Uncle Franky Takes Over Dinkytown!

Gio & Larry enjoy their new digs

We are so happy that Uncle Franky’s moved into our old space in Dinkytown. Today they had their soft opening and the place was so packed the windows were steaming! Families and college students alike lined the hall known as Dinkydale Mall. Proud owner Larry donned a Cubs jersey. Vienna Beef signs adorned the walls. And Giovanni the cook hollered out orders as they came off the grill. A genuine Chicago hot dog dive in Dinkytown!

A bonafide Chicago dog

Uncle Franky’s was started by some Chi-town ex-pats who had a hard time finding a proper Chicago Dog in the Twin Cities. Our crazy friend Jay opened the first one in Northeast Minneapolis in 2003, using a light-hearted, brilliant logo created by my husband Chank. Later Jay partnered with Larry to set up a couple of Home Depot hot dog carts. Jay recently opened another Uncle Franky’s in a strip mall in Plymouth and Larry fired up the Dinkytown spot today.

Amy first found the Dinkytown location for Chowgirls in a Star Tribune ad in 2006. It was too good to be true. We fell in love with the church pews that lined the shabby-chic three-season porch. We put in an offer to buy the equipment from Burrito Loco and kept it a secret from Uncle Franky because it was so perfect for his hot dog joint. We needed a place to grow our catering business and we didn’t want him to steal our deal. So we painted the place our signature colors, put up some bandana curtains, and threw some cowgirl art on the walls. We tried a lunch counter, but our food was too fancy for the college kids. Plus we needed a place geared more toward catering. We grew out of the Dinkytown space in two years. When we decided to build a new catering kitchen, we thought we’d see if Uncle Franky was interested in buying our equipment. After a quick visit from Jay and Larry, we sealed a deal.

Larry was won over by the location. Tucked away, off the beaten path at the end of a brick hall, our old Dinkytown spot reminds him of a Chicago gem that’s hidden under street level down a brick stairwell, Billy Goat Tavern – the inspiration for John Belushi’s Cheezborger! Cheezborger! skit on Saturday Night Live. With cheap food, video games, and marketing campaigns like “Relish your wiener! Use a condiment,” Uncle Franky’s will surely prosper with the late-night college crowd in Dinkytown.

Congrats Uncle Franky! And thanks for buying that hood!

My baby Mack wearing an age-inappropriate hat at Uncle Franky's

Chowgirl Amy Brown and her girls Frances and Louise visit Uncle Franky

My husband Chank and son Mack at Uncle Franky's grand opening

Most Fattening Recipe Ever!

In the midst of an insane pregnancy craving on Saturday, I researched, shopped, and made one of my favorite Chinese dishes–a guilty pleasure you may know as Honey-Walnut Chicken.  A variation is often seen on menus with shrimp, but no matter what protein you include, this is decadence in its purest form: deep-fried meat, candied walnuts, and a sauce made of mayonnaise and sugar–do I need to say anything else?  Heidi’s husband, Chank, and I are big fans of this dish and often order it at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants, Seafood Palace.  Let’s call this one, “How Amy Got Fat, Chapter One.”  This will surely be those extra 5 post-pregnancy pounds I won’t be able to shed….

HONEY-WALNUT CHICKEN

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 large egg white

1/4 C cornstarch

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1/2 C sweetened condensed milk

1/4 C mayonnaise

3 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. lime juice

1/2 C  candied walnuts (boil walnuts in 3 C water & 2 C sugar for 3 minutes, turn off heat and soak 2 hours, bake at 350 degrees for minutes, then deep-fry for 1 minute, until golden brown)

Liberally salt the chicken breast cubes and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the egg white, cornstarch, baking soda, garlic, salt and vegetable oil. Add the chicken and blend to coat well.

In another small bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, mayo, and lemon/lime juice. Mix well.

In a deep non-stick skillet (or wok) heat 3-4 C vegetable oil to about 350 degrees.  Fry coated chicken pieces until light brown, (3-4 minutes) turning as neccessary. Remove from oil, increase oil temperature to 375 degrees. Cook the chicken for 1 more minute, remove and drain well on paper towels.

While chicken is still piping hot, toss pieces in the mayo mixture until well-coated, platter and top with candied walnuts.

Vote for Your Local Food Heroes

Edible Twin Cities, a lush quarterly magazine that covers the local food community, has announced its readers’ choice Local Hero Awards to honor people who have made a significant contribution to the Twin Cities local food movement in 2008.

I encourage you and every Chowgirls fan you know to vote for Chowgirls for Best Food Artisan. I did!

I also voted for Alex Roberts at Brasa for Best Restaurant. With his dedication to the local food market and his generous spirit, Alex is an inspiration. We use his slow-cooked Heritage Berkshire pork with Amy’s West Kentucky BBQ Sauce for our Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Brasa pork is simple and perfect. Alex lets the quality of the meat speak for itself – no smoking or injections of any sort. It’s a great way to showcase our sauce and support our favorite local restaurant.

Best Farmer was a tough category for me. I was torn between Dragsmith Farms (who provides us with amazing greens and tomatoes), Shepherd’s Way (who makes our favorite cheeses and has endured many hardships), and Larry Schultz Eggs (who was the first local farmer to work with us directly). I cast my vote for Larry for his dedication to the family farm in so many ways. His farm has been in the family for generations. His kids stamp the expiration dates on the egg cartons. And Larry himself makes deliveries every week.

For Best Beverage Artisan, my vote went to our Northeast neighbor Mrs. Kelly’s Tea. We use her English Breakfast and Herbal High C hibiscus for our iced teas.

Who’s going to get your vote? Visit Edible Twin Cities, click on VOTE NOW.

2008 Poster Offensive deemed “Awesome!”

Sarah Nelson Forss

I just walked next door to the Frank Stone Gallery to preview the new Spunk Poster Offensive show, which opens tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.  Featured are some of the Twin Cities best designers, sounding off politically in a series of bad-ass posters.  Two fantastic Obama prints, available and reasonably priced, caught my attention, as did a graphically-strong 3-poster set by Phil Silverstein from San Francisco (the only non-local artists in the show) and commisioned by the Huffington Post. Another favorite is Sarah Nelson Forss’ “Get Your Ass Out and Vote!” (Sarah’s our girl–she’s one of a handful of great local designers who’ve worked on the Chowgirls brand.)  This show draws a big, hip crowd–hey, Heidi, Maari, and I are all coming–so come on out if you’re cool enough!  It’ll make you feel very political….Oh, did I mention there’d be free fancy Chowgirls food there?