Frank’s Kitchen

As always, Frank’s was an amazing taste adventure! Well balanced appetizers and main courses never leave you feeling Harvey and bloated at the end of a delicious meal. All the while having a delicious dessert available to fill that last little morale of hunger! It is always a pleasure and looking forward to the next taste adventure.

For my birthday dinner dates, my hubby often treats me to delicious tasting menus. We look for all sorts of different tasting menu places in Toronto and this has been one of the places high on our list to try. We hear of the many different dishes that are served (plentiful plates we hear…) and we got really excited.
Glad we got to try it. It was not difficult to book reservations.
In the past, they only offered tasting menus on certain days of the week. We booked for an early meal on a Sunday.
We did not have the chance to try their regular menu but may consider for next time.
Our waiter was very knowledgeable and polite when serving each dish to us. We were the other ones that were there that evening for tasting menu (i think we had about 12 – 14 small dishes) and our waiter also had to attend to other regular customers around us as well.
Each dish was presented very nicely in a dish that looked like a shell-​bowl for soupy dishes and spoons for small palate cleansing dishes. I was a little disappointed in the amount I got to eat because each portion was so tiny (this is me comparing to GEORGE’s tasting menu which we chose the 7 – 10 courses and felt that each dish was proportioned with a lot).
For a cheese lover (my hubby), everything was great because some dishes incorporated a lot of strong cheesy flavours. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of cheese and did not indulge in those certain dishes as much as my husband did.
The ambiance was very romantic, soft/​dim lighting, and cozy atmosphere. I dressed up because it was my birthday but I’m sure you can still fit in by wearing casual outfit as I saw some other customers in the restaurant was not decked out in blazer/​jackets.

When people ask me what my favourite restaurant in Toronto is and without flinching I tell them Frank’s Kitchen. I didn’t know casual fine dining actually existed, the atmosphere of the restaurant is relaxed but still classy. I’ve seen customers dine in shorts, suits, sandals, etc.
The service is outstanding, the servers are very knowledgeable, friendly and a tentative.
We started off with the daily complimentary amuse bouche, tomato bisque with a side of housemade focaccia & dip. The bread was lightly toasted, I enjoyed the small portion of starters so you don’t actually fill up on bread before your meal.
The daily appetizer special was the Deep Fried Squash Blossoms stuffed with Homemade Goat Cheese & Spinach. It was my first time having squash blossoms and they were delicious! Light and crispy with a creamy sweet and savoury filling. I would definitely order this again but it’s hard to find squash blossoms on menus because it’s such a seasonal item.
I also got the Kobe Beef Tartare with Fried Egg, Shaved Black truffles, Pickles and Guiness Mustard, $ 21. Look how beautiful the plating is. The truffles paired very well with the beef giving it an earthy element to the dish. The pickled vegetables cut through the fattiness of the beef, I could eat this over and over again. The dish was also served with truffle brioche
The main courses were outstanding.
Catch of the Day: Salmon with lobster sauce, $ 26 & 12 oz Aged Beef Striploin with Shaved Truffles in a Shallot Jus with a side of Parmesan Frites, $ 40. The steak was perfectly cooked, the jus was flavourful without being too salty. It was everything anyone could want when ordering steak frites. The salmon had an asian style flavour, my boyfriend really enjoyed the dish.

Visited Frank’s kitchen for the first time on a friday evening at the end of April. We thought the service was attentive and really enjoyed the bread and butter provided at the beginning of the meal. My appetizer, the gnocchi in gorgonzola cream was also very good. The rest of the items we ordered were not as exciting The catch of the day (black cod), the lobster ravioli, the octopus and the sticky toffee pudding were alright but not great.

My boyfriend brought me here for my birthday last month and I’m still dreaming of this dinner! Very intimate ambiance, our waiter was very hospitable. We requested an off the menu order of foie gras as an appetizer and the chef did not disappoint. Would come back for sure!!! Prices are very reasonable for the portions and great flavours!

