Friday, April 27, 2012

Chorizo Quesadilla, Ancho Honey Pork Tenderloin and more....

Here are the special features for this evening. All homemade of course especially for you:

* Mexican Wedding Soup
* Cheese Cilantro
* Hand made chicken or pork tamales
See how we make them here.
(click here to learn how we make our tamales)

 Ancho Honey Pork Tenderloin
Garlic & Cilantro rubbed roasted pork tenderloin drizzled with a flavorful Ancho Honey Sauce. Served with Cheddar Poblano Mashed Potatoes and Cinnamon Chipotle flat bread. 13

Chorizo Quesadilla
Two large flour tortillas stuffed with cheeses, chorizo and pico de gallo
then grilled. Served with sour cream. 12


Torta de Queso
A luscious homemade cinnamon graham cracker crust
cheese cake drizzled with Mexican hot fudge.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Music Munchies & Margaritas is a Must See!

Update!!! Music Night has been moved to the
3rd Friday of the Month after 10pm! 

Our regular musician are feeling confident to take open mic music night from Tuesday to Friday! It has been a blast and we've had some great talent show up each week. The music ability has been amazing plus this is a fun gang to hang out with.

Not a musician? Me neither! The only thing I play is a radio. If you aren't a musician just come hang out with a drink and a snack.

You are a musician? Come jam with us. This is an intimate venue so there is no need to be intimidated. It's been mostly guitars and drums but we think a fiddle or a banjo would be cool too.

Here are some samples of what you can expect most weeks. Excuse the quality. These videos (except the one of Brendon's dad) were all taken with my iPhone.  Amateurish.  But,  I wanted to give you a peek into what is going on Tuesday nights.




Wade...



Brendon performing a song he wrote called "Bubble Up"

Brendon's Dad, Vince Beatty....

John (yes...the owner... and Wade)

Ben Wilson
Brendon Beatty
Dixon and Randy

This weekend at the Franklin Inn....


We have lots of tasty specials for you today.  


Stuffed Pepper Soup


Steak Burrito
Char-grilled Steak and a creamy pimiento cheese sauce made with Monterey Jack in a flour tortilla. Served with rice and stir fry green beans.  13.95



Mexican Mac & Cheese
A Mexi-American fusion of Cheddar, Jack, & Chihuahua cheeses, peppers, & chorizo topped with panko bread crumbs. Baked until golden and served with  Cinnamon Chipotle flat bread. 12.95


Save Room For Dessert

Dulche De Leche Toffee Cake,
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream,
Mexican Hot Fudge Sundae, Sopaipillas & More!
Ask your server for details.



Friday, April 13, 2012

T-Shirt Inspiration in a Salad Dressing Bottle


The Franklin Inn has seen many t-shirt designs over the past 33 years. None, however, has been quite as popular as our "Fill to this Line with Margaritas" tie dye.  How did this popular but simple concept come into being? Believe it or not a salad dressing mixer. It'll make sense soon....

Several years ago while cleaning his office; John came across a very old Franklin Inn t-shirt he had forgotten about. It said, "Fill to this Line with Margaritas."  He thought it would be fun to offer them again, so he asked me to create artwork for the printer.  I asked John where the idea originated. He guessed that either his mom or Aunt Noreen had created the tag line.

Upon further investigation, I found out that Aunt Noreen (who managed the Franklin Inn at one time) did indeed suggest it. Apparently, the inspiration was born from the process of measuring her homemade salad dressing in a bottle with lines for each ingredient. You know....oil to this line...vinegar to that line. She realized that the bartenders did the same thing when mixing up margaritas. They used the lines of the mason jar to guide them through the recipes. Ah ha! "A t-shirt with this concept would be great," she decided. Aunt Noreen was on to something. A simple but brilliant design."Fill to this Line with Margaritas."

The original "Fill to this Line With Margaritas" shirts were printed on solid colors. I suggested to John that we have them printed on tie dyes. Wow! It was a killer combination. They took off like wild fire and we've been offering them for several years now.  We can't keep them in stock. The staff and our patrons go crazy for them.

Folks are always asking me to call them or email them when we get this color or that size in. At first I tried to accommodate everyone's requests for colors and sizes, but honestly, I couldn't keep up with the requests. After all, I'm in the restaurant business....not the t-shirt business. Plus, there isn't much space at the Inn to hold shirts for pick up. I now order the most often requested colors and combinations and then offer them to our patrons on a first come, first served basis.

I have received photos of folks wearing them and heard stories of folks being recognized wearing them all over the country. John, himself, was stopped during a trip to OBX by another vacationer who recognized the shirt. He asked John if he also frequented the Franklin Inn in Pittsburgh (lol!).

This is my favorite patron provided tie-dye-wearing photo....maybe because I've given birth three times. I know there are other moms out there who can relate!  This is Terri about to give birth in the labor and delivery room!!! Btw, Terri owns a great business called Beyond the Office. Look her up. I have to give her a plug for her willingness to send me a photograph at this particular time! Don't you think she'd be fun to work with? I think she won this shirt by being the Mayor on Four Square. See! Make sure you check in. You never know.

These fun shirts are back in stock in the colors at the top of this page. These are real tie dyes that I have printed up locally by Touch of Grey Tees. If you have your heart set on a particular color or size, it is best if you don't delay your next visit to the Franklin Inn.

P.S. I'd love for you to send me a photograph of you wearing your Franklin Inn T-Shirt. Can you top Terri's locale?













Friday, April 6, 2012

John & Karen Make Crab Cakes


I love my little iphone! I was able to sneak a few photographs of John and "Camera-shy" Karen creating this weekend's tasty Fiesta Crab Cakes.  Here's how we make our crab cakes.....

Some fresh herbs, spices and veggies all chopped and ready to go. Don't worry. We didn't use all that fresh chopped garlic in your crab cake.

  John "massaging" the lump crab...

 while Karen mixes the wet ingredients.
John incorporates his crab with Karen's ingredients 
John makes a cake (left photo). Karen makes a cake too (right).

 John is impressed by Karen's crab cake, so he leaves the rest to her and takes a break. Shouldn't he be making ice cream?
Karen weighs the crab cakes to make sure they are 4 oz. each. Aren't they pretty? She makes the Red Chile Sauce too!
 She passes the crab cakes along with the plantains and asparagus to Phil and his crew. Who will cook them to perfection for you!