At Frank's Gourmet Grille, good food, not fancy

October 07, 2015 12:00 am • Last Updated: October 07, 2015 3:56 pm

By Jill Blanchette

In 2011, after nearly a decade on Route 1 in the Flanders section of East Lyme, Frank's Gourmet Grille closed its doors.

Loyal customers, many of whom just couldn't get enough of that restaurant's well-prepared, generously served gourmet fare for the masses, were left clinging to the hope of a future that would include Frank's veal Oscar, chicken piccata and tiramisu.

Earlier this year, their prayers were answered when owner Frank Grace reopened in an unlikely, yet perhaps genius location right off of Interstate 95, on Mystic's Route 27. The new place, with a walk-in clinic as its next-door neighbor, rests nearly at the centroid of the Marriott, Comfort Inn, Days Inn triangle. In fact, diners enter the plaza via the Comfort Inn driveway. One would assume that coming and going guests of all three cannot help but be summoned by the aroma of garlic and bubbling sauce that perfumes the vicinity.

Our first visit to Frank's was just before 7 p.m. on a Wednesday night and the place was packed. There were just a couple of parking spaces remaining in the lot and those were down by the clinic. There were tables at high-tops in the lounge, but I decided to wait for one that was more my size, in the dining room. In less than 5 minutes, the truly charming hostess happily told me a reservation had been canceled so a table was ours.

She sat us at a two-top on the wall nearest the Comfort Inn. It was dark back there, perhaps the only dimly lit spot in the clean but characterless room. Although the crowd at Frank's tends toward the mature — and my dining companion and I did nothing to skew that demographic — it was only our vanity that kept us from using our cellphone flashlights to read the menu.

Perhaps that, and the delicious sound of the choices as recited by our waitress, are why we chose two entrees from that night's seafood specials — the seafood medley, $32, shrimp, scallops, lobster and swordfish medallions in a pesto sauce over angel hair pasta, and grilled tuna, $24, with mango salsa, creamy risotto and broccoli gratin.

We also ordered a Mystic Bridge, $5, from the draft beer menu — which also included Guinness, Long Trail and Shock Top — and a glass of Forenzo pinot grigio, $7.50 for about 6 ounces, from a good-size menu of wines by the glass and bottle.

Our waitress brought us a dish of assorted olives and a basket of bread, hot from the oven.

Despite the big crowd, our meals arrived quickly, the seafood medley in a bowl big enough to bathe a baby, with a decorative and flavorful sprinkling of parsley and Romano and asiago cheese on its wide rim. In sheer quantity, seafood bested pasta — chunks of lobster and swordfish, large shrimp, silky fresh scallops, swaddled in a fresh basil, garlic and pine nut blanket. Luxurious and delicious.

The grilled tuna and mango salsa was good, but never mind all that. The risotto was divine. Not gluey. Not runny. Just creamy, cheesy perfection. With the pile of fresh, tender-crisp, buttery bread-crump topped broccoli, the run-of-the mill tuna didn't stand a chance.

My next visit was solo for an early Sunday dinner. I arrived around 5 p.m. to find just two tables full and a couple of people in the lounge. It wasn't long, though, before the place started to fill up.

I ordered my meal from the regular menu this time, the chicken Parmesan with linguini, $22, and, to go, one of Frank's house-made desserts — tiramisu, $8, from that day's specials menu.

I just had time to enjoy a piece of that warm bread before the chicken arrived, and it was what you'd expect, a breaded breast filet, fried but then softened by a topping of melted mozzarella and a soak in tomato sauce, this one very fresh and flavorful. But the tiramisu was heavenly, layers of coffee-liqueur-soaked lady fingers with creamy, not-too-sweet mascarpone filling in between, floating on a sea of coffee liqueur crème anglaise. It is the tiramisu by which all others must now be judged.

So if you're looking for a unique atmosphere or a spectacular view with your meal, this might not be the place. But if you want a delicious meal without having to put on a tie and polish up on your table manners, then this is the spot. Chances are you'll see Frank Grace there, delivering your food to the table and shaking your hand on the way out.

j.blanchette@theday.com

Twitter: @2Petunia