A Life, Lived: A Fun Night in the City

We had a message on facebook recently from one of our California friends who was going to be in the city this week. She wondered if we had time to get together while she was in town.

Silly question - if we're in town, we can always find time to get together who are visiting!!!

I messaged back and asked if she was interested in seeing the Picasso exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. She was keen, so I got three more tickets (one has to love the perks of being a member of the gallery) and we arranged to go last night.

Then Sharon offered to take us out for dinner. After much discussion between Paolo and I we settled on Frank, the restaurant in the Art Gallery of Ontario for an after-art meal.

It was an oddly planned day that saw me drive in and out of the city twice - normally I would have rearranged my schedule but I had two long planned appointments so that wasn't happening. Paolo had an orthodontist appointment so I picked him up there, drove him home and we got ready to go out. When Sharon arrived we headed into the city.

Of course we ran into unusual traffic. Normally I would have been annoyed but our tickets were for the 6 - 7 entrance period and our dinner reservations were for later in the evening. We had LOTS of time. Plus, we were having a great time chatting in the car so the time flew by.

I've already blogged about this brilliant exhibit - yes, you must go if you're in TO before August 24th.

After filling our minds and soul with the amazing art it was time to fill another part of our anatomy at Frank. I've been here about 10 times, since it is located about 5 minutes form my office it is my 'go to restaurant' when I am entertaining for business. I like that the menu is seasonal, featuring locally sourced ingredients. I have always found the service to be unobtrusive and attentive. I like that the wine list features a great number of well-selected Canadian wines and the drink list is an ever-changing listing of inventive concoctions featuring house-made syrups, infusions, and herbs.

It's funny, I have suggested to Paolo that we go there on numerous occasions and he has already wanted to go somewhere else. By the end of the evening he declared that he had a new 'favourite restaurant' in the city.

We all ordered different drinks while we perused the menu. I tried a cocktail featuring gin, vermouth, muddled basil and mint, and house-made lavender lemonade. The mixologist who pulled that together deserves a gold medal! (look at me with a opical Olympic reference) Sharon and Paul ordered different drinks and we all sampled each . . . not a dud in the mix.

Our menu choices was a complex task - we wanted it all! There wasn't an overwhelming listing of dishes but every one sounded amazing.

Paul and I ordered from the Spanish inspired prix-fixe menu that was designed to go hand in glove with the Picasso exhibit.

For my appetizer I selected the gazpacho del dia, which was a chilled gazpacho featuring seasonal Ontario produce served with crisp fennel grissini. This version featured tomatoes and roasted red peppers. It was unlike any gazpacho I have ever eaten before and absolutely amazing! We all ordered this and it was a highlight of the evening.

My main was the grilled flat iron steak with spiced patatas brava and roasted corn salsa. It came perfectly cooked and deliciously spiced with the perfect level of heat. I'd order steak in more restaurants if I knew it would come out of the kitchen like this.

Dessert was a challenge - it all sounded good (yes, you HAVE heard that before). We all ordered something different and shared. My selection was the churros con chocolate which is a plate of cinnamon-sugared fritters served with dark chocolate and caramel dipping sauces. YUM, YUM, YUM!

What a wonderful meal.

We practically closed the restaurant down. When it was time to head out the rain was teeming down - I suggested that Sharon and Paul wait for me to get the car. It was actually nice to dash through the rain to the parking garage - just the refreshing jolt I needed after a wonderful meal.

Thanks Sharon for the treat! It would b wonderful if more of our out-of-town friends could visit so we could have an excuse to drag ourselves out of the house. Such a lovely excuse. *smile*

Comments

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Be careful what you wish, or you will surely get it...isn't that how the saying goes? LOL...I have visions of hundreds of your readers showing up before the Aug 24 close date of the exhibit to be entertained by you and Paul. This was a fun read, the restaurant reviews always great, this one sounds lovely.

Posted by: Kayte | July 27, 2012 at 07:33 AM