Frank’s kitchen triumphantly achieves the rare combination of food, service, ambiance, value and consistency. I purposely waited to write this review until I had gone back for a third time over a one year period, because it’s rare that I feel compelled to speak so glowingly of a restaurant. I’m happy to say that Frank’s deserves all the accolades it gets. The restaurant itself is uniquely small but it’s one of my favourite things about this place; the size actually adds to the overall dining experience here. It is accompanied by exceptionally flavourful and artistic dishes and an outstandingly friendly and attentive wait staff. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu and specifically mentioning any one/​few dishes would unfairly downplay the rest. If you’ve never gone here before I can’t imagine you being disappointed. Whether it’s a special occasion or a casual outing I feel confident in suggesting that you’ll come back a second time, and then a third as well. Well done Frank’s, well done.

Frank’s Kitchen has always been one of my favorite restaurants in Toronto. I first went here since they were newly opened and have been re-​visiting since then because of how delicious the food here are. One my second latest visit, I was lucky to finally get to try Frank’s infamous 16 courses tasting menu and I must tell you that I was totally blown away. All the courses came out at a perfect pace and everything was amazing. I ordered it with wine pairings and it was definitely worth every dollar spent.
On my latest visit there, I opted for the a la carte menu. I ordered the deep fried gnocchi in gorgonzola cream sauce. I was intrigued by the name and was curious as to how this would taste like. It turned out amazing and I was thankful that I ordered it. For the mains, I opted for the scallop bourguignon and Aged beef striploin with truffles. The scallops were cooked to perfection, but the beef was not cooked right. I ordered medium rare but it came out a little overcooked. Furthermore, I found the meat to have a very weird texture instead, it could because the knife wasn’t sharp enough and caused the meat to fall apart inside. But it felt it was also pretty dry inside and a little off. Nevertheless, the meal was amazing overall and I would definitely come back for another visit and give this place another chance!

Hahahahaha!
This IS a restaurant. Food quality perfect.
Low key. I’m so impressed.
Look at my pics

Excellent from start to finish!
Made two visits to Frank’s Kitchen. Both were fantastic.
Visit #1 — Had the Rack of Lamb. Has to be #1 on my list for best lamb dishes.
Visit #2 — Did the Chef’s Tasting. AMAZING. Every dish was so thoughtful and detailed in both taste and presentation. It’s definitely a little pricey, but worth the price for a very special meal.

Had a very pleasant experience dining at Frank’s Kitchen. Ambiance was intimate, staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and the food was consistently good across entrée — main — desssert.
We came on a night where there was a set menu ($ 100 per person). It started off with a select variety of warm breads with a delicious tapenade, along with a sampling of charcuterie, cheese, pickled vegetables and olives. The house-​made cheese stood out to me as being especially tasty. Then came the amuse bouche — mini french onion soup (this was cold? Not sure if that was intentional), ravioli with cheese inside, and oyster rockefeller (yum!).
For my entrée, I ordered the scallops. It came with a deep fried chicken skin which I wasn’t a huge fan of. But the two huge scallops were nicely done. Then I had the rack of lamb in syrah reduction. The lamb was super tender. However, compared to some of my other dining experiences, I do think I’ve enjoyed the rack of lamb more elsewhere in terms of unique flavour combinations. I also tried a bite of the sirloin steak dish which was also very tender and delicious.
Finally, the desserts! Mmmmmmmmmm. We got a sampling of chocolate lava cake (my fav of the three), sorbet with warm blueberries that burst in your mouth (amazing), and a meringue tart (which I found too sweet). With the bill, we got petit fours which included a melt-​in-​your-​mouth heart shaped truffle, shortbread type cookie w jam, and a mandelin.
The service was fantastic for the most part. I asked our waiter to recommend a wine to go with my dinner, and he picked one that I was extremely satisfied with. Also, throughout our dinner, we had many different staff check in on us to make sure we were enjoying our experience. We definitely appreciated these check-​ins and the smiles that came along with them! Only time I was a bit taken aback was when our waiter was wiping off our table in the middle of our meal — and ended up smearing something all across the table. I don’t think he noticed this, and put our cutlery down and left abruptly. Thankfully, another staff saw us wiping off the table with our own napkins, and came over right away to rectify.
All in all a great experience here! Would certainly recommend for a nice evening out.

