This past Wednesday, through JTs work we were generously invited to the European Union Film Festival Gala Opening Cocktail reception at The Revival Bar, 783 College Street in Toronto. We weren’t planning on seeing the films, just hob hobnobbing with the EU Film Festival crowd. There were lovely hors d’œuvres and cocktails to be had, but we had other plans for eating that evening, we made reservations at Frank’s Kitchen about one kilometre from the gala!
We chatted with people from JTs work and a few new faces; it was lovely to reconnect and to make new connections! We chatted at length with Rebecka Högdahl from the Swedish Trade Council and Dustin Woods from PR firm Marshall Fenn. We enjoyed our conversation at the EU Film Festival Gala so much, we invited them to join us for dinner. Dustin is as big a car dude as JT is, so they had lots to talk about. And girls can always find something to chat about :-).
Before I go on, I must apologize for the photos as it was rather dark in the restaurant so I had to enhance the photos in Photoshop, some worked out better than others.
Frank’s Kitchen is a pleasantly decorated restaurant with flattering lighting. Even though the kitchen is open, they considered the impact of fluorescent bulbs on the tables but it is brightly lit, non-the-less which made our table directly across from the kitchen not as pleasant as some of the other tables out of the bright light range. Owned and operated by Chef Frank Parhizgar and his wife, Shawn Cooper who manages the front of the house. Shawn was very gracious to change our reservation for two to four when we showed up. It was packed on a Wednesday evening at 8pm which is a testament to the quality. The service was excellent, the waiter clearly knew the food and was quick to describe our tantalizing journey of the menu.
We started our delicious journey with Chef’s wonderful Porchini Mushroom Velouté served with a spoon with a tiny ball of Goats Cheese Fritter and Cucumber Tomato Salsa. Both were exceptional. I loved the way the truffle oil just elevated the already rich earthy flavour of the velouté. Which reminds me, I should have had JTs as he is not a truffle oil fan!
We ordered a plate of raw oysters and Oysters Rockefeller (highly recommended by James Chatto) and neither disappointed.
At this point I’ve had a few glasses of wine, so I forgot to take photos of the other dishes! Sigh. I had the appetizer portion of Kobe Bone Marrow & Venison Tartare with a Foie Gras Torchon Salad, it was lovely and such a variety on the plate (click here to see a photo). The marrow was rich so I was glad there wasn’t a huge portion of it. JT ordered the Crisp gnocchi in a Gorgonzola Cream with Pancetta and it was delicious (click here for a photo). I do love a crispy fried gnocchi. Both of our guests ordered the Ontario Lamb three ways: Rack, Loin, braised Shoulder and Grilled Merquez Sausage which was a very generous portion (click here for a photo).
I loved this experience, but I must warn you, it is not inexpensive but the service, food and ambiance is well worth it. With a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine we exceeded $300 for the four of us. One small negative was that the bathrooms were not renovated (in fact, the one I went into had to toilets in the same room without a partition…just weird. NOTE: I have slightly modified my text here as Shawn kindly emailed me to bring to my attention that the bathrooms are in the process of being renovated and indeed had a sign on the door apologizing for their appearance and to use as a ‘single’ stall; regretfully I failed to mention said sign and as I was one of two people heading to use the bathroom I chose the unfortunate two toilet stall.
Overall rating of Frank’s Kitchen (in my opinion): Decor 3.5/5, service 4/5, food 4/5, Value 3.5/5, Noise: 3/5 (1 being very noisy, and 5 being very quiet). We paid for our meals in full.
thanks for the mention of REVIVAL BAR. please note that the address is 783 College Street, downtown Toronto. Cheers.
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Thank you so much for your comment Robby, I shall correct the address immediately, so sorry for the misinformation.
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A very interesting review, as always. The dishes sound fabulous and from what I understood you have had a lovely time. I love the photo of you two. You look beautiful!
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Oh Sissi, thank you so much, it was quite the enjoyable evening.
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Looks like a truly fun night with fantastic food. And what a grand picture of the two of you. Such an elegant looking couple!
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It sure was, and thank you so much for your very lovely compliment.
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Aren’t you beautiful! Lovely to see JT too.
The food looks brilliant but sharing a toilet with someone else is more than I’m willing to do. 🙂
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You are so sweet Maureen. It’s always difficult to get a good shot of JT because he closes his eyes most of the time; more than half our wedding photos his eyes were closed!
About the toilets, Shawn emailed me that there was a sign on the door excusing their appearance that they were renovating, but I didn’t see it. I have modified my review to include it. She also mentioned that the had a partition installed yesterday!
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You glamourous thing Eva! BTW I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but I love your haircut! 😀
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Thanks Lorraine, I’m blushing! I’m quite happy with this length of my hair too, it’s got just the right amount of curl and its not too fussy to maintain!
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Two toilets with no partition? You would think you were in China or the Middle East. That’s just not the Western way. I love your top, Eva and you look gorgeous in that photo. What a lovely night out and I do love lighting that takes off a few years! xx
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Thanks Charlie, Shawn in fact emailed me that I didn’t notice the sign on the door that the bathrooms were under renovation, so I modified that sentence in the review. She also mentioned that the had a partition put in yesterday!
Thank you for your flattering words. And yes, lighting is everything.
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Sounds delicious! I agree with the others, you look super glamorous. Marrow, truffle oil, oyster, venison, foie gras, Gorgonzola, pancetta, mushroom and goats cheese? Some incredible flavours in one evening!
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I’m truly flattered, thank Genie. After reading all about your delightful food forays, it was nice to experience such high quality in a neighbourhood place.
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Good company and exquisite food, what more could anyone want? 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Hi CCU, you said it!
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Sounds like a fine place to dine, Eva, and how very fortunate they were able to accomodate your dinner guests with little trouble or fuss. And that’s great photo of you and JT. As you’ve mentioned, this sounds like a nice place to go for a special occasion.
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Thanks John, I’m craving that soup right now!
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Looks like that you all have enjoyed the dinner.
A lovely photo of JT and you.
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Thank you kindly Angie. It was a very nice evening. I’ll keep this restaurant in mind for a special occasion.
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LOVE your top, Eva…so chic! Plus this looks like a fantastic restaurant…worth a splurge now and again 🙂
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Thanks Liz, I normally don’t wear this style, and it sure made me feel sexy!
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Very nice photo of JT and you, Eva, you look sooooo glamorous. Never being to a film festival, must be a lot of fun. Would love a glass of that mushroom velouté.
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Thanks so much Norma, I would have like to see a film or two but sadly the timing didn’t work out. Plus ALL the films were FREE! It was a nice event mid-week.
I will have to try to develop that recipe, it was incredibly flavourful, but to be honest a small glass is enough as the truffle oil was very pungent and could overwhelm.
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