Fran's

This week the Odyssey set out to answer life's great question: Who is better, the men or the women? The wife or the husband? You see, Dan's and Fran's used to be one but they split and now are two. Last week the Odyssey visited the Husband, Dan. This week we cruised south to Congress Avenue to sample the lady, the wife, Fran. And the verdict is in, and it wasn't even close: The women are smarter, and better and juicier- Fran's kicks Dan's ass, and BurgerMatt's stomach.

Fran's has almost the exact same menu as Dan's and the same old time feel. While Dan's sports a cool red sign, Fran's also has a cool red sign but adds a pretty sweet awning to maintain that 50's look. The 1950's were apparently the heyday of the burger as it seems that every good burger joint looks like the 1950's (McDonald's on the other hand looks 70's which was a horrible decade for burgers). The inside atmosphere has red and white tile, a few booths, but nothing too complex. Like any good burger joint, this place is for gettin' messy with a burger.

FriedEd switched it up this time and went with the 4 oz Hickory Burger as he is still watching the old belly. The hickory is nice and sweet which compliments the tasty patty. FriedEd has a theory that the older the burger joint, the more flavor their is in the meat. We were unable to ask a lot of questions about Fran's and its history as their were impatient bellies waiting behind us. Oh well, I guess we will just have to go back.

We were once again met by the Rock Stars and brother (not a monk). The Sage spoke early and said, "What is this dipping sauce people are putting their fries into?" And with that, God made ketchup and the Sage was happy. Later, the Sage was called upon to evaluate the Burger. He spoke again, "The pastry taste of the bun suggested a gluten free batter." His words were recorded for posterity and as I write, BurgerMatt is busy carving them in stone, so when our civilization falls, the words of the Sage will still be known.

FriedEd ordered the fries and shake. The shake was great and FriedEd enjoyed the brain freezes. The fries were excellent and perfectly salted, but had too much pepper on them (FriedEd's fault, not Fran's). Overall an excellent experience and in FrienEd's mind, Fran's has moved into a close second with Dirty's.

Burger: 91
Fries: 89
Shake: 85
Feel of Stomach one hour later: 77
Joy of watching BurgerMatt's agony over his double cheeseburger: priceless

BurgerMatt:

This week the blog was excited to compare the battle of the sexes! Would man's brawn and brashness outdo women's tenderness and kindness? This is a question asked many times in this world. Leave it to two competing burger legends to answer the ageless question. Well, as was mentioned above, the women are better than the men. Albeit, my burger may end up giving me a coronary and some serious gastrointestinal issues.

Going with what I went with the previous week, this double with cheese packed an impressive punch. How I finished it only God knows but the devil has decided to use my stomach as a punching bag seeing how its about that size. The fries, the best to date, were excellent and were seasoned to perfection. So impressed by the fries this only added to my misery. (I use the term misery as a compliment because I devoured everything that was placed in front of me out of sheer delight.)

The decor is perfect for a great night out with the crew for a great burger. The awning adds to the flare and made us long for girls on rolllerskates serving us at our cars. The odyssey is now in our third month and we have found some impressive burgers and great fries and Frans has garnered much of that recognition. The best fries to date and a very impressive burger Frans will be tough to beat overall.

Th odyssey is looking forward to the final month of the year and handing out some awards before our much needed winter break. Next week looks to be special as we venture to a local legend!

Burger 91
Fries 92

Happy Thanksgiving Odyssey fans and see you in December.