Top Dog? Mokena and Frankfort Take on New Lenox for the Best Frank

See future food challenges at the bottom of this column, comment below and enter to win a $50 gift card to a local restaurant. For more rules and details, see the  guidelines.

Ah, Labor Day, the weekend we get ready for football season, vacuum out the car one last time before spring, and enjoy our favorite summertime foods for the last time: watermelon, potato salad, and, of course, hot dogs.

The Chowdown Showdown originated in New Lenox, and several months ago we did a New Lenox . The winner was . This is what I said about it:

The first thing I noticed was that the dog was longer than the bun, then I realized that it was spiral cut. "Hm," I thought to myself, "that's odd."

When I tasted it, though, I realized what that spiral-cut was doing-- it made the dog very crispy on the outside but still juicy. The relish was bright green, the slices of cucumber and tomato were very thin, and overall the flavors worked really well together. The bun didn't have poppy seeds, but I didn't miss them. 

The good: The crispy, all-beef, spiral cut hot dog was complemented nicely by all the trimmings.

The bad: There were so many onions that I had to scrape some of them off.

So look out, : Mokena and Frankfort are looking to unseat you.

, Mokena 

PJ's tasty all-beef dog is accompanied by the usual fixins, including the most adorable thin pickle slice. I like pickles, so I would have preferred the spear, but it was a good-looking dog. The bun is slightly toasted (nice touch!) and there's plenty of celery salt, onion and mustard. 

The good: The toasted (seedless) bun and beef hot dog are fresh and tasty.

The bad: Too many onions but not enough tomato and pickle left me just a little unsatisfied.

, Frankfort

I've been avoiding Lincoln Highway lately, but a reader suggested Kismet, so I braved the construction (it wasn't really that bad) and headed over. I was saddened to find that the lovely, iconic Kismet sign has been taken down. Luckily, their popular chicken rice soup was still there (and yummy as ever), and the Chicago dog was just as good. It, too, is an all-beef dog on an unseeded bun.

The good: The balance of toppings was right on.

The bad: While it was perfectly tasty, no regular hot dog can compare to the spiral cut dogs served up at , so . . .

THE WINNER: It's still ! If you have not tried one of their juicy, trademark dogs, you're missing out on something special. If you're into Chicago dogs, Wynder's even includes cucumber slices, and if you don't like your dogs dragged through the garden, you'll like Wynder's spiral cut dog with just some mustard or (gasp) ketchup.

Looking for local eats? Do you disagree with our taster? Head  over to your local Patch Places food and dining directory. Find new spots, read reviews and even post a your own reviews on the profile pages.

• Frankfort establishments
• New Lenox establishments
• Mokena establishments

Future Chowdown Challenges will include chicken fingers (or, if you prefer, chicken tenders). Where should we go?