July is National Hot Dog Month

To pay tribute to the All-American hot dog, The Hot Dog Man is traveling to a different Hot Dog Joint each day during the month of July, National Hot Dog Month. Lucky for him, July is one of those great months with 31 days and that means 31 hot dog stops. I thought I had a great job!!!

That's the Hot Dog Man in the center of the photo along with the owners of the greatest hot dog maker on the planet, Pearl the official hot dog of Yank's Franks.

I hope everyone that reads my blog will stop by Yank's Franks on Tuesday, July 10th and be a part of Hot Dog History. I can't wait for the movie.

Frankly, We Are Honored To Be A Part Of The Hot Dog Tour!

The Yank's Franks Angry Sauce Is Ready

W O Hesperus Bottling Department

With the Yank's Franks Opening Day fast approaching we ordered our special recipe, Yank's Angry Sauce from Captain Mowatt's (aka, W O Hesperus Co.).

Hot Diggity and I ventured north to Portland's Eastern Promenade, the worldwide headquarters of Captain Mowatt's. Overlooking Portland's Casco Bay, we were given a tour of their offices, the production kitchen, the bottling department and the storage room.

We were given a gastronomic tour of Captain Mowatt's amazing sauces, including their new Captain Mowatt's Hot Pink which earns a Heat Level rating of 7 out of 10.

We sampled the Captain's new Old Salt, an awesome combination of Sea Salt, Habanero & Cayenne Chiles, and a little Maine Seaweed. At a Heat Level of 4 out of 10, it was just the right kick while still being able to appreciate the taste buds.

Storage Department

We were sent off with a bottle of the Old Salt to keep at Yank's Franks. Anyone wanting a bit of a kick to their burger, fries or onion rings, please ask. I can't wait to try it myself.

Frankly, Some Like It Hot!!! 

Pearl's of Wisdom...

Hot Diggity and I were excited when we received an invitation from Pearl Meat Packing Co. to visit their Massachusetts headquarters.

The Yank's Franks tasting team showed up this morning anticipating a fun and educational (get it...Pearl's of wisdom) tour of Pearl's facilities. We were greeted by Bud Lazaro, Vice President of Sales as well as, Bob Camelio, President and CEO. We were very impressed by the facility's cleanliness, efficiency and the friendliness of the people.

Hot Diggity and I were treated to All-Beef hot dogs of various sizes, including a new Pearl Hot Dog spiced with Jalapeno peppers (ay chiwawa). We tried Pearl's beef and pork hot dogs as well as their Italian sausages. We sampled breakfast sandwiches, and even a wonderful Reuben sandwich made with Pearl's lean smoked Pastrami (absolutely delicious).

Of all the terrific offerings, the thing that kept us going back time and time again was the Jalapeno dog, it was delicious and unique.

What a great way to spend the day!

Frankly, Pearl makes awesome Hot Dogs (and more)!

I Finally Got a Good Chili Dog

Today The French Fry King and I went north to finally lay to rest my overwhelming hunger for a chili dog. Where else would we go but Hoss & Mary's Tasty Grub at Old Orchard Beach.

For me, it was a chili dog and a Moultron (a Moultron is a cheeseburger topped with a hot dog) along with an order of fries. For The French Fry King, it was just a Moultron and fries (wimp). Our meals were fantastic.

I took good photos of our food, but sitting next to me was this young man named Ethan. And, as I came to learn, those eight cheeseburgers that were on the griddle were soon to be put together and served to Ethan as his Ocho Burger. I couldn't resist that photo op. I guess I am now a member of the Paparazzi. That's Ethan in the photo just before digging into his Ocho Burger.

I spent the next five minutes or so, watching Ethan make quick work of his Ocho Burger. He didn't skip a beat and then moved quickly on to finish off his order of fries. So as not to risk feeling a bit hungry on his walk home, Ethan topped his meal off with an order of deep-fried Mother Futchers Coffee Cake with sweet dipping sauce.

Great job Ethan! It was good to have lunch with you and all your friends.

And, great job Hoss & Mary...as usual your food is consistently great!

Frankly, I Love a Great Chili Dog!

Top Dog of Rockport ~ Awesome!!!

