There are some mythical menu items that people are either too shocked to understand or disgusted, yet intrigued. The Francheezie is one such item. The Cambridge House is the place to try it.
If we ever start banning food for health reasons the Francheezie will be the first to go. It's a hot dog stuffed with cheeze and wrapped in bacon... As far as I can tell it's only found in and around Chicago, yet is considered a mockery of the hot dog...
(* The Cambridge House is now closed... Francheezies must be had elsewhere – apparantly Zephyr's got 'em)
A good francheezie needs time to cool down. It's been fried and it pretty darn hot. You can tell because the velveeta is molten to the point of water in it's fluidity. Needless to say the first bite is thoroghly revolting. But it grows on you. A gripe is that you generally are served fries no matter what and in my opinion it's a necessity. You need something fried yet not unimaginably bad for you to return to earth.
You take a francheezie bite, chew and enjoy the melange of cheesy-richness, bacony-fatness and hot doggety-mystery that when combined is completely overwhelming. A quick french fry in ketchup helps bridge the chasm back to normal fried foods... and that was one bite.
All in all I enjoyed it the same way I love duck fat... well not
nearly as much as duck fat. But more like the way my wife likes ranch
dressing on her pizza. Or Martha's mac and cheese. You know it is so
bad it WILL kill you if you eat it often enough...
The Cambridge House is a Chicago institution. Not a destination but
a Sun-Tim es reading, talk to your neighboring patrons, complain loudly
about the cole-slaw and pay in small bills kind of institution.
Let's Just say it's a "they have the francheezie kind of place."
176 E. Ohio St.
Chicago
Francheezies are found throughout the Midwest -- in Detroit for sure.
Posted by: Motor City | October 19, 2005 at 07:32 AM
This was posted a day after i was in my local mom 'n pop and i had asked my party if they knew what it was. Only today have i had the courage to try it, and wow.. Josh hits all the right points about eating a concoction such as this, fries and coleslaw and all.
Posted by: Jason | October 29, 2005 at 08:13 PM
Back "home" -- Western New York, Niagara Falls -- the francheezie is called a "Whistle Pig"
Posted by: Sonja | December 15, 2005 at 02:35 PM
If you are really adventurous, some institutions offer a "chili Francheesie." It is not for the faint of heart. It is a race with the devil to get home after ingesting one of those beauties.
Posted by: Michael K | May 03, 2006 at 07:21 PM
I just visited Chicago in hopes of tasting a Francheezie but cried when I saw the Cambridge House was torn down. I'm back in Los Angeles looking for a local place to have one.
Posted by: Kevin | June 07, 2006 at 10:44 AM
Go to Mother Hubbard's in Chicago for a Francheezie... 5 W Hubbard St (Hubbard & State, 2 block south of the Grand/State L stop)
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