Hot Cars, Hot Dogs, & Cool Jazz

May 18^th marks our second year in business. It’s time to celebrate.

We are hosting a charity fundraiser and classic car show from 11 AM to 2 PM on Sunday, May 26. Members of the Ol’ Skool Street Rollers are bringing 20 to 30 of their hot cars to Frank’s Kitchen. We going to block off to traffic High Street to make room for as many cars as possible.

We’ll have live music and grill hot dogs and hamburgers in the parking lot. We’re donating all parking lot food sales to an awesome charity _the Renaissance Children’s Center in Lakewood.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless founded the childcare center in 1999 to provide kids from homeless or low income families with a safe place to learn and get the support they need.

We will give a portion of the entire day’s sales to the center, as well as any cash donations people want to make.

Come out and celebrate with us, get a bite to eat and help a child.

Can you believe it’s been two years already? Seems like just yesterday we we’re signing the lease…

Breakfast, anyone?

The faded green sign  with the coffee cup logo in our parking lot tells the story. When we opened Frank’s Kitchen in May, 2011, we were a breakfast-lunch joint. We opened at 7 am and closed at 3 pm. We did that for two weeks before pulling the plug on this idea. New to the neighborhood and with little, well, actually, no advertising, no one knew we were here. By the second week,  neighbors were finding us, but showing up after 12 o’clock or as we were locking the doors at 3.

We made a quick decision to ditch breakfast and offer dinner as it seemed that was more of what the neighborhood wanted.

But we haven’t stopped thinking about breakfast. We used to serve egg burritos with cheese and housemade turkey chorizo.  We baked oatmeal and offered egg croissant sandwiches. This was when the Crested Butte sandwich was born _ two eggs, over easy, on a bed of hash browns, pastrami, lettuce, tomato and topped with Swiss cheese. on toasted rye.

We had a two-group espresso machine and  whipped up lattes and cappuccinos. We served Mr. Espresso coffee, oak-roasted beans from a northern California supplier. We’ve since swapped the espresso machine for a Coca-Cola fountain machine and kept only the Crested Butte on our menu.

What if we brought all that back, along with pancakes and waffles?

What do you think? Should we bring breakfast back? Is this what the neighborhood wants? What is a good time to open? 7 AM? 8 AM?

Tell us what you think. Please cast your vote!

Dollar Taco Nite

How did it start?  After being open for seven months, we wanted to boost dinner sales, so we picked Wednesday as a night to do an evening special. We kicked it off with our Southwestern Meatloaf and garlic mashed potatoes and went on to do a wide variety of dishes, from eggplant Parmesan to chile relleno chicken. Some nights were very successful _ the calzones. Others fell flat _ veal and grits. After nearly six months, Frank, on a whim said: “Let’s just do dollar tacos.”

What are they, exactly?  Basic tacos  _ seasoned ground beef, fresh lettuce and tomatoes, and shredded cheese. They come in a soft corn tortillas heated on the grill or hard shells warmed in the oven. That’s it. A buck each, and that includes the salsa. Very simple.

What was the customer reaction? The response was fantastic. We had a sellout our first night. It was better than all the other weekly specials put together. We had stumbled upon a real keeper.

Why just for dinner? Well, again, the idea is to boost evening sales and get people to think of Frank’s as a place to get dinner, not just lunch. So we start at 5:30 PM. Not 5, or 4:30 or 5:15. Starting at 5:30 gives us enough time to prepare after our lunch rush.

How many tacos does the average person order? Three or four. First timers are sometimes hesitant and may order just one or two. If they dine in, they often come back to the window and order a couple more. And then we have folks who come in and order enough tacos for the family or a group of friends.

What’s been the biggest order?  We once had a request for 40 tacos.  We strongly encourage customers to call ahead  if they want large orders like that so we can make sure we prepare enough meat and toppings.

Most people order three or four.

Do you prefer to sellout? We try to have enough tacos for the 2½-hour dinner service, but we also don’t want to have much left over at the end of the night. It’s a balancing act. We anticipate more for the first and 15^th of every month, but you just never know.

Resolve

I have this picture of my older brother, Dean, in the restaurant.

Turning 2

It’s under the Plexiglas on the countertop along with some other photos and a copy of the menu placed there to hide the holes in the Formica.

