Frank & Fina’s Cocina
Chips and Salsa
Queso Fundido – Three Cheese Blend, Green Chiles, Pico de Gallo, Chorizo with Flour Tortillas
House Tamales – Chile Colorado Beef, Chicken Mole, Melted Cheese, Beans, Rice
Churros – Caramel, Vanilla Ice Cream
Tres Leches Cheesecake – Whipped Cream, Chocolate
Tucked away in the Grand Canyon Parkway Shopping Center, recent openings such as Cinnaholic and another Rollin’ Smoke location joining old favorites like Mad Hatter Cupcakes, it was for lunch on Mexican Independence Day that a seat was taken at Frank & Fina’s Cocina, the setting intended to resemble a little piece of Mexico and its employees both pleasant but the food routinely average despite a fairly high price point.
Located at the same spot since 2008, a fairly remarkable accomplishment in a city where the dining landscape sees openings and closings almost daily both on-Strip and off, Frank & Fina’s is one of those rare places in Las Vegas that has sustained the test of time despite minimal advertising and little media mention, the patrons on this particularly afternoon almost universally Caucasian and obviously regulars with an average age North of fifty despite two well-behaved children dragging that number down.
In some ways a ‘theme’ restaurant, the décor intentionally transportive with overhead music ethnically appropriate and items such as a Tequila Bottle shaped piñata hanging not far from a painting of Frida Kahlo, diners at Frank & Fina’s Cocina are greeted from a small hostess stand labeled “Que Pasa?” on entry, the tables filling two rooms and the Menu totaling five pages plus a handful of daily specials.
Named after its ownership and offering a typical American-Mexican menu, the obligatory basket of Chips and mild Tomato Salsa fairly forgettable though the Tortillas are served warm, it was after perusing a predictable list of Enchiladas, Tacos and Fajitas that eyes landed on some items that stood out as somewhat unique, the Appetizer quickly up-sold by a pleasant young Mexican waiter who did a great job covering a lot of real estate as he appeared to be the only employee working the room.
Fairly quick in terms of service, an okay to serve both Appetizer and Entrée at the same time seeing merely ten minutes between placing an order and receiving Food, it was after briefly surveying the landscape that a Chip was used to scoop up some of the Queso Fundido that had already started to turn somewhat rubbery, the $2 addition of “Chorizo” no more than a tablespoon and certainly not spicy with a taste and texture not unlike ground Beef.
Off to a fairly inauspicious start, the $9 plate similar to what one might pay in a Casino for something better, it was onto warm Flour Tortillas that additional Cheese was scooped along with flaccid Peppers before moving on to a combination plate of standard-issue Beans and Rice plus two Tamales, the Chile Colorado Beef featuring shredded Meat actually quite good while the “Chicken Mole” ordered was inexplicably covered with a sour green Salsa that made one wonder whether the server instead wrote down “Chile Verde Pork” or if the kitchen accidentally added the wrong Sauce to the flavorless cubes of Meat inside a steamy roll of Corn.
Holding out hope for Dessert, $4.95 for one room-temperature Churro broken in half and piped with Caramel both ridiculously priced and fairly underwhelming next to store-bought Vanilla Ice Cream, it was at an even more eyebrow raising $6.95 that a thin wedge of “Tres Leches Cheesecake” from the Specials board was offered, the sponge moist but not ‘wet’ while the center was more firm than creamy, as though it was nothing more than Cream Cheese with a little bit of Sugar mixed in.
TWO STARS: Offering pleasant service and a comfortable setting, the ownership and staff both doing their best to create a family-friendly environment harkening something one might find The Mission or in a small Mexican community in Phoenix, Frank & Fina’s unfortunately lacks in terms of quality and execution with dishes that do not fit the price point.
RECOMMENDED: Chile Colorado Beef Tamale.
AVOID: Queso Fundido with ‘Chorizo’ Upgrade and, if that really was Chicken Mole as it is supposed to be served, then that too…and the Tres Leches as well as the Churros can be found at about half price, better, elsewhere.
TIP: 11:00a-9:00p Sunday through Thursday, 11:00a-10:00p Friday and Saturday.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