Today was a rainy and chilly day in Rockport. That really didn't matter to the Yank's Franks Team because Rockport is a fantastic destination no matter what the weather.

On our stroll down Bearskin Neck we passed by several seafood restaurants because we had our plans to stop on the ride home at one of my favorite seafood joints, Woodman's of Essex. I had deep fried lobster on my mind.

Hot Diggity and I, along with Bad Dog Barbara (pictured right enjoying her Bad Dog) and Shaggy Dog Howard (below left enjoying his Shaggy Dog) meandered along the charming lane that stretches the length of the Neck and Lo and Behold...a Hot Dog Joint.

Top Dog of Rockport was staring at me and screaming, "Yank, get in here and have a dog!" (I take medicine in an attempt to control the voices)

I apologized to the others and explained my need to silence the voices. As it turned out the others wanted a dog as well (this was the beginning of the end of the Woodman's idea).

My choice was the Golden Retriever topped with Bacon (the owner, Scott's recommendation). Griddled and served on a buttered and toasted New England style bun (sound familiar?) and swimming in mac 'n cheese. Holy Hot Dog Batman!!! this hot dog was great.

The other's had the Shaggy Dog and the Bad Dog and all reports were fantastic. The Fries were great and the Homemade Onions Rings were spectacular.

Only one bad thing to report...if I had realized at the time that we weren't going to Woodman's, I would have had two more dogs. That would have made it a perfect trip.

Thanks Scott!

Frankly, Yank knows a good dog when he tastes it!

America's Best Selling Condiment???

Did you guess mustard? Perhaps my photo threw you off. While my answer would be mustard, that's net even close.

Did you guess ketchup? Great guess, but ketchup isn't even in second place.

I'll give you a hint...if you order America's best selling condiment on your hot dog, I will reluctantly put it on your dog, but it will go on the bun before the hot dog. Why, because I don't even want to see it (let alone have other customers see it) so I'll hide it as much as possible.

Did you guess it yet?

I dislike this condiment so much, I'm not going to tell you the answer here. You'll have to click this link to find the answer.

If you want this condiment on your hot dog just ask, but please don't ask me to put it on top of the dog. We aim to please (which is why we will put ketchup on a hot dog even if you're more than 8 years old), but we don't have to like it.

Frankly, we serve the BEST mustard!

"Hot Dog" Mike Returns To Yank's Franks

He's back! One of the authors of the very popular Hot Dog Blog, The Hot Dog I Ate, Mike returned to Yank's Franks today with his lovely wife, Samantha. (and this time it wasn't by accident). As you may recall, his last visit was a result of a surprise sighting of Yank's by Samantha during their journey north. The bad news, at that time, was that they had stopped a short while earlier at Flo's for some dogs. Being a true "veteran hot dogger" that wasn't going to totally stop Mike. He found room for one Yank's Frank.

On this trip Mike had Yank's Franks as the destination and we were thrilled. After Mike and Samantha finished their meals the customer traffic slowed as if on cue. We had some time for some "hot dog talk" and just to visit.

Both Hot Diggity and I are now into our 3rd careers and the great thing is that "Hot Doggers" are the absolute best people.

Thanks for stopping Mike and Samantha!

Frankly, Hot Diggity and I love being Hot Doggers!

The Yank's Franks Testing Kitchen Re-Opens

It's been a long while since the Yank's Franks test kitchen has been open, but we had a special reason to unlock the doors and fire up the cooking equipment. As you (hopefully) read in my previous article, we were recently visited by Chubby Werewolf and he came to Yank's bearing gifts.

On the menu for the testing were Zweigle Red & Whites and Skyline Original Chili. Both were products we were excited to sample.

Double Dog Dennis, The French Fry King and I were all present. Unfortunately, Hot Diggity was unavailable as she was visiting her 8 month old grandson, The Hot Dog Cowboy.


As you can see from the photo (above), the Dogs were served on buns that are not typical of Yank's Franks. They were given to us by our baker, Fantini Bakery to test out. Also, what Hot Dog Tasting could be conducted without fries? So, it was homemade Cajun Fries to keep The French Fry King smiling. And, it was One Red and One White Zweigle's for each of us to keep Double Dog Dennis happy. What kept me happy? I started with two vodka martinis. That'll do it.

