Good Array of Sandwhichs Found at Franz's Food
By: Rachel Forrest
May 22, 2008 6:00 AM
Any restaurant in a college or university town is going to bring back some memories for those of us who've been through our four years of higher learning, but Franz's Food accomplishes this more than most.
I did two years at a small liberal arts school out in Ohio before running out of dough and then going on to another six years of waiting tables and running off to exotic lands while working on my undergrad degree at the New Jersey equivalent of UNH — Rutgers — where joints like Franz's were the best places to go before, after or during class, noted for good burgers and dogs, but here also for some healthier stuff with a good array of vegetarian selections. Oh, and it's in a Laundromat so you can do your wash while you eat.
Dining Out: Franz's Food, 46 Main St., Durham, 868-3800
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-close; Friday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-close
Food: *** and a half. Good sandwiches for lunch and dinner. The gooier the better.
Service: *** Simple counter service and fast paced
Ambience: *** and a half. It's in a Laundromat, so that's interesting. Good college scene.
Overall: *** and a half. Good sandwiches and a fun, bustling ambience. Remember your youth.
Five stars - Excellent
Gyros, stuffed grape leaves and falafel!
It's just simple counter service right at the front of the Laundromat and there are a few tables inside and some outside. Many of the college "kids" come in for take out and there's much to choose from, including a wide array of breakfast sandwiches (I don't recall waking up in time for breakfast when I was in school, but you can get these later in the day as well).
I tried the Skye's AM Veg out, a fried egg with melted cheddar cheese with grilled peppers, onions and liberal dose of hot sauce on an English muffin, which was delicious, all warm, gooey and spicy — three things I like in a sandwich.
There are grilled and deli sandwiches here which can be ordered on a variety of breads — baguette, foccacia, rye, flat bread and so on. I tried one of the many versions of a Coney Island hot dog, here a thin dog with a crisp casing, which is terrific and can be ordered with a chili that's very much akin to, but not entirely like the red sauce on an authentic Coney dog. Still, it's good and you can get it with cheese sauce or as I did on another dog, sauerkraut. Try it with everything if you dare — onions, peppers, cheese sauce, chili, whatever you like ($2.75-$4.05).
A variety of fries is on the menu as well, some of which can be topped with the same stuff you can put on a dog. Sadly, the fries are of the battered variety I really do not like. I've said this many times before, I know. It's a personal preference but I think that these battered fries just don't have as good a flavor as regular fries — actually barely any flavor — and the coating is disturbing. I was really looking forward to a nice crisp hot regular fry. Ah well, as I said, it's just me.
I had to try the Reuben, hot corned beef with melted Swiss, sauerkraut and Russian dressing made just as it should be with the ingredients sealed in the crisp rye bread and sweet and tangy inside ($6.15). A chicken pesto sandwich on a crusty French baguette is very good, the chicken tender white meat with a nice grilled smoke flavor served with a mild pesto, red onions, lettuce, tomato and provolone cheese ($6.10). The bread made it for me with its crunch outside and inner bready softness holding all the ingredients in.
The oven roasted turkey sandwich is also good, a piled high portion of moist turkey, which I had with mayo, tomato and American cheese ($5.35). A burger was even better. I tried a quarter-pound burger called the Juana with guacamole, salsa, cheddar and onions that was very juicy and flavorful ($5.10) and you can also get it as a veggie burger. Chicken salad is substantial as well, white meat chicken mixed with chopped grapes, ever a good combination. I got mine on Italian white bread with a bit of hot sauce and some bacon for crunch ($5.60).
Franz's Food offers a good array of sandwiches and some salads as well, including a grilled chicken Caesar, and it's very entertaining to watch the college crowd come in with their cell phone drama and texting forays. I felt so old, the thought bubbles over my head working like mad, "Why can't that kid pull up his pants?" "Is that girl rolling her own cigarette? Whoa! I haven't seen that for a while." "Oh, is he ever going to regret getting that tattoo on his hand!" Ah, youth. Almost makes me wish I didn't have my own washer/dryer.
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Seacoastonline.com (c) 2008
Franz Is Now Here To Serve Students Midnight Muchies
By: Nate Rice
March 30, 2007 6:00 AM
Late nights are back at Franz's Food. In an effort to satisfy the appetites of campus partygoers, the café will be open from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights. The menu has been significantly reduced in an attempt to serve customers more quickly.
"I tried to come up with a menu so that people don't have to wait long," said Franz. "It's not much. I'm keeping it real simple and fast." The late-night menu consists of egg and cheese sandwiches, egg and cheese sandwiches with bacon or sausage, "Barbie and Ken Dogs" (hotdogs), hamburgers, "Snotties" (cheese fries), and in a league of its own: the "JB." The "JB," which is the most difficult food to prepare on the late night menu, is jam-packed with two fried eggs, bacon, American cheese, two hash browns and ketchup rolled in a flour tortilla. Getting hungry yet?
"No one else has eggs late night," said Franz. "There is no way to do the full menu because it would deplete my inventory and pre-prepped food. I'm doing something a little different. It's easy and simple food." Unlike normal hours, customers will now have to prepay for their food when they order. The late night hours, which began last Tuesday, have proved too successful so far. "Every night has gotten busier," said Franz. "I expect the entire room to be full Thursday. I know my people can handle it." Flyers and posters have been printed in order to get the word out about the new hours.
Franz's late night hours disappeared a few years ago due to lack of help. "We had it a long time ago, but we were understaffed and I got burnt out doing it," said Franz. "Now I have more staff to handle it." The new hours offer customers an alternative to the usual late-night snack of pizza.
Jared Barber, a UNH senior who eats at Franz's three to four times a week, is excited about the new hours. "I'll swing in here over DHOP or CampCo," said Barber. "I love the breakfast specials."
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The New Hampshire (c) 2008
