Let's Be Frank

Founded by Sue Moore, the former meat manager at Chez Panisse, and Larry Bain, a longtime Bay Area restaurant insider, Let’s Be Frank is a hot dog cart with a conscience. The dogs contain no nitrates, hormones or antibiotics, and the meat is sourced only from pasture-based California livestock. Moore and Bain spent over a year perfecting their recipes with third-generation sausage-makers before rolling out their first cart outside the Giants’ ballpark in 2005 (they now have a second haunt on Linden Street at Octavia Street, across from Blue Bottle, open on Fridays and Sundays). The uncured frank is made from 100 percent grass-fed beef and organic spices, while the Mutt dog is a mix of grass-fed beef and heritage pork. (Take heart, vegetarians: the “Not” dog, made from non-GMO soy, is surprisingly tasty.) Toppings include ketchup, mustard, relish and sauerkraut, but that all takes a backseat to LBF’s patented Devil’s Sauce.