I had my Red Dog with Cincinnati-Style Chili and My White Dog with my favorite mustard, Kosciusko. The Dogs...both of them were absolutely delicious. To me, the look of the White Dog was a bit scary. While I have tried White Dogs at Heid's of Liverpool, that was over 30 years ago. If you have never had a white dog, give it a try. They are awesome!

Onto the Chili. The Skyline Chili is what I was really looking forward to as I have heard so much about it. The first thing I noticed was the aroma. I have opened several different brands of chili from cans, and have been consistently repulsed by the odor. Not at all true with Skyline. While the aroma was subtle, it was pleasant.

The next obvious characteristic is the consistency. It was very soupy. I didn't know what to make of this as I worried it would be too runny for a hot dog topping. In the ingredients list on the can, listed first is beef (which I think means beef would be the ingredient most prominent). I continue to be skeptical that beef deserves top billing.

And finally the taste. The Cincinnati-Style Chili was delicious. It definitely reminded me of Mexican Mole (which I love) as it has a hint of a chocolate flavor. Good Mexican Mole just has a hint of chocolate...so little that you almost have to concentrate while tasting to get it. The same is true of this chili. After having the Chili on my hot dog, I had more with just a spoon. Awesome Chili! So good that our Annual Cross-Country Hot Dog Tour may include a swing through Cincinnati.

As to whether Cincinnati Chili makes its way onto the Yank's Franks menu is still undecided. The consistency makes it a messy and difficult topping. It also bothers me that people would know if served a chili that spent time in the can. I have always considered chili in a can as wrong. We'll see. Maybe that trip to Cincinnati will give us a different perspective. I'll let you know.

A special Thank you to Chubby Werewolf for this fantastic meal.

Frankly, Yank loves Chili Dogs!

July is National Hot Dog Month

We would love to see you at Yank's Franks to celebrate National Hot Dog Month.

Try a different combination of toppings each day. Let us know your favorite.

Someone recently ordered The Angry Dog topped with Onions and Jalapenos. It sounds delicious, but I may wait until October to try it myself.

Frankly, we serve the BEST dogs!

Father's Day Idea ~ For The Dad With Everything

It's Father's Day. Is your dad one of those guys who already has everything? Well, I bet he doesn't have a Yank's Franks Gift Certificate.

I've never met a great Dad that didn't love hot dogs!

Stop by Yank's Franks this weekend and get Dad the perfect gift. While you're at it, get yourself a hot dog and an order of onion rings.

Frankly, we have a great Father's Day gift!

Yank's Franks Opening Weekend

Yank's Franks would like to thank everyone that helped make our opening weekend so GREAT!

We said it last year and we'll say it again...we didn't realize that one of the best benefits of opening a "hot dog joint" would be all the new friends we are meeting.

Appearing for the first time, the Burgers, the BBQ Pulled Pork and The Angry Dog were tried by a few of you. But, it was the beloved favorites that stole the show... The Wells Beach Dog, The Chili Dog and The Yank's Frank were clearly the huge sellers for the weekend.

Thanks again everyone that stopped in to say hello and get their hot dog fix. And those of you that couldn't make it, we look forward to seeing you soon.

Frankly, we have the BEST customers!

Hoss & Mary's Tasty Grub ~ Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Take a trip to Old Orchard Beach and don't miss Hoss & Mary's Tasty Grub. Hoss & Mary's had their pre-opening today and their official opening is tomorrow.

Three fourths of the Yank's Franks research crew, Double Dog Dennis, The Hot Dog King and I traveled north in anticipation of some "tasty grub." We entered Hoss & Mary's new restaurant (they used to operate Tradewinds Cafe) and we were overwhelmed. What a fantastic place and it's on the beach. As they advertise, Hoss & Mary's is, "In the shadow of the roller coaster!"

As for our expectations of the tasty grub, we talked about it all the way home. It was awesome. Double Dog Dennis got a cheeseburger and fries ( a little boring DD) which he thoroughly enjoyed. The Hot Dog King decided on The Foghorn Leghorn, a cheeseburger topped with chicken fingers, lettuce, tomato and mayo. He is known as The Hot Dog King, but had I been a little more patient in assigning him his hot dog name, he would have been The French Fry King. Needless to say, he selected and loved the fries. For me it was The Moultron, a sandwich named after another of Hoss & Mary's faithful customers(and obviously a foodie genius). My sandwich was simply a cheeseburger topped with a grilled hot dog. I added mustard to make my sandwich the little piece of foodie heaven that I am still dreaming about. My fries were excellent, but that sandwich...WOW!