I wanted humorous, food-related pictures to make customers smile. I like this one of Dean. It’s cute and famous in our family because my father won an amateur photography award for it.

I also wanted a photo or some recognition of Dean at Frank’s Kitchen because he was very instrumental in helping us open the restaurant.

Dean came out to Denver from Washington DC for our mother’s 80^th birthday party in November 201o. Frank and I had recently signed the lease for the restaurant and decided we would tell my family during Mom’s party. (Held at the El Dorado room of the Avenue Grill, which I highly recommend).  I thought we’d wait for the right moment _ after Mom and Dad had had a few drinks _ before breaking the news, but I had barely taken off my coat when I heard folks congratulating Frank who was already passing out our new Frank’s Kitchen business cards. Dean was particularly impressed and said something about wanting to help us with the new venture. I made a mental note to get with Dean sometime after the party. But I never did.

In fact, I don’t think I ever spoke to him again after that weekend, other than trading a few emails and text messages. The day after Christmas that year he called my mother and told her he was dying of liver cancer, he had made his peace with God and he wanted to come home. He never made it back to Colorado. He passed away Jan. 2, 2011 in a Maryland hospital. He died in his sleep, his partner, Tim, holding his hand. He was 53.

We learned Dean had increased his life insurance so he could leave some money to his four surviving siblings. Frank and I put ever dime we received from Dean into the restaurant. I think that was what he would have wanted us to do. It was an unexpected gift, a blessing in the middle of our heartache.

Someone asked me the other day if I had any New Year’s resolutions. I’ve never been one to make those. Our focus in 2012 is the same as in 2011: to make Frank’s Kitchen an established, neighborhood restaurant and a viable, income-producing business for us and for future employees. We are resolved only to give it our best and in doing so, honor my brother, Dean Phillip Cowan.

Dean

Rest in peace, my big brother. I miss you.

The Weeks in Review

In the News

The past four weeks were amazing. We had four positive reviews in four local publications _5280, Westword, the Denver Post and the Onion.

The first review caught us by surprise, but we were more suspicious by the time the final reviewer showed up. Restaurant reviewers never announce themselves to make sure they get treated like everyone else. But I did uncover the reviewer from the Post. He came the night of our first Wednesday Dinner special _ the Don’s Southwestern Meatloaf.

Westword magazine sent its photographer that night and a few family members came out in support. Some of our regulars showed up, as well as new customers interested in the meatloaf.  It turned into one of those crowded crazy nights in the dinning room with lots of chatter and laughter.

The Post’s William Porter ended up in a seat right in front of the takeout window where I hang out.  I caught him taking notes and deduced he was a restaurant reviewer. I asked him and he confessed. He had already been served and eaten, so there was no opportunity to give him any special treatment.

So, if I had some advice on how to attract reviewers, I’d share it. All I know is: be ready. You’ll be ready if you do at least two things: Treat every customer equally well and be as consistent as possible with the food quality.

Equality _ There are more than 3,500 restaurants in Colorado. Metro Denver customers have a wide range of options. Times are tough. Wallets are thin. We’re grateful when people choose to spend their hard earned money at Frank’s. We want every customer to enjoy his or her experience and leave satisfied.

Quality  _ The reviewers made multiple visits but didn’t try everything on the menu, but we like to think they would have enjoyed every dish, no matter what time or what day they visited.

We’re humbled and thrilled with the positive press as well as reviews by everyday people on Yelp.com.  In our first six months we earned a ranking of 4 ½ stars out of 5 stars on Yelp. We credit all the good news to staying focused on our main goal  _ to be a friendly, neighborhood joint offering a real value on real food. Or as Laura Shunk from Westword wrote: “food for the soul.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to questions we’re repeatedly asked since opening up four months ago.

How long have you been here?

We officially opened May 18, 2011. We were open for breakfast and lunch until Memorial Day. Thereafter, we’ve been a lunch and dinner place _ 11 AM to 8 PM, Monday through Thursday, 11 AM to 5 PM Friday and Sunday. We have always been closed Saturday.

Why aren’t you open on Saturday?

It’s our Sabbath day. We’ve been keeping the Sabbath for more than nine years and we agreed we would not give it up for the restaurant. For more details on this topic, check out this story that ran in the Denver Post.