I can’t count how many times I have recommended Frank’s Kitchen to my friends looking for a great place to dine out. Note: call and make a reservation in advance, the restaurant is small.
Of all the meals I had in 2015, this one ranked near the top. Yes yes the service was good and the décor was nice, but it was the food that made this restaurant stand out to me. Every dish was excellent and the sauces were on point.
Food highlights:
— The pork entrée was cooked and seasoned to perfection — every bite brought new flavours and textures… it was just so well done.
— The crispy gnocchi wasn’t too heavy and it was a perfect way to start the meal.
— Steak tartare — one of the best in the city.
It’s not too often when I stop and marvel at the food I just consumed — trust me, the food coming out of this kitchen is knocking it out of the park. I look forward to the next time I visit Frank’s Kitchen to explore more of the menu.

Went on a Thursday night to enjoy their 16 course tasting menu. Interestingly, the menu was simple one word descriptions of each course’s main ingredient. However, the many items that arrived at our table was anything but simple. It’s easy to tell that Chef Frank put a lot of thought into each course, how it should be served, as well as ensuring each course increased in richness and flavour as the night went on.
My personal favourites were the scallop, which was nicely seared and served on a bed of pickled vegetables, and the truffle ravioli, which had bold flavours that were hard to forget.
Friendly atmosphere, great service, Shawn (co-​owner, Frank’s wife) even came by personally to greet us. Overall, a very nice experience without the pretentiousness of other ‘upscale’ restaurants. Would come back again and again.

I have to admit, Frank’s Kitchen deserves all they credit they’re getting on here. I had dinner ast night and it was very enjoyable experience.
First off, they had a really nice wine selection. I tried the below reds. I would choose the second one listed over the other:
2012 Carmenere ‘Reserva’, Falernia Elqui Valley, Chile
2012 Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot «Red Twisted», Flat Rock Cellars, Twenty Mile Bench, ON VQA
We shared the following app (very good, very tender):
Grilled Octopus with Capers, Chickpeas and Cured Olives in a Blood Orange Vinaigrette,
topped with Squid Ink Chicharron
I order the lamb and it was amazing. Prepared perfectly and just the right portion:
Herb-​Crusted Ontario Rack of Lamb with Braised Lamb Shoulder Croquette in a Syrah
Reduction with Grilled Artichokes and Crispy Parmesan Polenta
My dinner companion had the catch of the day (which was the Arctic Char) which I was able to try, it was very good as well…
All in all; I would highly recommend Frank’s to anyone. I will definitively go back to try to the rest of the menu…

Was here again recently (Oct. 2015), and the quality is still outstanding. The owner still marches the premises each evening, which I think is why the excellence has been maintained.
Interestingly, they try and maintain a short profile of the preferences of repeat clients which is unusual and helps to make the experience all the more pleasant.
Surprising, constantly changing and interesting dishes.
Well worth the detour to go and try.

