Yummy Yuppy Euro-Dogs
Feb 23 '01 (Updated Mar 01 '01)
The Bottom Line Hot dogs with an uptown attitude. F&B is a great place to pop in for gourmet fast food while antique shopping in Chelsea.
A fast food hot dog stand for New York's upper crust and euro trash, F&B serves up "Great European Street Food" that will tickle the fancy of any Belgian or Dane passing through the Big Apple.
Step into the store on 23rd St and 8th Ave, and you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a Bang & Olufsen presentation center. Carved into a narrow retail slot, the space is light, clean and fresh with a modern euro-feel imported straight out of Brussels. There’s not much else here other than a couple of rows of stainless steel bar stools occupied by fur-clad socialites out for a verboten hot dog and everyday New Yorkers noshing down a quick and scrumptious meal.
Deciphering the menu posted above the counter may take a minute. There is a lot of reading to do but it helps explain the variety of dogs, pommes frites and soups. You’ll find here a wide selection of hot dogs ($3-$4), each claiming provenance from some EC member state. (Of course the “Bull Dog” made from British Beef and herbed sausage is steadfastly mute on the issue of mad cows.) If you’re a vegetarian, no problem, F&B also offers spicy tofu as a substitute for the beef. I opted for the Chili Dog, served with a spicy-sweet chili con carne, bits of cheddar and a sprinkling of parsley. Overall, these are hot dogs with a gourmet palate in mind.
For the accompaniment, be sure to get some of the delicious F&B frites ($2 for a small serving) made from pommes, sweet potatoes or onions. To go with the fries, there are more dipping sauces here than hooligans at a Manchester football match. I should warn you, though, that F&B doesn’t skimp on the salt. I’m a confirmed saltaholic, actually more of a salt freak, and even I didn’t need to add a grain to my fries.
For dessert, I recommend the much vaunted beignets ($1.50 for a huge serving of three). These little treats are simply fried cakes of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar but are far less greasy than their Sicilian cousins, zeppole. I found them to be a bit dry so I’d recommend getting one of the dipping sauces such as chocolate, mango or crème anglaise to add some texture.
I was most impressed with the beverage selection. They offer four varieties of lemonade ($2) and I tried the papaya lemonade which was wonderful and a great complement to the chili dog. F&B also offers up an impressive selection of obscure French and Belgian beers and even miniature bottles of Pommery champaign for those irrepressible aristocrats.
All in, my lunch cost about $9.00 which is just high enough to keep the patricians coming in without making lunch really all that expensive for the rest of us. The food is tasty, quick and definitely more penthouse-friendly than the street dogs dished out by New York’s many roach coaches.
Ratings:
Ambiance: * * *
Service: * (it's fast food)
Food: * * *
Overall: * * *
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Epinions.com ID:
aplatt
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Location: New York and Chicago
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 24 members
About Me:
"Little thugs in clown suits"
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