Where are you from?

We’d love to tell  you somewhere exotic like Kingston, Jamaica, mon, or San Juan , Puerto Rico, or heck, the southside of Chicago. I grew up in Aurora, Colo., and Frank in a small town in north central Illinois. We live in Denver.

Are you having fun?

This is a relative question. If you mean fun as compared to:

Dina: Blowing birthday money at a Nordstrom’s shoe sale? No.

Frank: Drinking a beer and watching the White Sox? No.

Or fun as compared to:

Dina: Visiting an auto parts store? Yes.

Frank: Watering the lawn? Yes.

Actually, we have the most fun when customers walk in the door. Having a full house, the phone constantly ringing for pick up orders and deliveries is really a blast. Yes, the hours are long, but when we’re busy, they fly by.

How’s it going?

We’re not studying yacht brochures just yet, but sales are moving in a positive direction and we are optimistic about our prospects. Other operators have told us to expect a roller coaster ride in our first year and that’s what we’re experiencing. Even though you’re the only customer in the restaurant when you ask this question, you may have just missed a crazy lunch rush or several take-out orders.

What is your signature dish?

That’s a tough one. We have eight signature sandwiches and three special dinner plates, two of which also come in vegetarian versions. The spicy jerk chicken is a leader, but the smoked beef brisket is no slouch. The Puerto Rican rib eye sandwich had developed a strong following and we’re building a reputation for our Friday Fish Fry. The burgers and hot dogs are always popular.

How far do you deliver?

About a one to one-and-half mile radius from the restaurant. So, roughly from 17^th to Bruce Randolph avenues, from Welton and Downing streets to Cherry Street in Park Hill. But everything is negotiable.

Are you hiring?

Our goal is to hire folks who can replace us _ cooks, dishwashers, cashiers, delivery drivers. But we’re not there yet. As Frank says, we still need a thousand more people to buy a steak sandwich from us. But you can send us your resume for future reference. _FranksKitchenCO@gmail.com.

Is your food any good?

It always surprises us that people ask such an obvious question. We understand that new customers want to know if they are going to like what they buy. So they ask. And, of course, the answer is, yes, our food is outstanding. But there is only one way to truly find out.

我發言的所有者？

Sorry. No one here speaks Chinese. (And yes, we regret keeping our predecessor’s phone number for our restaurant.)

Green Acres

Farm living

Frank and I celebrated our 12^th wedding anniversary Aug. 22. To commemorate it, we returned to the setting of our very first date, the Cherry Tomato in Park Hill.  Frank took me there on a Friday night and we got married exactly one year later. If someone had told me then, on that first date, that in 13 years I’d be running a restaurant with Frank, I would have thanked him for the nice dinner and conversation, said goodnight, and politely declined any other invitations to hook up until he got the hint.

When I was growing up, I would come home from school and watch reruns of old TV shows _ Petticoat Junction, Gilligan’s Island, Hogan’s Heroes, etc. One show I never wanted to watch was Green Acres. I could never get past the theme song. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, the sitcom was about a couple of New Yorkers who ditch the city for farm living. High jinks ensue.

The show starred Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor. In the opening theme song, Eva laments leaving a Park Avenue penthouse to live on a farm. I could never get past that line. What woman in her right mind would leave a penthouse, on Park Avenue in New York to live on a rundown farm with a bunch of yokels!  I’d shudder and click the remote, or turn off the TV and do my homework.

Frank loved that show. Thought it was hilarious.

One day, when we were still cleaning and preparing to open Frank’s Kitchen, I was on my hands and knees scraping the grout in the restroom that it hit me: I am Eva Gabor. I have left my Park Avenue penthouse for the farm. Only it wasn’t a penthouse but a Mission-style desk, cushy chair, MacBook and the relative comfort of a freelance writer’s career. I had left it all to help my husband pursue this dream. Only this was no rundown farm, but a little neglected restaurant in need of major repair. This was my Green Acres.

I didn’t feel sorry for myself. I didn’t feel like I was missing out. In fact, I looked forward to opening the restaurant and working side-by-side with Frank to make this a success. Suddenly I understood how a woman in her right mind could leave her big city penthouse and luxury living to follow someone she loved in a big adventure.

Please, though, no high jinks.