My boyfriend and I came here for dinner. The atmosphere was cozy and the service was excellent. Our waiter was very knowledgeable with the menu — not sure how often the specials of the day changes, but he got those lines memorized pretty well haha.
DRINKS:
Napa Cellars Chardonnay 2013
Beer — Beau’s
Bread with white french truffle butter were on the house. I’ve always loved truffles and there was a lot of its flavour in the butter. We finished this up really quickly haha.
AMUSE-​BOUCHE (²⁄₅)
A miniature tart topped with goat cheese.
APPETIZERS:
BAKED OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER (⁵⁄₅)
(spinach, bacon and hollandaise sauce)
This was DELISH! I’d recommend this, the hollandaise sauce was amazing. A very light appetizer to start with.
Note: For those who do not like raw oysters, the oysters are cooked semi-​raw.
DUO OF RAW (³⁄₅)
(tuna carpaccio and tartare with cucumber, avocado and lemon olive oil vinaigrette)
This dish was yummy but it didn’t stand out as much as the baked oysters rockefeller. The highlight of this dish would be the tuna tartare — very fresh!
MAINS:
CATCH OF THE DAY — POACHED LOBSTER (⁵⁄₅)
I loved the poached lobster. At first when the dish came I thought to myself, this is not enough (I was very «hangry»!!). But as the night progressed, I realized this dish is actually pretty filling. The sauce is cream-​based and it paired well with the lobster tail and claw meat. Delicious! If they have the poached lobster as the catch of the day again, I’ll probably reorder this!
AGED BEEF STRIPLOIN WITH SHAVED TRUFFLES (⁴⁄₅)
(with shallot jus and a side of parmesan frites)
My boyfriend ordered the beef striploin. He loved it. The truffles are shaved on top of the striploin by the waiter when the dish is served. They actually put quite a bit of truffles on top so I was very happy: D
The beef was very tender and the paramesan frites were tasty too. It wasn’t too dry since they provide a dipping sauce with it.
The two complimentary chocolate truffles was a nice touch at the end of our meal :)

Don’t let the casual-​sounding name fool you, they are deadly serious about producing some excellent plates. In fact, this may be the best food I’ve had in Toronto. I recently took my boyfriend here for his birthday and was thrilled.
Let’s start with the FOOD. We started with appetizers, and he ordered the star of the show, a beautiful Kobe beef tartare. This was not some chintzy portion, no, it was an ample strip of luscious raw beef. The menu mentioned truffles as almost an afterthought in this dish, but no, it came with thick, aromatic slices of the magical mushroom. At $ 20, this dish is a steal.
My appetizer of soft-​shell crab was also quite good, but did not quite blow me away as much. All of the dishes are incredibly well-​composed and garnished with lots of house-​made pickles and sauces.
For the main, I won on that course with a beautiful dish of pork done 3 ways. First an incredibly flavourful pork dish (around $ 27) served 3 ways: a luscious loin, perhaps the tastiest and most expertly seared pork belly I’ve ever had, and a great crispy chicharron. My boyfriend had a smaller portion of lobster ravioli that were also quite flavourful and in a beautiful broth.
I almost forgot the amuse bouche (a very pure gazpacho) and palate cleansing sorbets that were a nice bonus. The chocolate truffles provided as mignardises were a little too cold and fell a bit flat, but hey, it’s just a free treat.
The SERVICE was also excellent. The waitstaff were causal but attentive… I hate the stuffy vibe you find at some places. They also were able to steer us to an excellent, yet affordable, Oregon pinot noir that beautifully complemented our meal.
The AMBIANCE is intimate in a small, well-​decorated space.
I sadly did not get to meet the eponymous Frank, but whatever magic he is working in the kitchen, I hope he keeps it up. They also offer a 20 course tasting menu for $ 95 on Sunday-​Thursday nights, which I would love to try out. Reservations are recommended for weeknights and a must for weekends.
OVERALL, highly recommended. As I mentioned earlier, this is probably the best meal I’ve had in Toronto, with a California-​cuisine like laser focus on fresh, local ingredients. In addition to being outstanding, it is absolutely good value for high end dining.

Found this gem in Little Italy a few months back. The place was very homey and elegant; especially with the antique architecture, wooden floors, and the candles. Our waiter for the evening was especially delightful, even though we automatically assumed his name was Frank (which was quite embarrassing). This is one of the places to splurge once in a while for lavish food and a lovely ambience, ideal for an evening date. We were first served a bread basket, and my favourite was the one with the pâté. Even the butter had a salty richness that I’ve never tasted with any other. My most to least favourite dishes:
Elk Loin Wrapped in Truffles with Chestnut Agnolotti & Foie Gras Jus ~$ 24 — the elk loin was succulent and was served with a candy-​glazed cherry, a dumpling, and a piece of foie gras (my absolute faveeee).
Escargot Bourguignon with Braised Oxtail and Manchego Foam ~$ 18 — this was a memorable way of serving escargots. each piece would be taken with a piece of oxtail where there’d be a battle between soft and dense chewiness. the manchego foam tastes like cream and was an interesting take on molecular gastronomy.
Crisp Gnocchi with Pancetta in a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce ~$ 18 — the gnocchi was made crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I’ve never tried gorgonzola cream sauce (blue cheese) before but it was almost like a mix of salted alfredo and chilli spices. it was most definitely a memorable dish.
Between the making of our dishes, our waiter served us an amuse-​bouche where he poured some parsnip cream into a tiny dish of pears. If only it was in soup format I’d get more! And to add onto that, he served us with hand-​made truffles on a cold slab when the bill came in. The chocolate was so decadently filled with what seemed like a denser version of the inside of a lindt chocolate.

