Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1187612
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 20 DECEMBER 2019 It's about 10 days before Frank McClelland opens the doors of his new restaurant, aptly named Frank. A long countertop is being loudly cut to size, workers on ladders with paintbrushes and tools dot the space, and shiny new kitchen appliances are being unboxed on the expansive patio. Next door, about a dozen people are stuffed into a conference room better suited for six on the ground floor of Holmes Beverly, the new luxury apartment complex on Rantoul Street, learning the basics of service at the new restaurant. The servers have big shoes to fill. McClel- land comes to Beverly after four decades helming L'Espalier in Boston, one of most lauded, consistently excellent fine dining restaurants in the country. Over the years, L'Espalier earned an impressive 17 consecutive AAA Five Diamond Awards (the only restau- rant in Boston to do so) and 18 consecutive Forbes ( formerly Mobil) Four-Star awards. McClelland has no intention of compromising the guest experience at his new endeavor, even though Frank is a very different concept. At L'Espalier, the eight-course "Farewell" tasting menu that marked the restaurant's closing last December included butter-poached lobster with Alba truffles and a foie gras tart with white peppercorn gelee, at $138 per person. E AT + D R I N K sides. It's meant to be casual and comfort- able everyday dining, celebrating the best of New England. So casual, in fact, that there's a small print advisory on the menu that reads: "Our food is meant to be shared, eat with your hands." The whole experience is laid back, McClel- land says, for the guest that is, but not for the staff. "It's a 180-degree turn from L'Espalier," the chef explains. "The price point is 75 percent lower, but the backbone of my beliefs is the same. I am always chasing perfection. Correct service is in my DNA." And so is McClelland's dedication to local food, since way before farm-to-table was even a thing. The chef grew up on a small farm in New Hampshire, where his grandparents raised pigs and chickens and grew vegetables. It wasn't "farm-to-table"—it was just how his family ate. Throughout McClelland's time at L'Espalier, he hewed close to this upbringing, mingling French techniques with whatever was per- fectly fresh and seasonal, and calling on a bevy of local producers to fill his larder. At Frank, the chef is turning to North Shore farms like Cedar Rock Gardens in Gloucester By contrast, Frank serves up homey fare like roast chicken alongside burgers, eggplant Par- mesan and pasta, with a menu that tops out at $40—and that's for rib eye for two, including Frank at his farm on the North Shore. Above, The restaurant's lobster roll.