Over a year ago I became a mall walker, so I’m kind of an expert at all things Northwoods Mall. A new and intriguing spot opened up last year in the food court. The name has been changed a couple times, but it’s now known as Fort Clark Gastropub and I’ve been meaning to stop there and try it out.

When I saw that they have hot dogs on the menu I immediately knew that they would be a stop on this summertime hot diggity dog tour. Plus, today is National Hot Dog Day, so this is quite a timely post!

Okay, let’s head over to Northwoods Mall for the fourth week of the MBIP Dog Days Of Summer…2024 tour!

Here we are at Northwoods Mall, let’s go inside and find our hot dog destination of the week!

Those gumball machines bring thoughts of Chad Wallace!

But no gumballs today, let’s get up on the second level and head to…

The Food Court!

We’re headed to the lit-up spot over there to the right…

The Fort Clark Gastropub!

There’s one person ahead of me in line, so I dutifully waited to place my hot dog order.

Arneshia took my order while flashing a pretty smile and she was joined by Shawn Holler, who’s the owner and Executive Chef here at Fort Clark Gastropub.

You can check out a TV segment that featured Shawn and his move to this location at the Northwoods Mall by clicking here.

They cook every order fresh here, so there’s a little wait, but every meal is freshly prepared and made to your exact order. Nice!

There’s Shawn working his magic at the grill and some of the signage at the restaurant.

They received the Channel 25 Viewer’s Choice for best burger! Very impressive!

They have menus on the counter, on a rotating electric sign and you can also scan the code with your phone to see the entire menu at your fingertips. Better choices through technology!

I shot a photo of this hot dog art right as my order was being called out. Perfect timing!

I decided to camp out over here for my hot dog lunch!

Okay, we’re all settled in, time for this week’s hot dog reveal…

Ta-da! I was going to get a chili-cheese dog, but these were a popular item today and they sold out of all of the chili, so I got a cheese dog.

I haven’t had a cheese only hot dog on the tour yet, so this is actually a good thing. Variety is the spice of life! Time to dig in!

We’ll start with the side of French Fries I ordered with the cheese dog.

These are award-winning fries, by the way. They won the local French Fry competition in the PJ Star and that led them to getting national attention in USA Today! Very cool that these fries brought some national publicity for Shawn and Peoria!

The fries are crispy, delicious and they’re seasoned with a pepper based seasoning developed in-house by Shawn himself. This was a tasty start to our hot dog lunch!

Alright, time for the weekly, Man Bites Dog moment!

Wow, this is a tasty, all-beef hot dog and it’s cooked perfectly.

It’s got a delicious flavor and the melted cheese is rich, creamy and it compliments the hot dog nicely.

The bun is bakery fresh and this was a satisfying and delicious hot dog! I’m anxious to sample more of the menu here!

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The Rating

They serve up a top-notch and cheesy hot dog here at For Clark Gastropub and we’ll give it a well-earned, hight rating of three and a half Wienermobiles!

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