Frank @ the AGO

[jenc]

It's too quiet in here with rgruby posting all on his own. So, I figure I'll just post. Being lazy, I'm taking from my blog and summarizing it.

Had brunch at Frank few weeks ago with a big group of people. Got to shoot lots of dishes, but only tasted a few. Unfortunately, these weren't friends whom I've trained into 1) waiting until I shoot their dish and 2) automatically sharing their food with me.

In general, the space is really nice. Lots of glass and light wood - not as Ikea-esque as you'd think. There are several areas that can accommodate the single diner or large groups in semi-private nooks. With the sun coming through the windows, it really set the mood for brunch.

The menu reads fairly interestingly and all the foods come out plated really nicely.

I also got to try the scones, which were okay. Didn't get to try the cheddar scone, sadly. In the baked assorted basket, the croissant I had was very sad indeed. Kinda gummy. Can't speak of the other pastries. Had to share, you know (though I wasn't too sad after that croissant)!

I sampled some of the roasted glazed whey-fed pork belly and it was really quite nice. Came with house-made plum-cardamom mustard, red cabbage slaw & brandied Niagara prune plums. The pork itself was tasty and tender. Had some reservations about the mustard, but in the end, it paired well with the pork and I quite enjoyed it.

My main was the buckwheat pancakes - a huge stack of five fluffy discs. Really nice chew to them - toothsome is what comes to mind. Came with maple lardons which helped balance the dish so that you weren't sugared-out by the last bite. Maple-poached prunes and the plum coulis round out the dish. I would order this again, but maybe to share. Hmn. Maybe not.

By this time I was stuffed and shockingly, the thought of dessert - well, it just didn't appeal to me. Though the table ordered them, I didn't even try. I did shoot them though! We were all very impressed by the sugar art on the pear-ginger-hazelnut cake. The cynic in me wonders why, but it did look very cool.

Thanks to the diffused light, I got some really decent shots of the dishes (13 in total!) without trying too hard. Overall, the mains had a higher hit-percentage than the desserts. I'd return sometime.

More Photos:

http://www.foodpr0n.com/2009/11/30/artful-brunch-ago-frank/

[phoenikia]

great post & beautiful pics, Jen

I'm heading to Frank for brunch on the 19th so I'll report back!

[rgruby]

Er, I seem to only post about Queen W between Tribell park and Bathurst anymore.

And, at the rate places are closing (Vdara, RIP), there may not be much for me to talk about.

Thanks Jen! those pancakes look good.

Cheers,

Geoff

[jenc]

Thanks guys!

phoenikia, I'd be interested in your thoughts! I felt Frank was good in the would-return-but-not-right-away.

Geoff at least that's more than what was going on in general! Though the last little while has shown life on the boards! Huzzah!

Also: despite what m-w.com told me, "toothsome" does not indicate texture. Just attractiveness/desirability. D'oh!

[rgruby]

Though the last little while has shown life on the boards! Huzzah!

I think we need Gordoncooks to visit more often!

Cheers,

Geoff

[jenc]

lol, anyone else find it funny that one of our more frequent contributors is someone who lives in Rochester? Gordon should just become Torontonian!