We came here as a party of 3 ladies, 2 gents. As a main, the ladies ordered the steak and the gents the seafood sampler. Granted, the steak was good. But the seafood sampler was so dainty that it could hardly pass as an appetizer. The Ladies had to share their meals with the gents out of pity.
But that would have been forgiven if it weren’t for one fact: the waitress — who was easy on the eyes — was not so easy on the ears. From the minute we sat down, she came back every 20 minutes to remind us that our table has a time limit which expires at 9 for a second sitting.
So embarrassing.
Follow-​up: Thank you Frank’s restaurant for the follow up below. I don’t have a problem with the policy of a 2 hour time limit on a table, but I do have a problem with the attitude with which it was enforced. You are insinuating that we were late to arrive, or slow to order, but that was not the case. There was no real reason to keep mentioning the time limit again and again. Even if there was, one single gentle courtesy reminder would have sufficed. As for the seafood sampler, if it’s not meant as a main, then it should be made very clear to the diners, but it wasn’t, which explains why two diners made the mistake of ordering it as a main.

Very fancy place, with absolutely amazing service. Our server was super friendly and very helpful!
Rockefeller oysters were delicious!
The lamb was perfectly cooked, accompanied by Frank’s special sauce — tasted as good as it looked!
Their dish of the day was salmon with scallops, tiger shrimps and lobster ravioli — the best I’ve ever tried: soft and crispy, served with creamy sauce. And yes, again, 5 stars for the presentation!
I will definitely come back to try their tasting menu!

OMG.
This was hands down one of the best meals I have ever had.
My sweet sweet BF took me here as part of my 30^th birthday present and I was blown away (thank you honey!!). Everything we tasted was amazing and the service was just top notch. It was a very wonderful evening to say the least.
We started with Oysters Rockefeller, the seafood cocktail, and Ontario heirloom tomato salad with house made mozzarella.
The oysters were cooked perfectly, still very moist and tender, just warm, covered in hollandaise, topped with bits of spinach and bacon — very decadent but very enjoyable.
My seafood cocktail was just incredible. I loved the sweetness of the lobster and shrimp partnered with these amazing orange limes (I forget the exact name of them oops!) and a tequila laced guacamole — outstanding!
The heirloom tomato salad was very tasty, a great lighter dish. I loved the creamy housemade mozzarella, so good!
In between courses, we were presented with tiny soup bowls with a couple of peas and crème freiche in a little clump. The waiter then proceeded to cover the contents of the bowl with an amazing bright green soup which tasted like springtime. I did not want to stop eating the yumminess, it was amazing!
Our mid course was lobster ravioli, very tender and slightly sweet from the seafood, just delicious!
My main was a seafood platter of sorts, absolutely beautiful presentation, with a razor clam, crunchy seafood croquette, a tender piece of halibut, and an awesomely tender scallop. I loved this!
My BF had the steak with shaved truffles on top accompanied by parmesan frites — it looked incredible and he said it was the best steak he has ever had.
For dessert, I enjoyed a birthday edition of the apple tarte tatin, which was just lovely. It was very sweet but delicious, with a crunchy lattice work topping of caramelized sugar — OOOH BOY!
Loved the housemade truffles which accompanied the bill. Try this place, its awesome! I can’t wait to go back to try the 22 course tasting menu!