Restaurant Review: Frank

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I thought that I would do a restaurant review about the Frank restaurant which is attached to the Art Gallery of Ontario and is named after Frank Gehry who designed the new addition to the art gallery and is also the architect who designed the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain. I took two of my daughters to see a temporary art exhibit of Black Ice: David Blackwood – Prints of Newfoundland.



After the exhibit, we went into the Frank restaurant and were seated near the open kitchen which is near the rear of the establishment. Its casual, chic décor includes modern Danish furnishings and a contemporary installation of Frank Stella's sculpture work plus photographs by Edward Burtynsky and Candida Höfer.

Towards the front of the restaurant from our table

The open kitchen from our table

I had the honey glazed Forelle pear, with Okanagan tiger blue cheese, purple watercress and cider vinaigrette for my appetizer while the girls had the maple roasted butternut squash and royal gala apple with 4 year-old cheddar, candied walnuts on a salad of baby red romaine, apple cider vinaigrette.

honey glazed Forelle pear appetizer

Girls' appetizer

For my main course, I ate the crisp skinned steel head trout fillet with roasted fingerling potatoes, Brussels sprouts and baby spinach with lemon aioli while my youngest daughter had the grilled cheese and spiced apple-cranberry chutney sandwich on raisin egg bread served with frites and lemon mayonnaise and my oldest daughter had the soufflé special.

Soufflé special

 Grilled cheese and spiced apple-cranberry chutney sandwich

Steel head trout fillet

For desert, I had the rhubarb milles feuille, a rubarb vanilla compote with creme moussilline in puff pastry while the girls had the lemon tartlet with a blueberry coulis and vanilla whipped cream.

Lemon tartlet

 Rhubarb milles feuille

The total cost for three diners including mixed drinks was $155 plus tip and taxes. I thought that the meal was excellent and might be described as upscale comfort food made with local seasonal produce. Executive Chef, Anne Yarymowich and Pastry Chef,Van Vi Lam are to be commended. The exclusively Ontario wine at $12 for a 5 oz. glass was overpriced but to be expected at a restaurant connected to a tourist attraction. It was very clean and the service was exceptional. As you can see from the pictures, the portions were adequate but not for someone looking to fill themselves. Lunch is served between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm while dinner is served between 5:30 pm and 1030 pm. The address is 317 Dundas Street West Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1G4 and you can make online reservations.