Frank's Steakhouse Review

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

At ron_newman's encouraging, I'm cross-posting this from my own LJ.

Last week beowabbit and I wandered into Frank's Steak House on Mass Ave., on a quest for grilled flesh for the Meatasaurus Wabbitus. They were too busy to seat us without a long wait, so we made a date to come back and try it, this time with a reservation. It's at 2310 Mass Ave, right behind Davis. Dover or Meacham will drop you across the street, basically. It was worth the experiment.



Very glad we tried it. I've lived in Davis for 13 years, and I never even thought to check out dinner there. This is one of those old-school dinner institutions that is completely off the Davis-Porter hipster map. In the lobby are framed, autographed pictures of famous people who have eaten there, few appearing to date from less than 25 years ago (I think the wall filled up around 1980). The clientele seemed to be mostly long-time resident folks. Nice jazz, nice booth, nice waitress who said she likes working there so much that she drives all the way in from Reading (I think it was Reading. I'd had some wine.)

The steaks were tasty and inexpensive. We both had filet mignon with tarragon butter (mine petite, his full). Nothing fancy or off-beat, just plain good filets. The garlic cheese bread we had at the beginning was perhaps the best I've ever eaten. (If you don't eat meat but do eat dairy, go for that alone. I could have made a meal out of it.) Salad and choice of potatoes came with our meals (his was less that $20, mine was less than $10). The portions weren't hulking and wasteful, which I really appreciate. It was the amount of food a person might have been served during pre-supersized decades. Even with 4 cocktails on our tab, the bill was very reasonable. No room for dessert so I have nothing to report there, but they had a nice looking selection of comfort desserts. As I remarked to beowabbit, this would be an ideal place to bring visiting parents or grandparents.

If you sometimes just want simple, old-school dining in a semi-casual atmosphere (not dress-up-y per se, but don't bring your kids in their wet bathing suits), I can recommend giving this nice old standard a try. Do make reservations -- it was jumping both times we went in.

Comments

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

you should yelp about this.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, I will indeed.

[righteousness-1.livejournal.com]

http://www.yelp.com/biz/franks-steak-house-cambridge

[bwilder.livejournal.com]

I totally had a successful and pleasant Thanksgiving dinner with my visiting parents. Strongly recommend.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Cool! It would make sense that they're open for Thanksgiving dinner. The crowd struck us as folks who might go there as a weekly ritual. Bet they have a busy Sunday dinner crowd.

Someone on my f'list just told me that piano bar! I really want to catch that sometime. :-)

[siderea]

The crowd struck us as folks who might go there as a weekly ritual.

Ayup. :)

FYI: Wednesday night is Karaoke at 8 or 9 (I forget which). Make of that what you will.

[nungnung.livejournal.com]

Every time I've eaten at Frank's I have received remarkably good service. In fact, on two separate occassions, I've called to make favorable comments about my server. Frank's is high on my list of Davis favs!

[shana-lyons.livejournal.com]

Frank's has THE BEST potato skins on the planet. Seriously, go order.

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

I actually had a bad experience there a few months ago. My husband and I ordered French Onion Soup and it was absolutely disgusting, very watered down and there were hardly any onions. I ordered the Bourbon steak if I remember right and they overcooked it after I had ordered it medium. My husbands steak was absolutely tasteless. The service was just okay. I really wouldnt go back to this place and I base that on my experience plus a few others Ive heard about.

[inahandbasket]

I have to agree with jamiesquared here.
Went there last year and was very unimpressed with the food, with average service.

If overpriced average-quality steak and iceberg lettuce salads are your idea of a good night out, by all means go for it. I'll save my going-out funds for worthwhile food.

[reverend-jim.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's my usual at Frank's - French Onion Soup & the bourbon steak. My wife & I used to go there quite often (now we go somewhat less, but still hit it from time to time), and there were a few times when the steak and/or soup wasn't quite up to par. We keep going back because the prices are so reasonable, the service is generally reliable, and the food is usually quality. The times when the service or food haven't been up to snuff have not only been far outnumbered by the times they were just fine, I'm willing to take a bit of a risk to get a bill that doesn't set me back a full day's pay.

vegetarian

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

So, how are they for vegetarian options beyond the garlic cheese bread? Don't get me wrong, that sounds great, but I'm not sure I'd actually want to make a meal of that.

Re: vegetarian

[bex77]

Not recommended for vegetarians. There are a couple of appetizers and only one entre - pasta primavera.

Re: vegetarian

[reverend-jim.livejournal.com]

I'm shocked - shocked! - that Frank's Steakhouse is not a slammin' place for vegetarians! (Yes, I realize that you can probably get good veggie entrees at all sorts of restaurants now, but Frank's is old-school. When that joint opened, "vegetarians" were people who ordered the vegetable side instead of the potatoes!)

[nuns.livejournal.com]

I love Franks.

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

Hah! We live about a block and a half from Frank's, which makes it a good (if rather unhealthy) default when neither of us wants to cook (when we're feeling healthy, we walk an extra bock to Hana Sushi). They know us there, which is a nice neighborhood-y thing. We had dinner there a few days before Xmas and as we were leaving the maitre d' came up to us & gave us a nice bottle of red wine as a holiday present.

Yay Franks!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Do they have a decent selection of side dishes? That's usually my problem with steakhouses: they have three kinds of potatoes and then they have overcooked green beans or asparagus, creamed spinach, and some other creamed or overcooked veggie.

[afty.livejournal.com]

We love Frank's. The prime rib is delicious; try it if you usually order something else. My friend suggested it the last time we were there, and it was definitely a good call.

We've also gotten great service at Frank's. One time my wife and I split a entree, and our waiter gave us an extra salad and potato for free, so we each had our own mini-meal.

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

That sounds awesome!