Frankie's Italian Kitchen (Vancouver)
Frankie's is a new addition to the Georgian Court Hotel in downtown Vancouver. I made a reservation for dinner at 7:30 pm on a Saturday night, but we were promptly seated when we arrived an hour early. The ambiance was casual elegant and the decor was simple and contemporary. The restaurant didn't look as grand as the old William Tell it had replaced, but it had a trendy feel to it.
We started off with a small plate of prosciutto wrapped scallops ($14). The savoury prosciutto and the sweet scallops blended together perfectly with the shallots. I also enjoyed the green puree, but I couldn't tell what it was made of because the taste of cream masked its original flavour.
The 8 oz beef tenderloin ($24) was one of the best I've had. The meat was so tender that it melted in my mouth. I also loved the diced veggie salsa and the potatoes on the side.
I asked for rare and actually got rare, which happens less often than you'd think.
The thyme crusted halibut ($22) was also surprisingly tender. Usually pan fried halibut is quite firm from overcooking, but this was cooked just right. The light lemon mascarpone sauce complemented the fish without overwhelming its flavour.
Our server forgot to bring us bread, so we had to ask for it halfway through our entrees. It was pretty good, especially with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
For dessert, we tried something new: ice cream cassata ($7). Rich and creamy chocolate ice cream with bits of almond, raisins and cranberries was surrounded by a thin layer of sponge cake. The whole thing was covered in a generous amount of chocolate sauce and sprinkled with bits of pistachio. I enjoyed this a lot more than I had expected, considering I'm not very much into nuts. I would definitely get this again.
I was also tempted to try the tiramisu, but couldn't manage to eat anything else after polishing off the cassata. I'll try it next time when I come back for the delicious tenderloin.
We started off with a small plate of prosciutto wrapped scallops ($14). The savoury prosciutto and the sweet scallops blended together perfectly with the shallots. I also enjoyed the green puree, but I couldn't tell what it was made of because the taste of cream masked its original flavour.
The 8 oz beef tenderloin ($24) was one of the best I've had. The meat was so tender that it melted in my mouth. I also loved the diced veggie salsa and the potatoes on the side.
I asked for rare and actually got rare, which happens less often than you'd think.
The thyme crusted halibut ($22) was also surprisingly tender. Usually pan fried halibut is quite firm from overcooking, but this was cooked just right. The light lemon mascarpone sauce complemented the fish without overwhelming its flavour.
Our server forgot to bring us bread, so we had to ask for it halfway through our entrees. It was pretty good, especially with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
For dessert, we tried something new: ice cream cassata ($7). Rich and creamy chocolate ice cream with bits of almond, raisins and cranberries was surrounded by a thin layer of sponge cake. The whole thing was covered in a generous amount of chocolate sauce and sprinkled with bits of pistachio. I enjoyed this a lot more than I had expected, considering I'm not very much into nuts. I would definitely get this again.
I was also tempted to try the tiramisu, but couldn't manage to eat anything else after polishing off the cassata. I'll try it next time when I come back for the delicious tenderloin.
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