Saus's Spicy Frikandel
About a year has gone by since Boston's first true Belgian frites shop, Saus, opened. This means that it has taken me just as much time to finally get myself over to its location in the Faneuil Hall area.
Saus takes up a small storefront on the stretch of Union Street facing Government Center. Amid many historical pubs, it is a simple but thoroughly clever concept — their menu focuses on classic Belgian street food like frites and waffles. Recently, the shop expanded their offerings to include a selection of Belgian/Dutch street food sandwiches known as "frikandel." The popular on-the-go dish is a minced-meat or "burger" sausage that's served in a bun.
We tried their "Speciaal" frikandel, which is the Belgian standard that comes topped with curry ketchup, mayo, and chopped onions. It was quite good — the burger sausage was really impressive, as it was slightly crisp on the outside and crumbly on the inside — a very pleasant surprise!
However, the real winner for me was their Spicy Frikandel, which is topped with their Olé chipotle sauce and house-pickled jalapeños, to which I added regular house-made pickles. I loved the crunch from the pickles and the kick from the jalapeños. The creamy Olé chipotle sauce was also a great complement, as it allowed everything to meld together in delicious harmony.
To accompany the frikandels, we also got an order of poutine and regular frites. As a Canadian, I have very rigid expectations when it comes to poutine, and this one had all the right components — the cheese curd, the salty/peppery gravy, nice and crispy fries. Unfortunately, our poutine came practically drowning in gravy, and so, despite their valiant effort, the fries had to succumb to their soggy fate. Fortunately the regular fries could stand in as reinforcements for the poutine, and allowed us to try some of Saus's famous dipping sauces. We went with the Bacon-Parmesan sauce (which could have used more bacon, but that could just a personal preference), and the Bost-onion, which is a creamy onion mayo that was also very good.
For a cold winter day, frites and frikandels are the perfect comfort food. Just having these few well-executed items would be a home run, however better is yet to come! Starting this Monday, they will add a whole slew of sandwiches, salads, and snacks to their menu... hopefully my next trip won't be a year from now!
Click here for other featured sandwiches or check out the 52 Best Sandwiches of 2011. Know a sandwich that should be featured? Email The Daily Meal or comment below. Better yet, become a contributor and write up your favorite today!