It's definitely worth a trip up to Old Orchard Beach. Enjoy the rides, enjoy the beach...but you have to eat at and enjoy Hoss & Mary's Tasty Grub. Their menu has something for everyone and from the comments and observations of everyone that showed up today, everything is just amazing.

Frankly, the Yank's Franks research team knows where to dine!

Yank's Franks Checks Out Vienna Beef Hot Dogs

Hot Diggity and I were invited to Boston today to speak with representatives of Chicago's Legendary, Vienna Beef. The purpose was to discuss whether Vienna Beef Hot Dogs would be a good fit at Yank's Franks.

In addition to the Vienna Beef rep. we were warmly greeted by Grady, the founder and owner of Windy City Eats, the awesome Weymouth, Mass. hot dog joint that serves nothing but Vienna Beef products. Hot Diggity and I thoroughly enjoyed a Windy City authentic Chicago Dog at last year's Hot Dog Safari. That Chicago Dog was easily the highlight of the Safari.

In addition to hearing some of the benefits of Vienna Beef and their products, Grady from Windy City Eats had prepared for us some of his delicious Hot Dog Chili and Spicy Polish Sausage. Both were exceptional.

All this is what's known as food for thought.

Frankly, Yank's Franks serves the BEST dogs!

Yank's Franks ~ The Next Health Food Craze?

We've all heard the health warnings about nitrates or nitrites in such foods as bacon, ham, sausages and hot dogs. This perception was bolstered in the 1970's by research conducted at MIT. Wow, coming from such a prestigious institution of higher learning, this conclusion is very damning to these foods.

As Paul Harvey used to say, "and now, the rest of the story."

As revealed in her blog, Junkfood Science, Sandy Szwarc identifies the source of misinformation about nitrates as a 1970's MIT research report that was later discredited as faulty by scientists at the FDA, USDA and NIH among others.

Imagine that, those pompous MIT fools proved nothing more than their own incompetence, yet the scare they perpetrated lasts until this day.

Sandy Szwarc's article continues with many startling (and positive) facts about nitrates. Unlike those Cambridge, Mass. jokers, these facts are backed by legitimate studies.

I've always thought that MIT real estate along the Charles River would make beautiful condos. Now, it appears that a condo conversion may do a service to mankind. Okay, that's a bit much, but it would do a service to hotdoggers everywhere. Hopefully the bottom floor of those condos will be retail. That would make an awesome Yank's Franks location.

Frankly, we serve the BEST (and healthiest) dogs!

The Cross Country Hot Dog Tour Continues ~Chi-Town

It's day nine of The Cross Country Hot Dog Tour.


We finally hit pay dirt when I stumbled into Chi-Town Chicago Style Eatery in Austin, Texas.

First a little background...Hot Diggity and I lived in Austin for seven years. It was the nicest place we have ever lived for so many reasons. When we moved to Austin, I quickly noticed that it had some of the best restaurants you'd ever want, however I also noticed that, like Maine, it didn't have what I would consider a great hot dog joint. I always believed that opening a hot dog joint in the right spot in Austin would be a winner. Well, here we are back visiting Austin and what do they have just a few miles from where we lived...a great hot dog joint!


Last night I decided to check out Urban Spoon. They had several negative comments, however most of them concerned what I would describe as start-up issues. Not that they aren't legitimate, but virtually all places (including Yank's Franks) go through a learning period. These guys, Travis and Tim, seem very responsive to their customers comments. For example, one customer complained about the quality of their fries and was upset that they used frozen fries. He went on to point out some great places that would only serve fresh cut fries. Well, Chi-Town now uses fresh cut fries. And, I promise their fries are far better than 5 Guys Burger fries. If I may add one point of disagreement, Yank's Franks uses frozen French Fries. After a very long and extensive comparison of many kinds of potatoes and fries, I will stack our Yank's Frank fries up to any out there.


