Wednesday, February 2, 2011

A New Dog in Town: Frankie's Dawg House

Frankie's Dawg House in Baton Rouge
No matter how high my standards for food may get over time, I sure hope I never lose my love for a good hot dog.  I'm not talking about Oscar Mayer or those red colored franks you can buy by the 48 pack, I'm talking about serious, quality wieners (that's what she said).  Baton Rouge has a new spot to find just that: Frankie's Dawg House.  Located in a renovated building just off of Perkins on Cedardale, the gourmet hot "dawg" restaurant has a menu to meet anybody's taste buds.  From classic dogs to crazy combinations, and from all beef to alligator, Frankie's menu is as impressive as it is vast... and as it is pricy.  More on that later.  First, let's examine the food.
































The above menu is only a portion of what Frankie's Dawg House offers, though it does cover most of the gourmet hot dog selections.  The free toppings and side items are found elsewhere.  I stopped by Frankie's with Eusebio and Ashley and we decided to get an array of dogs to aid our judgement process.  I took a stab at the Dawg of the Month, "The Fatty" ($6.95, pictured above, top right).  This smothered frank came with chili, cheese, jalapenos, and Cajun fries.  The only way to eat it was with a fork.  While tasty, The Fatty ended up being my least favorite hot dog of the day.  Eusebio opted for the "Swamp Dawg" which featured alligator sausage with grilled onions and spicy mustard ($7.95, pictured above, bottom right).  This dawg proved easier to eat as it used the bun as a delivery mechanism to the mouth instead of a fork.  The onions and mustard went well with the gator sausage.  I found myself impressed enough to think this may actually be gourmet.

Drunk as Duck Dawg: Duck Sausage, Peppers, and Mustard
The "Drunk as Duck" Dawg ($7.95) had a plump duck sausage on a bun along with a mixture of grilled peppers and some mustard.  While very similar to the above mentioned Swamp Dawg, I think I liked the combination of duck sausage and peppers more than alligator sausage and onions.  Either way you go, I think both are pretty quality sandwiches.

Morning Glory: Dog, Bacon, Cheese, Fried Egg, and Maple Syrup
By far the most innovative, curious, and fascinating dog of the day came in the form of breakfast.  The "Morning Glory" hot dog ($4.95) contained plenty bacon and cheese as well as a fried egg.  To top it off, it uses maple syrup as a condiment!  Genius!  I only got one bite of this beauty, but it is actually will get me back in the door.  Everything actually played really well together.  The sweetness of the syrup topped it off after the taste of bacon, egg, and cheese hit my tongue.

For as good and relatively gourmet as the dawgs were, I'm still skeptical of the life of this business if the prices remain so high.  While they are using quality products and serving generous portions, they are pushing, or perhaps breaking through, the price limits of what people are willing to repeatedly pay for a hot dog.  The duck and alligator dogs were tasty but certainly not worth the $8 each that they cost.  Most people can eat two hotdogs, but if you try to down two gourmet dogs, you're not leaving for under $10 and could be paying as much as $16... for hot dogs!  While I like a good hot dog, I don't want to pay ballpark prices for them.  The base dog with a couple free toppings runs $2.95.  That's not terrible, but its also expensive for a plain hot dog.  To build your own with up to 5 toppings costs $4.95.  That's just a little too high for my liking.  While I felt the Morning Glory was approaching a fair price at $4.95 (only because at $3 less than the Drunk as Duck and Swamp Dawgs it is a bargain), there are others that just aren't worth the money.  There are also several sides worth eating but no meal deal to get a dog, side, and drink for a cheap lunch.  Hopefully things like that will change once the business gets going, but I'm fearful of repeat business when the ticket prices for hot dogs are this high.  Still, I hate to be too down on the place.  I enjoyed everything I ate and I liked the  little restaurant itself.  Baton Rouge needs more places like this so I really hope they figure out a model that will keep customers coming in and business doing well.  Best of luck, new dawgs in town!

Bookmark and Share

Frankie's Dawg House on Urbanspoon

13 comments:

  1. I'm going to have to give Frankie's a shot. Somehow my idea of hot dogs is still stuck with the Chicago Style with sport peppers and celery salt or the Cincinnati Style Chili Coney (Google Skyline or Gold Star Chili- or for the die hard purist Camp Washington Chili) that I grew up with. The idea of a duck sausage hot dog is intriguing.

    Two of the last hot dog places I've been were Chicago Al's on O'Neal, which has an authentic (flown in from The Windy City) Vienna hot dogs and sport peppers. Al's lives up to my expectations. I; however, was severely disappointed with a hot dog place that has since gone out of business in LaPlace. They claimed to use Angus beef hot dogs, but product tasted like the Bar S dogs you can get on sale for a dollar at the grocery store.

    I have to say I think the space Frankie's has made around the building is great. They've put time, money, and thought into the place. I am looking forward to enjoying a sausage and peppers. Thanks Jay!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dude, absolutely. If you want a Chicago style dog, go to Chicago Al's on O'neal!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. When your website or blog goes live for the first time, it is exciting. That is until you realize no one but you and your. Does Allerpet Really Work

    ReplyDelete
  4. You make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers. fancy dog houses

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for this great post, i find it very interesting and very well thought out and put together. I look forward to reading your work in the future. How to put a harness on a dachshund

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very useful info. Hope to see more posts soon!. best vacuum for cat hair and litter

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really enjoy simply reading all of your weblogs. Simply wanted to inform you that you have people like me who appreciate your work. Definitely a great post. Hats off to you! The information that you have provided is very helpful. soft dog food for older dogs with bad teeth

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. Soft dog food for older dogs with bad teeths

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes i am totally agreed with this article and i just want say that this article is very nice and very informative article.I will make sure to be reading your blog more. You made a good point but I can't help but wonder, what about the other side? !!!!!!Thanks best dog food

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is the type of information I’ve long been trying to find. Thank you for writing this information. instagram likes and views

    ReplyDelete
  11. I read that Post and got it fine and informative. bulldog

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely return. Pet supplies plus

    ReplyDelete
  13. You can save money using one of the latest Barkbox coupons at Ebarkshop. There are 12 new offer and Barkbox deals right now. barkbox coupon code

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.