Frank’s Americana Revival Marks a Decade With New Dishes & Returning Favorites

Pasta Sugo Rosa at Frank's Americana Revival

For a decade, Michael Shine has operated Frank’s Americana Revival in River Oaks, providing the area with upscale food in a restaurant that still maintains a neighborhood vibe. In 2012, Michael and his son, Chris Shine, acquired Frank’s Chop House from restaurateur Frank Crapitto, who also owned Crapitto’s Cucina Italiana. The duo have operated the restaurant as a family business along with Michael’s youngest son, Colin, although he did recently leave to pursue other ventures.

It’s important even for long-running restaurants to keep the menu interesting, so Shine just brought back some customer-favorite dishes and added new items, too. 

Veal Osso Bucco at Frank's Americana Revival
Veal Osso Bucco at Frank’s Americana Revival. Photo by Ryan Baker.

The two returning dishes are the Chophouse “Chopped Steak” and the jalapeño-lemon marinated ahi tuna tartare with black pepper, avocado and corn chips. There are new entrées as well, such as veal osso bucco, an enormous cut of veal shank braised in wine and tomato sauce and served on top of a bed of saffron and mushroom risotto (which helpfully soaks up the intensely flavorful braising sauce). The dish is finished with housemade parsley gremolata. 

Pasta Sugo Rosa at Frank's Americana Revival.
Pasta Sugo Rosa at Frank’s Americana Revival. Photo by Ryan Baker.

Another new dish, pasta sugo rosa, which means pink sauce pasta, features locally made casarecce; short and thick twists of pasta that have a substantial bite. The pasta is tossed in sugo made with braised beef, veal and pork, and served with grilled garlic bread topped with Grana Padano cheese. For lighter fare, Frank’s added a fried Gulf oyster salad, which is large enough to serve as an entrée. The fried oysters are served atop a stack of mixed greens, jalapeño-corn pico de gallo, pickled onions, shavings of fresh Parmesan, and finished with ed-chile buttermilk dressing. 

There’s something new for the lunch menu, too: a selection of “Back Room Po-Boys.” These include roast beef with smoked ham and debris gravy, grilled or fried Gulf shrimp, crispy-fried shrimp & oyster and smoked ham. Each is topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo, and comes with waffle-cut chips alongside. There are a few other sandwich additions to the lunch menu that aren’t po-boys: the River Oaks Club and prime rib.

Frank’s has “Weekly Blackboard Specials,” featuring daily comfort food dishes such as Prime Rib Roast on Sunday and Chicken Pot Pie on Wednesday. One of the new additions is the Tuesday special: King Ranch Chicken Casserole with pulled chicken, tomato, onions, peppers and cheddar baked with corn tortillas. On Fridays, the restaurant serves buttermilk fried chicken, smoked gouda mac ‘n cheese and collard greens with a homestyle biscuit

Carrot Cake at Frank's Americana Revival
Carrot Cake at Frank’s Americana Revival. Photo by Ryan Baker.

Frank’s menu also features a selection of desserts, such as fresh-baked cookies and carrot cake. To drink alongside, there is a small array of specialty cocktails, a diverse list of red and white wines, accompanied by a few sparkling options, and a decent selection of spirits.

The hours of operation for Frank’s Americana Revival are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 5 to  8 p.m. Reservations are available via the website.

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