A Hot Dog a Day Number 20: Fred's Franks in Wakefield, MA

On July 20, the 20th day on my journey to eat a hot dog a day in honor of National Hot Dog Month, I took the Pike to 128 north where I got off at exit 40 in Wakefield. 

Just off the rotary, on the shore of Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA, sits a funky little converted landscape trailer that serves up some of the most insanely delicious hot dogs I have tasted all summer: Fred's Franks.

The set up looks a lot like another one of my favorite joints, Snappy Dogs.

Owner Carl Galasso greets every customer with a smile. He bought Fred's Franks a couple years ago after he was laid off from his job as an engineer in the semiconductor industry. He risked it all to go into the hot dog business: he sold his house, cashed in his 401K and dove in head first. Boy am I glad he did- Fred's Franks serves up the most ridiculous hot dogs and sausages in the Boston area. Carl won't change the name because Fred's Franks has great rankings in Google and a loyal, if borderline cult-like, following.

Helping Carl in the trailer today was new employee Ed who takes the money and hands out rolls and sodas. Ed is a true American who believes in freedom of choice; he unfortunately exercises that freedom somewhat irresponsibly by allowing people over the age of 18 to put ketchup on their hot dogs! Since it was his first day, I cut him a little slack (but not much).

Ed is replacing Ryan who has worked along side both Fred and Carl. This was Ryan's last day. :o(

Fred's Franks has been the most suggested joint for me to visit by my fans, so when Mike from The Hot Dog I Ate emailed me and asked me to join him at Fred's for lunch, I couldn't resist. Fred's is a mile away from Mike's house and he is a frequent patron. Mike has been blogging about hot dogs about as long as I have, though he tends to take a more "literary" approach to the endeavor. He knows his stuff too, he explained the cooking processes and menu like he owned the joint.

The menu at Fred's Franks is pretty straight forward- there are hot dogs, kielbasa, linguica, and chourico. Carl serves up a Pearl, all beef frank which he grills to crispy perfection on one of two "green egg" grills stoked with real charcoal and apple wood.

There are daily specials too, like the grilled steak tips. I saw a few customers with the steak tips and I will be returning to Fred's during National Steak Tip Month- they looked DELISH.

Condiments are self serve and include a few types of mustard, relish, onions, kraut, sweet cabbage and Carl's own special sharashaba sauce.

The specialty of the house is the Shnurble- a quarter pound Pearl frank with two slices of chourico dressed with mayonnaise, sweet cabbage and the aforementioned sharashaba sauce. Believe me when I tell you this picture doesn't come close to doing this dog justice.

I took a deep breath and

CHOWED DOWN!

He likes it, hey Mikey!

I don't have enough thumbs to put up for this hot dog- GO TO WAKEFIELD AND GET A SHNURBLE!

Carl sez: TWO THUMBS WAY UP!

This is a "must eat" hot dog- it should be on your hot dog "bucket list." So stop by Fred's Franks, just of the rotary at exit 40 in Wakefield, and tell Ed and Carl "the Hotdogman sent me."

HAPPY NATIONAL HOT DOG MONTH!!!

Check out the video of my visit to Fred's Franks on Hot Dog Stories.

A Hot Dog a Day Number Eight: Snappy Dogs

For the eighth installment of a hot dog a day for National Hot Dog Month, another old favorite was on the docket: Snappy Dogs in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

I chose to go here today (even though it was kinda rainy) because it was a Friday and that's the day Lisa- a classically trained chef turned Hot Dog Woman- concocts her Friday Snappy Special. I saw the description on Snappy Dogs' Facebook Page:

The Mediterranean is Friday's Snappy special: a grilled Snappy Dog loaded with pepperoncini peppers, black olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, feta, and capers, with a squirt of basil vinaigrette.

That made me hungry!

Of course, every day is special at Snappy Dogs- they offer over a dozen, fresh, homemade toppings every day.

They even make their own pickles, fercryinoutloud!

Here's a picture of the aforementioned Mediterranean Dog. All those yummy toppings are sitting in a freshly baked roll with a quarter pound, grilled to perfection Pearl All Beef frank. (They have smaller dogs too for the feint of heart).

I was ready to 

CHOW DOWN!

The dog, as usual, was out of this world. The sharpness of the contrasting flavors of pepperocini,  feta, capers, and artichoke hearts was an earthy delight on the palate. Lisa has real talent in the kitchen- the hot dog world is lucky to have her. Her partner, Theresa (usually the grill master), was on vacation today.  :o(

HAPPY NATIONAL HOT DOG MONTH!

Check out the video of my visit to Snappy Dogs on Hot Dog Stories.

A Hot Dog a Day Number Six: Zippity Do Dog in Framingham, MA

For my July 6 hot dog- marking the 6th day of National Hot Dog Month- I stopped at an old favorite of mine:  Zippity Do Dog, located at 160 Speen Street in Framingham, MA.

Zippity Do Dog was formerly known as The Trolley Stop. Owner Mike Gerrol, pictured below with his helper and niece, Jen, has owned the charming, retro looking trailer for two years. He renamed the hot dog business at the start of this season to create his own business brand.

This isn't some cute little trailer with no guts in it; there's a full on commercial kitchen inside.

There is even air conditioning. You can't have hot dogs without cool cooks!

Mike's very concerned with quality- he feels the quality of his food is the single most important component to the success of Zippity Do Dog. He even went so far as to post this Quality Guarantee:

At Zippity Do Dog, we take pride in serving a quality product at a good value. At times it may take several minutes to prepare our customers' orders and you may also experience having to wait in line to be served. We apologize for any inconvenience and we will work as quickly as possible to minimize your wait- but we will NOT compromise on our quality guarantee:

A FRESH TASTING, QUALITY MEAL AT A GOOD PRICE!

We are NOT a "fast food" hot dog stand.

Thanks for your understanding.

The menu shows this dedication to quality, whether it's "the other stuff" or...

the hot dog menu.

The quality extends to the "dining room." Only Zippity Do Dog could make a parking lot look like a bistro (or maybe a charcuterie?)

Zippity Do Dog serves up Kayem franks- they also offer an all beef Pearl frank.

I ordered up a "Hawaiian Dog," a grilled Kayem Old Tyme frank on a grilled, split top bun with Mike's own "Hula Sauce" (a special blended barbecue sauce), pineapple, bacon, and melted cheese. This is one of my very favorite "non-conforming" hot dogs. Believe me, it tastes even better than it looks!

After mingling with Mike and his very friendly customers, I finally got to 

CHOW DOWN!

Zippity Do Dog is right near exit 13 off the Mass Pike, so if you're down that way, stop in for a hot dog and tell Mike "the Hotdogman sent me." And wish him a Happy National Hot Dog Month!

For the rest of the story, check out the video of my visit to Zippity Do Dog.

This or That

This or that is a new site that lets you create a mini poll and share it with your friends on Facebook. Basically, you ask whether people would like one thing or another: This or That.

I created one.

Which do you prefer, grilled Pearl Franks or steamed Kayem Franks?

Go vote now!