FRANK & SONS (1040 Gaines School Road, Suite 117, 706-850-1585, @frankandsonsathensga on Instagram): It’s an awkward experience for me when a restaurant embarks on a major shift while I’m in the middle of writing about it. In case you don’t know these things, I don’t give people a heads up when I’m coming, I don’t let them know I’m there, and I pay for my own meals. I’d already been to Frank & Sons, an Eastside steakhouse started by the folks who also operate Punta Cana in the Bottleworks, when I heard the restaurant was shaking things up. Fortunately, the shift happened in the exact direction I would have recommended—toward a more casual, lower-priced, neighborhood vibe—and soon enough for me to have experienced it in both versions.
The space, in the Ansonborough development, has always been an awkward one, with an entrance on each side, and trying to think of it as a high-end steakhouse didn’t work. Being asked if your steak is cooked correctly doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, and the service seems unassured and inexperienced for a steakhouse atmosphere. The soft, warm rolls served with a container of softened garlic butter are plenty good, but they need to come out at the beginning of the meal rather than the end. The wine list exists, but doesn’t seem sommelier selected. All of that is less of a problem if you’re aiming for a different audience, especially when Slater’s has the fancy steakhouse market well covered and the Chop House is doing a pretty good job hitting the mass market crowd.
The new version of the restaurant has lower prices and a bigger menu, with things beyond steak. If steak is what you want, the 8-ounce churrasco is probably your best bet, served sliced and topped with a zippy chimichurri. At $20, including two sides, it’s got more flavor and is a better value than the flashier, more expensive cuts. Among the sides, the steak fries are probably the best executed, with the veggies (broccoli, asparagus) too simply prepared and the mac and cheese unremarkable. The Caesar salad is fine, but not a production. The new menu also includes tacos (I wouldn’t bother) and decent empanadas (listed as turnovers) that include cheddar, as well as beef or chicken and grilled peppers and onions. The burgers are a highlight, with the “Frank’s Burger” including a fried egg, an onion ring and bacon, as well as the usual toppings. It’s not the neatest to eat, but it’s got good flavor and seems to be made with care.
Treat Frank & Sons as a neighborhood place with a long happy hour (2–7 p.m.) and it may meet your needs, but Punta Cana remains a better return on investment. Frank & Sons is open 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Sunday.
EFFIN’ EGG (140 W. Broad St., 706-850-0658): The two things you need to know about this new breakfast franchise in downtown Athens are: The eggs aren’t the best thing on the menu, and it is a surpassingly lonely experience symptomatic of our modern era. On the second matter, you might not even see a person during your patronage. Order ahead, and your food will be bagged on the counter. Order in the store, at a touchscreen, and someone will come out to hand you your food. There is no seating. Grab what you need and get the heck out. While that’s a boon for the socially anxious, it also can’t help but feel terribly sad, a stop along the way to robots running entire eateries. Sigh.
How’s the food? It’s OK. The restaurant is proud of using cage-free eggs, and that’s great, but would it kill them to add a little salt? The venerated prime ingredient ends up tasting like a wad of nothing, and the promise of “craft” breakfast sandwiches is undermined by the execution. The CEO, described as “soft-scrambled eggs and chives, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and our signature chipotle Effy Sauce in a warm brioche bun,” sure sounds good. Too bad it is as bland as can be. On the other hand, the brisket totchos—tater tots topped with slow-cooked beef, sour cream, queso and an avocado crema— are much better despite (because of?) featuring no egg. The biscuits are decent. The waffles are not bad. But if you’re looking for a breakfast burrito reliant on eggs, you will hear a mopey trombone when you bite into the ones the restaurant makes. There are better breakfast options among the many eateries trying to corner this market.
Effin’ Egg is open 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekends.
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