deep South Dog. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite item on the menu. It's a deep fried hot dog, wrapped in bacon, then covered in tomatoes and macaroni and cheese.  It's like solid gold coins exploding forth from a firework made of rainbows and Dom Perignon. It's. That. Good.

They also have a grouping of other franks on the menu.  This is my next week project, eating everything off of that side of the menu.  But, I did get an opportunity today to try the Southwest Buffalo sausage.  There is a lot going on.  All good.  But the better name for it should be: What a Chicago Polish Should Taste Like.  It's on a thick French roll.  It has grilled onions and large pieces of green pepper.  Every bite gets you that bread, the sausage, the sweetness of the onion, and the thick crunch of the green pepper.

I've also got to make it a point to eat the chicken shawarma sandwich.  Oh, and everything else on the menu as well.

But, my big moment upcoming will be this week when I finally get up the courage to eat what I have to think will be the signature dish of the place if it's done right: duck with apples and brandy sausage.  It's topped with fried shallots, applesand, hold onto your chair, foie gras.  I've never eaten foie gras, but I've watched enough shows on the Travel Channel to know it's an awesome, albeit acquired taste. 

Now I'm not here to listen to your opinion on foie gras, because, to tell you the truth, I just don't care.  I've eaten enough of the menu to have 100 percent faith in the quality of this menu item.  If you can't bear the thought of eating foie gras, then find out how they make the food you are force feeding your children at night, then come back and talk to me.

While this, without a doubt, a glowing review of Frank's Night Out, it's more of a call to arms to everyone in the community to start giving restaurants like this a fair shake.  Go outside of your comfort zone and try new food. McDonald's, Subway, all those places, they don't appreciate your business. And more importantly, they don't care if you don't go there.  They will survive. They are too big to fail.

But you know who appreciates your business?  Local businesses.  Those that live and die by the community's willingness to invest their money in their products, or their food, or their services. 

Maybe next time, as you are shoving another heavily processed item made mostly out of old couches, such as the McRib, down your throat, you will realize that for what you paid to eat garbage (both literally and figuratively),  you can go eat a wonderful lunch or dinner at a place that actually can use your business.  That actually appreciates your business.

And most importantly, is good enough to get your return business.