Frank & Fries to re-open

[John]

Frank & Fries on West Grand Ave. in Rahway will be re-opening Monday, Oct 30th. There will be new owners and a new menu. The owner, Frank Perrone, also owns Nunzio's Pizzeria in Scotch Plains. I'm looking forward to eating at Frank & Fries. They will be serving a 1/4 lb natural casing, footlong Thumanns griller for $2.00! A great deal. Other places serving a quarter pounder sell it for $4.00. You can get chili for an extra 50 cents, making the price $2.50. One of the only places that I know of that serves the Thumanns griller. Many serve the special dog for deep frying. The griller is, in my opinion, the best beef/pork dog on the market.

They will also be serving breakfast. 3 eggs on a roll, whole wheat bread, or a bagel for only $2.25. 4 egg omelettes with toast and homefries for $4.00. There will also be breakfast platters, burgers, sandwiches, and wraps on the menu. But for me, the attraction is the footlong Thumanns grillers which will be prepared on a flat griddle. You can also reguest it to be char broiled.

Stop on by and tell them that John a/k/a hotdoglover sent you.

[ELA]

Very glad to hear this. NJ can't afford to lose anymore hot dog classics. Personally, Callahan's was a heartbreaker for me. LOL.

Eric

[John]

Eric,

Did you know that there are still 2 Callahan's locations left? One in Little Ferry on rt 46, and the other in Hasbrouck Heights.

[ELA]

Eric,

Did you know that there are still 2 Callahan's locations left? One in Little Ferry on rt 46, and the other in Hasbrouck Heights.

←

Yes, I do, thank you. Is the HH local on Rt. 17 still open? I thought that one closed or was supposed to close.

Years ago the original Callahan's (Fort Lee) looked to franchise. It just never took off. While I think they use the same dog, I hate to say "it just ain't the same", LOL. Anyway, now I have no choice. It was a sad day when Callahan's closed it's doors.

Eric

[John]

The HH location was still open as of 2 months ago. Although we (Munchmobile) did not stop, we did drive by. Earlier in the summer we went to the Little Ferry Callahans. I spoke to Rick Castrianni who owned the Fort Lee location, and he told me the dogs were the same at each Callahan's. The one I had at Little Ferry tasted the same as the dog I had at Fort Lee.

[ELA]

Great to know, and thanks. I really like those dogs. Does anyone know for sure what kind of dog it is? Someone once told me it was a beef and pork based dog, or something along those lines. I think before they closed they sold them via the internet. Anyone know the brand? Is is commercially available (retail)?

Thanks again.

Eric

[ELA]

BTW, I think the person who told me about the dog, might have also said it was a Sabretts. Could that be right? Thanks.

Eric

[John]

The dog is a Sabrett beef and pork dog. Sabrett has 2 recipes; this one and the all beef. You can get the all beef Sabrett almost anywhere, the beef/pork dog is only available through a Sabrett distributor. But they will sell them to you. The Hot Grill uses this dog, although in a smaller size than Callahan's. The Windmill also uses this dog, but they grill rather than deep fry it.

[ELA]

The dog is a Sabrett beef and pork dog. Sabrett has 2 recipes; this one and the all beef. You can get the all beef Sabrett almost anywhere, the beef/pork dog is only available through a Sabrett distributor. But they will sell them to you. The Hot Grill uses this dog, although in a smaller size than Callahan's. The Windmill also uses this dog, but they grill rather than deep fry it.

←

John, thank you very much.

Eric

[John]

And just like that, Frank & Fries is no more. I spoke with the owner today and was told that the place was sold yesterday. It will soon be a Mexican restaurant. I'm really disappointed because I think the food was excellent and the owner seemed like he was really into making it a great hot dog and hamburger restaurant. I helped him a little with the menu, and stopped to eat occasionally. There was no better grilled beef and pork dog anywhere. He used the Thumann's griller; natural casing and 1/4 pound and sold it for $2.00! And made money on it. It was prepared on a griddle and finished off on a charcoal grill. He made a spicy chili, but I enjoyed this tasty dog with just mustard. The fries also were awesome. Hand cut and twice fried. When he was making food before the Grand Opening, Frank explained his process for making fries. I don't remember it, but it was quite involved. The result was the best fries I've ever tasted. And that's saying a lot with Syd's, Amazing Hot Dog, and a few other places that make great fries. I brought some home, and my wife also agreed that the fries were the best she's sampled. I had been meaning to post again abot Frank & Fries, but never got around to it. Guess it doesn't matter now.

I was curious as to why the owner would sell after only being open a month. Like many other places, (Callahan's and Eagans come to mind) he was offerred a lot of money. And he decided that he wanted to devote time to producing a show for the Discovery Channel. He still owns Nunzio's in Scotch Plains. He was doing very well at Frank & Fries, and the place was becoming quite popular due to the excellent quality of the food and the very reasonable prices. This was the third and last incarnation of Frank & Fries. Maybe the location is jinxed.

[titmfatied]

A friend brought me a menu the other day and the prices were incredible.

I'd have to agree with the location being jinxed. There's doesn't seem to be much of a lunch crowd in the area to support it. The traffic patterns around the area (from my experience) also leave the location as a place to be avoided. Unfortunately there' aren't many retail outlets where the road leads. Even all the way down to Rt. 1 there's not much that would lead one to take that road. Most of the traffic srrms headed in the opposite direction and the parking in the area seems limited. If the building was located on the other side of the street and a restaurant was open for dinner I think it would do much better. I think the owner is smart for selling.

Are they closed as of today? I'm dying to try the fries now that you've described them. Pierogi Palace up the street towards St George Ave is also worth a try, if you like pierogis.

Edited December 1, 2006 by titmfatied (log)

[John]

They were closed as of yesterday. Despite the location, and the traffic patterns you described, they did well. I knew the original owners also, and they were quite successful. They sold because they wanted to move to Florida. There is a parking lot, so there was available parking.