Honestly, I Do Give A Clam

I was feeling in the mood for some fish or seafood Tuesday. Having browsed a number of positive reviews for Frank's Kitchen (588 College St.) at the corner of College and Clinton, I decided to give it a try. Previously, this spot was an upscale Italian restaurant (Sorriso). And years prior to that, it was a European dining spot where I had my first osso buco.

The restaurant had only 1 other couple when I came through the doors. But apparently the place was fully reserved so I sat at the bar. Over the course of the night, I overheard numerous phone calls regarding reservations: "telling one customer they had to call ahead 24 hours to get a call back", "a table opening up on Saturday", and so on. It seems like Frank's is a hot boite and you might want to call ahead.

With quiet lighting, cream-coloured tables, and bathrooms with cloth hand towels, the restaurant is going for a refined feel. I ordered a baked oyster rockefeller ($14) and the catch of the day, Arctic char ($30). But the kitchen also gave me 4 complimentary dishes: a bread plate, an amuse-bouche, an intermezzo, and a small dessert.

The bread came as an egg-washed brioche and a basil and cherry tomato focaccia with an olive and sun-dried tomatoes paste. I liked the brioche with its slight sweetness, but didn't tasted anything distinctive about the focaccia. However, it went great with the house-made dips, which were delicious.

For the amuse-bouche, a small plate came with a goat cheese croquette on a bed of salsa in a large spoon and small glass of cauliflower pureed soup. I do love me any cream-of-something soup. The croquette was still hot and the goat cheese simply oozed in my mouth.

The baked oyster Rockefeller came as 6 oysters on a two-tier tray. The oysters nestled in a hollandaise sauce, with spinach, and bits of bacon. It was tasty though given the other ingredients, it was hard to discern the oyster except for a slight chewiness and seafood flavour.

For the intermezzo, the waitress gave a me a small spoon with a tiny scoop of a lime sorbet with a tiny basil leaf. It was a refreshing cleanse of the palate. So far, everything has been great.

But when the main came out, I was a bit shocked at the portion size. The $30 main was more of an appetizer-sized dish. I felt like one of those yokels in Hollywood movies who went to a French restaurant serving nouvelle cuisine. There was some seared Artic char, about only 1/3 the portion size I was expected, a single seared scallop, one razor clam made Casino-style, half of a grilled artichoke heart, some winter greens and spinach, all resting on a green saffron nage (seafood stock). I wasn't sure what Casino-style was but it looked similar to the baked oyster: hollandaise sauce with some sprinking of herbs. I liked the vegetables, though I didn't realize artichoke was so sour. The nage was deep and rich. I would have liked the skin on the Artic char to be a bit crisper. The fish had a slight raw mouth-feel and I don't like raw fish unless I'm expecting it (e.g., ceviche, tartare, sushi). The dish was good but without those other dishes, plus some fruit and yogurt when I got home, I wouldn't have been full.

With my bill, I got 2 decadent pieces of chocolate truffles, apparently also made in house.

The ambience of the restaurant, attentiveness of the waitstaff, careful plating, and the complimentary dishes really give you that VIP treatment. But if the other similarly priced mains are equally petite, I would stick with the appetizers which are tapas-sized but at least they are also tapas-priced. Alternatively, you could try the pasta dishes at $19-23. Ultimately though, it may be one of those restaurant where you'll have to shell out more than I did ($60 with tax/tip - I was a bit generous with tip because of the free dishes and good service), or cross the street and grab a burrito from Burrito Boyz (575 College St.) on your way home.