Often times, I am invited to try a restaurant and even the idea of a free meal doesn’t get me excited. But, when I had to miss a media tasting at Frankey’s Sports Bar because I was sick, I was bummed. Fortunately for me, I was invited back.
Frankey’s is definitely a sports bar. It is a huge space, dominated by about 40 gigantic televisions. Plus, there are wagering machines for when there are races at Gulfstream Park. The night we were there, it was pretty empty, but I can imagine that in season and on a weekend, the place would be hopping.
Before we sat down, we were given a tour of the sister restaurant, Adena Grill, and the kitchen. All of the beef and chicken used at the restaurants comes from their own farm in Central Florida, and is raised without any antibiotics or hormones. After hearing all about the farm, the cattle and
the chickens, I was looking forward to a great burger. I was not disappointed.
Before the burger, FKGuy had a glass of wine and I tried the watermelon margarita. It was so tasty I could have had three or four of them. But I didn’t. Apparently, each of the bartenders came up with a couple of cocktail choices, then everyone tasted and voted on the ones they liked best, and viola, the cocktail list was born. There are several delicious sounding options, and I am looking forward to going back and trying more of them.
We started with a tomato and avocado salad, as well as the jerk shrimp with grilled pineapple and mango salsa. Although I was surprised by the salsa being warm, the shrimp were very good. The salad, on the other hand, was amazing. A simple salad of avocado, tomato, salt, olive oil and balsamic, every aspect was perfectly ripe, full of flavor and truly something I would like to be eating every day of my life. I am not exaggerating. After I spent a solid five minutes gushing over the salad to the manager, he explained that the tomatoes are Florida tomatoes, sourced specifically for the salad. The tomatoes used for the burgers, he said, are also good, but not quite this level of amazing. I often make a tomato and avocado salad at home, and will now have to take a cue from the Frankey’s folks: simpler is better.
We also enjoyed chicken wings (Buffalo style and garlic and parmesan) which were good, although you can get a good chicken wing a lot of places. The burger, however, was terrific. We were urged to try it plain, with only lettuce, tomato and onion – no cheese, sauteed mushrooms, or any other toppings. We complied, and were rewarded with a delicious, and gigantic, quality burger. Yes, you can get burgers other places, too, but this one might just be the new standard.
I am looking forward to a return visit to Frankey’s. There are so many more drinks, and yummy sounding menu items, to try. Frankey’s Sports Bar is located in Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida, near the south valet parking lot, and is open daily for lunch and dinner.
