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Making A Bid To Be Tampa's Top Dog

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

Frankies menu offers a plethora of hot dogs, burgers and fries at a reasonable price.

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By RICHARD MULLINS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2009

TAMPA - Do you generally like bacon on your hot dog? Or pancake syrup with your sweet potato fries?

If so, we have good news for you. Those are among the fun little surprises at Frankies, a relatively new spot near downtown Tampa that bills itself as "the gourmet of fast food."

You might remember its location as the former home of Mr. T's Italian restaurant, but it has since been completely gutted and renovated. (Look up the site on Google Street View and you'll see the place under renovation, still with its Mr. T's sign out front.)

For shorthand, consider Frankies something like a hot dog version of Five Guys burgers, with beer.

If you don't recognize the name Frankies, you must not be from Connecticut. The chain is an institution there dating back to the 1930s. Yes, they started up during a depression, and coped by offering something extra - the extra-long dog.

So Tampa has yet another place to gorge itself into a stupor. Not sophisticated. Not expensive. And not really gourmet, either, despite the slogan. Just an unapologetic stack of dogs and burgers, piled high with toppings.

No, it's not fancy, but we have to like a place with a motto like "Come in and eat, or we'll both starve." And we also have to like a burger-and-dog joint that's super-clean - and this place is.

That said, don't drop in if you're dieting. Frankies is a place to park yourself in a booth and start chomping away, only taking a break to gulp some soda or beer.

You can't miss the dogs. Known here as Famous Frankies, they're quickly fried, then grilled, and they come a foot long - a pretty good deal given the price. On a recent visit, the total bill for four people, with burgers, many dogs, drinks and side dishes was about $34.

For starters, we ordered the Irish dog - and by Irish, they mean a dog with strips of bacon. Maybe you remember the first time you had bacon on a burger. Seemed a bit weird and gluttonous at first, but then you liked it, didn't you? Same with this hot dog.

One nice touch with the dogs: The kitchen toasts the buns in a hot press, so they come warm and crispy on the outside - a big improvement over places that steam their buns into a mush.

Other "international" offerings include a Mexican dog with chili, an Italian dog with peppers and onions, a French dog with hot cheddar (which would likely gall the French) and a Portuguese dog with mushrooms and onions.

The standard Frankies burger is a single, not a double like at Five Guys. But while a Five Guys burger often comes soggy, the Frankies burger stays fresh, with a dry bun. In that sense, it's arguably better.

The star of our meal was an order of sweet potato fries. If you ask us, not enough places serve sweet potato fries. Here, they come sliced skinny and deep fried until crispy. But it's the pancake syrup that turns your head. Dip those fries in the syrup and it's like the best part of breakfast met the best part of lunch.

Other sides include fried broccoli, fried mushrooms, jalapeno poppers and the like. Basically, if it can be battered and fried, it's on the menu.

Besides dogs or burgers, there are Philly cheesesteaks and a long list of fried seafood: clam strips, shrimp, calamari, whole clams and more.

But if you come, come for the dogs. They're the main draw - bacon strips and all.

DINING REVIEW

Frankies

BOTTOM LINE: Good, clean, affordable hot dog-and-burger joint

WHERE: 909 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday

CREDIT CARDS: All major

RESERVATIONS: No

CHILDREN'S MENU: Yes

ALCOHOL: Beer only

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

PRICE: Hot dogs, $3; burgers, $3.69

CALL: (813) 425-3647

Tribune reviewers eat anonymously. Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919.

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