Hot Dog News

New Frisco restaurant brings Korean version of corny dog to Dallas

Photo by Frank Seoul

For those still smarting over the demise of the 2020 State Fair of Texas comes this small ray of hope: Called Frank Seoul, it's a chain from Korea whose specialty bears a startling resemblance to the good old American corny dog.

Of course in Texas the corny dog crown belongs to Fletcher's, who already have a schedule of pop-ups to fill the need. But Frank Seoul surely merits a visit from any student of hot dogs or the cuisine known as "stick food" aka food on a stick.

According to a spokesperson, Frank Seoul is originally from South Korea, and there are already multiple Korean hot dog concepts open in California, with a big showing in San Diego. This is the first location in Texas, and it opened the first week of July.

Frank Seoul's menu features hot dogs and other Korean-style fried snacks and desserts.

Those include tteokbokki, or spicy stir-fried rice cakes. Tteokbokki start with with garaetteok, a cylinder-shaped white rice cake made with steamed rice flour. They're coated in a spicy red gojuchang sauce and stir-fried, then sprinkled with scallions.

They also have hotteok, sometimes called hoeddeok, which is a filled Korean pancake. Like much of the menu here, it's a popular street food in South Korea.

Although FrankSeoul specializes in fried treats, they are at heart a café that sells coffee and drinks. That includes the oh-so trendy dalgona coffee.

Korean-style hot dogs are often coated in a batter of some kind and deep-fried, and date back several decades. Rather than corn meal, they use regular flour or rice flour or a combination of both, and add a final coat of panko crumbs.

Like Fletcher's, Frank Seoul has several versions of the corn dog, including the original Seoul dog; one filled with mozzarella cheese; one with hot dog and cheese; and a "Tokyo Angdog," which has red bean paste.

There's also a mini version of the Seoul dog original; and a wild-looking Potato Dog, coated in diced fried potatoes and stuffed with choice of hot dog or cheese. So you get your hot dog and your fries in one.

After they're fried, they're sprinkled with a dusting of sugar to add a hint of sweet to the salty.

Frank Seoul is located at 9292 Warren Pkwy. in a center called Frisco Ranch that boasts a variety of fun culinary options. It's anchored by 99 Ranch Market, thea Taiwanese-American supermarket chain owned by Tawa Supermarket Inc., which is based in California.

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Escargot News

New all-day French bistro in downtown Rockwall is all from scratch

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Belle View Bistro Rockwall

An all-day French bistro has made its debut in Rockwall: Called Belle Vie Bistro, it’s a new mom-and-pop in the charming historic downtown district, at 112 E. Rusk St., the former home of The Fatted Calf restaurant, where it opened its doors on November 12.

Belle Vie is from Luis and Iliana Marquez, a hard-working couple who also own Los Marquez, a popular taco--themed food-truck-turned-restaurant in Rockwall they first debuted in 2019. In May, the couple took over the former Fat Chicken space to open a brick and mortar location of Los Marquez, where they serve well-made Mexican food like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, but also burgers & fries. They open for breakfast with breakfast tacos, and run a daily lunch special, often creative, always popular, such as birria ramen with choice of beef or lamb for $11.

But the couple had a bigger vision of creating a place where chef Luis could stretch and showcase his skills.

"Luis has a lot of culinary experience, and it’s something that he’s been putting aside,” Iliana says. “We were just waiting on the perfect time to bring this to life.”

"This is something exciting and new for us, it’s something that we always wanted to make,” Luis says.

Like Los Marquez, Belle Vie is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serving classics like French onion soup, moules frites, escargot, and duck confit. There are also comforting and American dishes like spinach-artichoke dip, crab cakes, and fish & chips.

Lunch features Cobb salad, a French dip, and chicken & Brie panini, while an extended breakfast -- which runs from 7 am to 4 pm — includes pancakes, waffles, eggs benedict, beignets French toast, and crepes, plus pastries and breads made from scratch.

Mural on the wall at Belle Vie Bistro RockwallFacebook

The bakery counter is a delight, with eclairs, croissants, scones, fruit tarts, and cake slices in flavors like carrot cake and white chocolate raspberry. There's also a serious coffee program with espresso drinks such as lattes.

"We pride ourselves on making everything from scratch," the duo says. "Our bread—whether for sandwiches, paninis, hamburgers or anything listed on our menu is made fresh just for us by our incredibly talented pastry chef and baker. The same care goes into our pastries and desserts ensuring every bite is special and crafted with love."

The dining room is warm and cozy with dark wood chairs and plush booths and a full-wall mural depicting a street in Paris. They also have a full bar, with cocktails and beer on tap. Prices are reasonable, ranging from $9 for a Belgian waffle during breakfast to $45 for prime ribeye at dinner.

For now, they're not taking reservations — it's first come, first serve.