The 18th century British physician Thomas Fuller once said that "A hog in armour is still but a hog." To paraphrase the erstwhile doctor, a bad hotdog in bacon armor is still a bad hotdog.
Mr. Frank's positions itself as a gourmet hotdog stand. In order to do this, it places their hotdogs on hotdog buns, which are clearly baked to order for them, and tops them with various toppings. Upon recommendation from their cashier, I tried their Jersey Dog, which is topped with tomato, onions, jalapenos, bacon, and mayonnaise. I have no complaints about the toppings. I'm actually impressed with the bacon, since it was crisp and meaty. It was just right for my taste. The vegetables were also fresh and crunchy.
That being said, Mr. Frank's, CHANGE YOUR HOTDOG SUPPLIER. Whoever made the decision to use skinless, generic hotdogs better not be on the payroll anymore. The hotdogs used here are textureless tubes of mystery meat. There is no snap to them and no meatiness. It reminded me of a larger vienna sausage.
I took one bite of the Jersey Dog and I was done. I bit through the bacon, and the bun, and the veggies and felt happy. And then my teeth just sped through the hot dog itself and I knew something was wrong.
I'm big on being excellent at your main product, and Mr. Frank's failed in that regard. Going back to Dr. Fuller, you can have the best bun and best toppings in the world, but when you're trying to pass off a vienna sausage as a hot dog, you're just putting a hog in armour. read more