After a focused couple of hours at the Art Gallery of Ontario, taking in the shows Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris, and Zhang Huan: Ash Paintings and Memory Doors, we thought we would treat ourselves to dinner at Frank, the restaurant at the AGO. What a superb dinner it was!
We started with two appetizers which we shared - perfectly done seared sea scallops wrapped in what looked to be Spanish prosciuto (they called it jamon serrano). But what I really loved was the shaved asparagus. I can't remember if I've had asparagus shaved lengthwise before, but this version is definitely memorable - it's crisp and soft at the same time, a great textural contrast to the scallops. I doved right into the scallop without taking a photo - borrowed the one below from the Frank website but it's really not the same dish.
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| Photo from the Frank AGO site |
The salt cod croquetas were delectable, especially with the black olive tapenade. This was followed by the seafood paella which was so flavourful I could easily have another plateful. This must be the "haute cuisine" version of the paella, I've never seen such a miniscule portion of the rice dish! The seafood were all done just right. There were lots of bay scallops and enough mussels, but they could have thrown in a few more shrimps (they called the lone ranger a prawn, but it is really a shrimp).
We wrapped up dinner with a "tarta de santiago" which is really a flourless almond torte - great texture and not overly sweet. The service was attentive and thoughtful - it was one of the better dinners we've had for a while.
February 3, 2012
ReplyDeleteI had a Winterlicious lunch there. I would give it 5 out of 5 Rating! Excellent food, generous portion, great service! The restaurant is a little too busy but very well managed. The portion in the Duck Rillette was surprisingly more than expected. Very tasty. The Artic Char was done to perfection, flaky, juicy and melt in your mouth! The Apple turnover was irresistibly tempting with a ginger aroma. Bottomless coffee and large pot for tea.
I agree with you, Busy Bee. The restaurant was very busy when we were there but the service was very attentive. We were sharing a dish and the waitress remembered to bring extra plates without our asking. I'm always impressed with that kind of service.
DeleteVisiting restaurants during Winterlicious is often a true test of their worth - they're usually very busy, they're not making a lot of money from your prix fixe meal - but if they can keep their quality of food and service, then I would definitely go back for a regular meal. Would like to hear from people if they experience any different.