Restaurant Review: Frank’s Restaurant
BF took me to one of his favorite places in Baton Rouge, Frank’s Restaurant. Or Smokehouse. Or Breakfast Place. We went without warning, and I was without coffee. But it was an enjoyable morning.
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Hello again, Dear Readers:
Following the wonderful feedback I received from last week’s blog post on the wedding of Rafael and Carmen, I have started to work on the second part of that saga about the rest of our Houston trip. But this morning’s activity made me want to pop in and write a quick blog post before then.
Errands in Baton Rouge
We had some errands to run today, and BF asked me if I’d like to go with him. When the alarm went off at 5:15 am, I really didn’t want to get up. But then I realized it would be a morning riding around with BF. So, I got up and off we went. Unfortunately, I did not have any coffee before I left. Therefore, I was unprepared for BF’s intentions.
Picking Up A Car Part
We had an errand locally that required the early morning hours. Once completed, then it was off to Baton Rouge.
The place we had to go was a small shop called Cam Motion. They opened at 8:00 am, and we wanted to beat Baton Rouge traffic–which is nothing like Houston traffic, let me tell you. Well, we didn’t actually do that. What we ended up doing was getting off the freeway and taking the surface streets. Many of them are a complete mystery. But we walked in, picked up the part, and left. We were there less than 3 minutes.
Of course, BF thinks it’s funny when we drive on those other surface streets because I am completely lost. (It’s the same on the odd occasion when we head to the New Orleans area since I know where we’re going and he doesn’t.) Once we get off the freeway, my Baton Rouge area landmarks are Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, Joann Fabrics, and the Perkins Rowe shopping center where Sur la Table used to live. I don’t spend a lot of time there, but he knows where most things are located.
I mentioned getting some coffee, and we passed two or three Starbucks on the way. But he smiled and said, “It’s all good.” Oh, geez.
We were supposed to be back home at about 9:00 am, but we ended up home at about 9:30 am. There’s a reason for that.
A Stop At Frank’s Restaurant
As I said, I left the house without coffee. He offered to stop at a Circle K, but I passed. He mumbled something about Waffle House in Baton Rouge, and I said, “Sure, that’s fine.” But he had something else up his sleeve.
We finished the first errand and got into Baton Rouge at about 7:15 am. Cam Motion did not open until eight. So what were we going to do? I thought he said something about Waffle House, but he had another idea.
On a few occasions, BF has mentioned going to a place called Frank’s.
Source: Franks Restaurant website
He pointed it out once or twice when we passed by, but it wasn’t open. But of course, BF has been there many times, and talked about its greatness. But never having been there myself, I had no idea. That changed this morning. He pulled into the parking lot, parked, and we went inside for some breakfast.
Sitting By The Deer
Remember, I’ve had no coffee, no tea, no nothing at this point. And I’ve been up since 5:30 am. But here I was, on a cold December morning, walking into a place that looks much like the inside of a Cracker Barrel. Actually, Cracker Barrel’s interior design is based on this kind of décor. However, what you see in Frank’s is the real thing, not something that’s “manufactured vintage.”
BF led me to a table and said, “Let’s sit here.” I agreed, took off my hat and sweater, looked up, and saw this on the wall:
Yes, we really sat under this. Thanks, Honey.
No kidding, we were sitting right here, under that beast. Once again, he thought it was funny. I’m not awake yet. Fortunately, the waitress understood this predicament, so she kindly and promptly bought me some hot, fresh, coffee. It was my first of three cups, including the one I left with.
I didn’t catch the waitress’s name, (even coffee doesn’t work that fast) but she was a very nice blond woman. She told us that a veeegan recently came in and was mortified to see this stuffed deer head. The vegan in question insisted on being seated in a closed area because she was so triggered by the animal. I said, “Because vegans are weird.”
I posted a picture of this. . .rather interesting décor on Instagram. Within minutes, Neighbor E in Houston saw it and said, “The look on that face.” I responded, “You should have seen mine.”
It’s probably not shedding anymore, either.
What’s On The Menu?
Because this was my first visit, I wasn’t sure what to order. Their entire menu is online, and it’s what you might expect from a place in Louisiana—seafood, breakfast, etc. An interesting selection of locally influenced dishes.
Of course, BF already knew what he wanted, eggs and bacon, with hash browns and biscuits. All was right in his world at this point. I needed a little more time for the coffee to initialize its processes so I could decide what I wanted to order.
As it turns out, everything on the menu comes with biscuits, even biscuits, ha, ha. They are “the best homemade biscuits in the world,” as they will tell you. Take a look:
Yes, they are huge. (Source: Frank’s Restaurant website)
If you’re thinking, “Those are some pretty big biscuits,” you’d be right. They’re the size of a grapefruit. Butter (and half and half) are on the table already in small round containers, so you can get right to work on your biscuits.
No, I do not eat biscuits. They were all for BF, who humorously suggested I try The Amite Alligator, a breakfast dish that includes alligator sausage. No thanks, along with the liver and onions on the menu. He’s enjoying my pre-coffee fatigue while flashing his best Cheshire cat grin. I glared at him because I was only on my first cuppa. Finally, after the first refill, the caffeine receptors were working again and I was smirking right back. Then we were onto our usual back-and-forth antics.
No, they didn’t ask us to leave. (This time.) We weren’t loud.
Oh, and if you decide to peruse the menu, you’re not seeing things when you come across “Breakfast Cocktails.” Diners can order a Bloody Mary and one of two versions of Mimosas. I wasn’t awake enough for that one. Proceed with caution.
What I Ordered
My dilemma: I liked the vegetarian omelet, but I also liked the bacon omelet. What to do? Well, The first thing you do is tell your wait staff. And she offered this solution: A vegetarian omelet with bacon added. No, It’s not a “vegetarian” omelet anymore, but it sure was good. Naturally, it was picturesque, and I forgot to snap a pic. But mushrooms, green onions, spinach, bell peppers, and tomatoes certainly enjoyed the extra layer of flavor from the bacon. Now it’s a bacon-veg omelet, or whatever name you want.
They do offer salsa and/or sour cream on the side for a small charge. I meant to ask for it and forgot. Well, one bite, and I declined the salsa. It was good on its own. Much as I like salsa on my eggs, this is one instance where it would have been too much.
When our very nice waitress brought our check, she also brought me a take-out cup of coffee and take-out boxes so that BF could have his biscuits and potatoes later. Keep reading.
Hash Browns
What also came was what they called “Hash Browns”. These were actually diced potatoes fried up, not the shredded ones that most people think of when they order hash browns. That’s not a bad thing, really.
Taken home to have later.
I was busy concentrating on my omelet while BF was enjoying his own breakfast, plus a biscuit and a few of the potatoes. We ended up bringing most of them home, along with softball-sized biscuits. BF can enjoy them for a few more days, and the potatoes will heat up nicely in the countertop oven.
Two Locations
This third-generation family-owned Louisiana restaurant has been around since 1964, and is located at 8353 Airline Hwy in Baton Rouge. They’re open from 5:00 am to 2:30 daily, including Sundays, for breakfast and lunch.
There is also a location in Prairieville, at 17425 Airline Hwy. That location is open Sunday and Monday from 5am to 3pm, and Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm. This location serves breakfast as well as both lunch and dinner. Frank’s also handles catering.
Both locations offer curbside pickup. Fans can follow and catch specials from both locations on social media, where each has an account on both Facebook and Instagram. There is also a single company page on LinkedIn.
Next time BF is out and about and tells me he’s having lunch at Frank’s, I’ll know he’s not telling me a story and hanging out at Hooters.
