The Food Issue: Frank!

Austin has two true loves: food and music. From the Armadillo World Headquarters 30-plus years ago (people still rave about the nachos) to Central Market today (where mahi mahi meets fiddle tunes), it’s a combination that just seems natural to Central Texans.

Frank’s one of the more unique and recent venues combining the two local arts. Located downtown at Fourth & Colorado, they offer “artisan sausage” – upscale hot dogs – and amazing condiments during the day. At night, they clear away the tables and bring in bands.

According to booker Glynn Wedgewood, the restaurant operated for some two years before he got a call in June 2011 to start a music series there.

“We were approached about three weeks before they wanted to start,” he recalls. “And we normally work months in advance! They said, ‘We’re big supporters of music and we want to put some shows in here. We want to do it right.’”

It’s a modest-sized room compared to various other venues around town, so they started with lesser known local acts. Given recent shows by Brownout and Centro-matic, Frank’s now attracting larger acts and touring bands.

“We’ve developed a reputation as a good sounding room, a listening room,” offers Wedgewood. “It’s like a smaller version of the Parish as far as the experience – the vibe we’ve been going for. We just confirmed Mike Dillon and Earl Harvin, who’s coming all the way from Berlin.

“They’re coming back after playing the club a while back. Those are the kinds of relationships we love.”

Don’t worry, you can still get a hot dog while the music plays. Go to either the take-out window or the upstairs bar. A Sonoran Dog, stuffed with cheese, wrapped with bacon, then deep fried before being dressed with onion, tomato, beans, and jalapenos sounds mighty tasty.

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Read more Food stories at austinchronicle.com/blogs. The Austin Chronicle’s Food Issue hits stands tomorrow, Thursday, June 13.