Back to the point, in addition to the fries I had their Classic Chicago Dog and a Chili Dog. Both dogs were Vienna Beef hot dogs and both were done just right. What a bonus, a delicious lunch when you least expect it.

I can't believe that Austin finally has a great Hot Dog Joint!

Frankly, we serve the BEST dogs! And, Chi-Town serves the best dogs in Texas!

My Hot Dog Mission

It's Saturday and Hot Diggity and I found a new relish to try. Have you ever heard of Zucchini Relish. We sampled it at a local Farmers' Market and it was very good. Of course, I had to put it to the hot dog test.

So what you see below is my Zucchini Relish and Kosciusko Mustard Dog (for research purposes) and two Chili Dogs with Cheese (because I was dying for Chili Dogs).

The result...the Zucchini Relish was very good, however it is not different enough from our sweet relish to add to our offerings. We will keep looking and we will invite others to try the Zucchini Relish to get more opinions.

The Chili Dogs were made with Yank's Beantown Chili (as opposed to our regular Chili Dogs that were made with Angus Steak Chili). Whenever and where ever I have Chili, it needs to be topped with shredded cheddar. The Chili Dogs were awesome! Our Beantown Chili is just spectacular. We will likely have it on our menu next Spring.

Now for my problem. I ate these hot dogs a little after 9:30 pm this evening. I could go to bed an hour late, after all we set the clocks back tonight. I'll break even on sleep while most of you get your extra hour, but that's the price I'll pay.

Wait a minute, I have another idea. Maybe if I chase those dogs with a bowl of Ben and Jerry's everything will even out. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

Enjoy your extra hour of sleep. I intend to as well.

Frankly, blah, blah, blah...gotta go to bed!

The Yank's Franks Website Is Up And Running

The new Yank's Franks website went live today. We are thrilled with it. It's clean, crisp and fun, just like Yank's Franks.

Thank you AfterFive by Design, our web developer, for all your great ideas.

Please, take a look and let us know what you think.
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Hot Dog, We're Having Fun!

Hot Diggity and I started our "Hot Dog Joint" to have fun. It's been a lot of work, but we are certainly having plenty of fun.

I'm smiling today because one of the "Hot Dog Joints" that Hot Diggity and I frequent (many times The Hot Dog King joins us) called Tradewinds Cafe, stopped in to try out Yank's Franks.

Not only did they try us out, but they were kind enough to post an awesome review of their experience on their, and our, facebook page.

Actually, Tradewinds Cafe is much more than a Hot Dog Joint.

As the photo of a portion of their menu indicates, they have an awesome variety of choices, and their setting on Route 1 in Arundel is ideal.

The Yank's Franks Website Is In The Works

Shortly after we came up with our name, Yank's Franks, we decided to secure a URL because we knew we would want a website.

I attempted to get, http://www.yanksfranks.com/. Unfortunately, that URL was taken. There was no active website, but we figured with all the Yankees fans (just for clarification purposes...we aren't Yankees fans) somebody probably secured that URL to sell a New York version of Fenway Franks.

We had to settle for our second choice, http://www.yanks-franks.com/. As cumbersome as that little hyphen is, it's better than no website.

The really good news is, I was recently in touch with the owner of http://www.yanksfranks.com/ and after some very tough negotiations, we have purchased the URL we wanted.

Don't click away too soon. Our new website is currently under construction and we'll let you know when it is ready to go.

Frankly, we'll have a GREAT website!

Oh, if you know anybody that's looking for http://www.yanks-franks.com/, there's a commission in it for you.

Oh, one last thing, GO RED SOX!

Which Hot Dog Should You Get At Yank's Franks?

The choice of which hot dog to get at Yank's Franks is difficult. We had one patron yesterday that ate six hot dogs and the young lady he was with had three hot dogs. Apparently they found a way to make the choosing a little less stressful.

Once you choose your hot dog and perhaps a side of fries or rings, we have made the beverage choice easy. You should select a Yank's Franks Root Beer.

Our own custom root beer is delicious and refreshing and it just arrived late this afternoon.We put it in the beverage cooler after we closed, so it will go on sale tomorrow.

Give it a try, you'll love it.

Frankly, we serve the Best dogs (and Root Beer)!