Tucked inside a small storefront on the Downtown Mall is Café Frank, a Franco-Italian restaurant founded by local chef José de Brito. My date and I had the pleasure of dining there during Charlottesville Restaurant Week, taking advantage of their $45 three-course meal deal. The restaurant serves dishes that have been meticulously conceived and prepared, leaving patrons to enjoy delicious food that is purposeful in its simplicity. Café Frank is well worth a visit, but the steep price of their menu makes the restaurant best suited for special occasions.
Café Frank is located halfway down the Downtown Mall on E Main Street, about a 30-minute walk or 10-minute drive from central Grounds. They are open for cocktail hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and seat patrons for dinner between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. While they are typically closed every Tuesday and Wednesday, they were open for the entirety of Restaurant Week to accommodate more guests.
When James Beard semifinalist Brito opened Café Frank in 2021, his mission was to share approachable, authentic French food with the Charlottesville community. The restaurant has since become a staple of the downtown food scene, welcoming a steady stream of visitors year-round to enjoy simple dishes that are near-perfect in their execution.
My date and I arrived at Café Frank Friday for an early evening dinner. In the few steps to our table, we took in a full house humming with conversation. Both of us commented on the interior design, which displayed a unique blend of old and new, from an exposed brick wall lined with wooden tables and Bentwood chairs, to a long cocktail bar accentuated by charcoal-black panels. Art deco prints with Mediterranean imagery adorned the remaining wall space, evoking the southern European roots of the restaurant’s founder.
Diners ordering off of the Restaurant Week menu had their choice of two appetizers, three entrées and two desserts. For my first course, I selected the Orzo-Kale Soup, which featured orzo pasta and a medley of vegetables steeped in a simple broth. The cubed carrots, chopped celery and orzo grains were perfectly soft. A few diced tomatoes added some sweetness, and a bit of Parmesan added some salt. The kale was nicely cooked, neither too rubbery nor too mushy. Although I appreciated the addition of the kale, as it added another textural dimension to the soup, the leaves were cut too large to eat with a spoon.
Overall, however, the soup was a great start to the meal. It was light, and yet it still managed to satiate my initial hunger. To drink up the dregs of the soup, I picked up the bowl, whose asymmetrical shape fit perfectly in my hands. Our waiter noticed this as she was walking by, and we exchanged a few friendly remarks about how much we loved the dishware. This chit-chat was characteristic of the service at Café Frank, which was cordial and attentive throughout the night.
Next, I tasted the Chicken Dijon entrée, complete with chicken, broccolini and potatoes. The boneless chicken breast was tender and juicy, had a crispy skin and was topped with a thin Dijon cream. The chicken was laid atop a few stalks of broccolini. These had a beautiful char, which achieved a nice color contrast on the plate. The roasted potatoes were prepared well — they had a soft interior and were adequately salted — but they were otherwise plain and left much to be desired. I found myself dipping the potatoes into the Dijon cream to enhance the taste.
For dessert, I opted for the Crema Catalana, the Spanish equivalent of French crème brûlée. The Crema at Café Frank came out in a shallow ramekin, topped with an impossibly thin layer of caramelized sugar that was ever-so-slightly golden brown. The delicate snap of the burnt sugar on my spoon gave way to the custard below, which had the consistency of a light pudding — a thinner texture than I was expecting. The custard had a lovely flavor profile with an essence of bright lemon and warming cinnamon. Together with the sugar layer, the custard was subtly sweet and full-bodied. It made for a delightful finale to the meal.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Café Frank. The courses progressed well, and the dishes were all cooked beautifully. Although Café Frank’s Restaurant Week menu was more expensive than most of the menus at other participating restaurants, I was satisfied with the quality and quantity we received.
It’s clear that the chefs at Café Frank are not in the business of blowing you away with showy, innovative cuisine. But they will impress you with dishes that are carefully constructed and well-executed. Every ingredient on the plate seems intentional, and the cookery is first-rate. Although I can only speak to Café Frank’s Restaurant Week specials, I don’t doubt that their everyday rotation demonstrates as much attention to detail as their Restaurant Week menu.
Casual dining at Café Frank is probably not in the cards for a college student on a budget. However, I’d keep the establishment in mind for a nice dinner out with visiting parents, a date night or a birthday celebration with friends.
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