On first inspection, Frank’s Franks isn’t much to look at: a mobile aluminum box with a hotdog boiler and a small awning, sitting on the corner of O Street and Seventh, between the Immaculate Conception Apartments and Kennedy Playground, but there’s more to this place than meets the eye. French-Canadian immigrant, François “Frank” Bergeron, has owned and operated the stand since the late 1990s and, on any given day, can be found cooking up a storm.
To begin, my expectations of the Canadian transplant’s ability to wow the palate with his common cuisine were low. I decided to test the waters with a classic we all know well, a frankenfurter with relish and sauerkraut on an exquisite white bread bun. Much to my pleasant surprise, the dog was cooked to an ideal consistency, a firm but thin and snappy casing with a warm, soft, and moist interior. The bitterness of the sauerkraut created a titillating and delicate balance with the slightly sweet and tangy dill relish. This was an altogether unexpected and extremely subtle inclusion.
All things considered however, the dog did fall shy of the mark when it came to the bun. Admittedly, Frank does stock some of the higher quality hotdog buns available, allowing his customers to choose between classic white and sourdough, this one took a plunge toward the last few bits when it became slightly dampened and thus unattractively mushy. Frank had my interest. The middle-aged fry-cook in his stained “Je me souviens” t-shirt had taken me by surprise.
The next dish he cooked up for me is said to be a house special: a chili-dog with red onions and chopped bell pepper. Again the dog was up to par with bun falling somewhat short, but what really caught me was the effect of the bell paper, which brought with it a light crunchy texture and low heat that tied each mouthful together. The red onions, it should be noted, played a role as well, laying a slight sweetness underneath the more intense flavors of the chili and peppers. It is also very much to credit of this O Street establishment that all of the ingredients in my meal there were at the absolute peak of freshness and, as Frank told me later, purchased daily at a nearby farmer's’ market.
Behind the counter of Frank’s Franks, under the outer guise of a street-food vendor I found the mind of a gourmet at work. With its well-executed classic and modern takes on the timeless edible which is the hotdog, Frank’s Franks may be a little rough around the edges, but is wholly worthy of the four-and-one-half star Critics’ Circle rating with which I award it.
To begin, my expectations of the Canadian transplant’s ability to wow the palate with his common cuisine were low. I decided to test the waters with a classic we all know well, a frankenfurter with relish and sauerkraut on an exquisite white bread bun. Much to my pleasant surprise, the dog was cooked to an ideal consistency, a firm but thin and snappy casing with a warm, soft, and moist interior. The bitterness of the sauerkraut created a titillating and delicate balance with the slightly sweet and tangy dill relish. This was an altogether unexpected and extremely subtle inclusion. All things considered however, the dog did fall shy of the mark when it came to the bun. Admittedly, Frank does stock some of the higher quality hotdog buns available, allowing his customers to choose between classic white and sourdough, this one took a plunge toward the last few bits when it became slightly dampened and thus unattractively mushy. Frank had my interest. The middle-aged fry-cook in his stained “Je me souviens” t-shirt had taken me by surprise.
The next dish he cooked up for me is said to be a house special: a chili-dog with red onions and chopped bell pepper. Again the dog was up to par with bun falling somewhat short, but what really caught me was the effect of the bell paper, which brought with it a light crunchy texture and low heat that tied each mouthful together. The red onions, it should be noted, played a role as well, laying a slight sweetness underneath the more intense flavors of the chili and peppers. It is also very much to credit of this O Street establishment that all of the ingredients in my meal there were at the absolute peak of freshness and, as Frank told me later, purchased daily at a nearby farmer's’ market.
Behind the counter of Frank’s Franks, under the outer guise of a street-food vendor I found the mind of a gourmet at work. With its well-executed classic and modern takes on the timeless edible which is the hotdog, Frank’s Franks may be a little rough around the edges, but is wholly worthy of the four-and-one-half star Critics’ Circle rating with which I award it.
