We have heard from friends that Frankie’s Italian Kitchen is worth checking out.
So to celebrate Merilynn’s birthday she decided it was time to check it out.
Inside we found a warm atmosphere and welcoming staff. It was busy but noise levels were well within easy talking levels. It was a bit dim due to all the dark furnishing and what seemed like more than a few light fixtures not working. But not so dim you couldn’t read the menu.
If you’re a fan of Jazz they also have a club right next door that is served by the same kitchen. Shows are roughly 4 times a week at 8pm. We do plan on coming for a show sometimes. But tonight is just dinner.
Im gonna start with an ale, Hoyne Appleton’s Finest British to be precise.
“Quaffable” is the adjective used to describe this Ale. Ok, I’ll be honest. I had to look that one up.
Pleasant, easy to drink and in large quantities is the definition.
And it certainly is. It’s hoppy with a nice caramel color. Some coral notes on the nose with a hint of caramel.
I’m really stuck with what to have for an appy.
It was between deep fried pizza dough pillows with marinara or polenta fries. The server swayed us to go with the polenta fries.
So not what I was expecting. But in this instance it turned out well.
i imagined a “fry” more dense, to hold the shape you’d expect a fry to be. But these were very crispy on the outside and soft, moist and light in the middle. I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around how they made these. My first thought maybe they were in some kind of wrapper. Maybe it’s just cooled and then cut and then air dried?
Regardless these were fantastic. They are served with a garlic aioli which was a nice complement.The idea could be greatly improved though if they added a marinara sauce for dipping as well.
It was nice to see something different on the menu though. I may have to try mucking around making these one day.
On the feature menu tonight they have a encrusted Halibut with risotto. That’s right up her alley.
This was not what she was expecting. But in this situation it wasn’t a good thing.
Lets start with the fish. The taste was quite good actually. But it was overcooked. Not by a lot mind you. But enough that made me shake my head. When I was 20 I didnt cook fish well. I do now. So when we get it poorly done it stands out. And that’s halibut. That’s too much money sitting on that plate to overcook it. Rookie in the kitchen tonight? Remind me not to get the filet next time we are here.
But the major disappointment for her was the risotto. It was Fregola risotto. Something neither of us knew about. Fregola Risotto is made with a bean sized pasta, not rice. So the texture and flavour are nothing what you’d expect from a rice Risotto.
I personally didn’t mind it. It does have a similarly creamy texture from the starches releasing from the pasta. But they are much bigger and if you’re used to good rice risotto this is a departure from that.
So Merilynn had about three bites. Then I took over.
It the fish had been better executed this would be an okay dish. Yeah of course I wouldn’t eat the olives, eww, the capers did add a nice brininess to the overall impact. The almond crust on the fish was great, too bad they had overcooked it though and spoiled the good parts.
I really wanted to send it back. That’s not Merilynn’s thing so we ate as much as we could. And we will be a little more observant reading menus going forward.
They brought us some Focaccia.
Focaccia is something I know well. I’ve spent hours perfecting my version at home.
This one is lacking in a few areas. It was dry and flavourless. My preference is for a high hydration Focaccia, on the 110% range. This is closer to 60%. No salt on the top either. One bite, you know the rules. 1.2. One bite and I’m done.
I went with the feature Chicken Cannelloni.
I enjoyed it. The sauce was delicious and they’re filling tasted great as well. If I had one thing I complain about they could have used bigger chunks of chicken in the filling. It was ground up too much. But overall a nice dish.
Dessert tonight is an affogato.
First time for both of us having an affagato.
And we both really liked it. Why have I not tried one of these before?
The intense espresso with the sweet gelato and fudge made a great combo. One of these on a hot summer day on a patio would be fantastic.
Unfortately though the overall experience for Merilynn’s birthday dinner wasn’t the best.
Yes we enjoyed the polenta fries, the affogato and I was good with my meal. But she was very disappointed with hers.
Will I be recommending Frankie’s to any of my friends?
With caveats.
6/10