Review: Steak ‘n Shake Chicago-Style Steak Frank
Author: indianapoliseater | Filed under: Food Reviews
Chicago-Style Steak Frank
Steak ‘n Shake has really been cooking up the menu additions recently that they have been running on promotion. New toppings for their burgers (A1 sauce, guacamole, etc.) and now they are introducing gourmet hot dogs, or steak franks as they call them. Options include Chicago-Style, Chili Cheese, Carolina Slaw and Southwest. On a recent trip, I decided to give one of their steak franks a try.
What I Got: Chicago-Style Steak Frank $2.99
As you can see from the picture, this frank includes mustard, diced onions, tomatoes, a pickle slice, peppers and the unique neon green sweet pickle relish that Chicago dogs are known for.
The frank on this thing was actually quite large and quite tasty. I was expecting just a run of the mill hot dog, but I have to give Steak ‘n Shake credit, this one was actually good. So, they were off to a good start.
Toppings-wise, I was also pleasantly surprised. The sweet pickle relish was very sweet and as you can see there was a lot of it. I’m a relish lover, so having this be plentiful on top of the frank was a very welcome addition. All the other toppings were about what you would expect and they were fresh, but there was nothing special about them.
One thing that was missing from this frank and it was noticeable was the celery salt. Most classic Chicago-Style dogs are served with that topping and I could definitely tell that taste was missing. Also missing was the poppy seed bun, but that didn’t really bother me as much as the missing celery salt.
Would I Buy It Again? No, I would not. I had very low expectations of this going in and I will admit that it was a pleasant surprise but not pleasant enough to warrant me buying this particular frank again. I would possibly try one of the other options if I found myself at a Steak ‘n Shake at some point, but I’ll be in no rush to go out and do that.
-IndianapolisEater
Tags: chicago-style, Food, Hot Dog, Steak 'N Shake, steak frank
OK- that doesn’t look like the right kind of pickle for the Chi dog?
You’re right- celery salt is key & love the green relish.
I think Sweet Home Chicago (brownsburg) serves up a good Chicago dog.
http://www.sweethomechicagofood.com/
My fave, though is Portillo’s.
Thanks for the tip Amy, didn’t know it was out there.
I LOVE Portillo’s.
So my first thought was, “what the hell is that green stuff?”
I. Eater:
If you love Portillos– next time you go to Merrillville– get one of the Italian beef kits to go. Italian beef, gravy, peppers… & then you make it at home. It’s like 20 bucks and serves a few.
A friend or myself have done that at least a dozen times. We love it!
I tried both the Chicago and the Southwest. LOVED the southwest and there was just way too much relish on the Chicago for my tastes. It even made the bun really soggy, which I hate.
However, I tend to agree with your assessement, in that I’d rather get a steakburger than the frank, despite loving the southwest frank.
Once you have had Portillo’s , there is no substitute.
you are gonna have to educate me, some what. I live in the atlantic south east. think the braves, baseball wise. ( yeah, yeah , heard all that, ok?). is the pic whats called ” dragin it through the garden”? just wondering. cause around here, if you order a dog “all the way” it means mustard, raw chopped yellow onion, chillie ( hamburger meat sauce, slow cooked, but no beans, they do that shit in tx,but thats another story…) and slaw , the most importantant thing… fineley chopped cabbage, mayo, a little mustard, salt and black pepper, maybe a little sweet pickle juice… careful… not too much… just right! now lets eat some hot dogs… hell, always was just an excuse to have fun with friends and family…
it sure is neon green. I like relish, like cates, or mt olive or even vlassic, but not THAT green. where them cumuber come from?
That’s a pickle, not a cucumber.
They do have some interesting combinations to their new franks, so I will give them that. I don’t know if I’d be inclined to give another one of them a shot, but I guess anything could happen.
The Serrano peppers are missing from this hot dog too. This is a poor attempt at a true Chicago dog. No poppy seed bun, no celery salt, no serrano peppers, too much relish, pathetic looking tomato slices.
I had this last night, and coming from Connecticut where we had Hot Dog’s made the right way, I was very surprised on how much I enjoyed this hot dog. So much so, that I googled it today to find out what other people thought and found this blog. I’m even commenting on it. THAT’S how good it was.
Also, it did come with serrano peppers. I’m surprised his didn’t.