Monday
half off bottle wine six pm
Thursday
bourbon and burger flights – pairing of three sliders with three bourbons
Saturday
BBQ starting at 4pm
Weekly Specials
Zagat Time in Los Angeles!
What started in 1979 at the Zagat’s house was dinner conversation with friends over the unreliability of the New York Times food reviews. What it became 34 years later was one of the nations leading surveys of consumerism.
Yelp may seem like it is preeminent out there with consumer based reviews on the internet but we forget the Zagat business mantra since 1979. It states;
“Zagat Survey® is a business based on a simple premise – that the shared opinions of thousands of avid consumers with real experiences are inherently more accurate than the opinions of just one or two critics. Through our guides, we give people the power of a collective voice and the information to make smart decisions.”
There is a definite argument taking place in the food review scene on Zagat V.S Yelp and both sides have merit. Below are some recurring frustrations with these two institutions.
Zagat skews to an older, more moneyed crowd, while Yelp skews towards 20 somethings.
Yelp is free and Zagat isn’t ($24.95/year to view ratings and reviews).
Zagat’s is pretty much an old fogey restaurant review guide. You won’t see a Zagat review of either the Bacon Dog Cart or Farolito’s, but you will see Gary Danko’s.
You can’t trust 90% of the reviews on Yelp. Most people don’t know jack and are just mad that they had to wait 5 minutes for a table, etc.
Most of the reviewers are insipid hipsters, and the really sharp reviewers often get drowned out in the noise.
They both suck. Zagat is stuck in the past and isn’t broad enough. Yelp is too broad and run by monkeys — seems like every other review on there reads something along the lines of “the restaurant was great! my friends and i got pretty drunk and had a great time, besides my boyfriend was telling really funny jokes that night so it was an AMAZING NIGHT!” — totally irrelevant blather that has nothing to do with the actual restaurant in question. Feels more like Facebook than a restaurant review site.
Most everyone has settled where they land in this debate. One thing to mention however regarding one of the quotes above is that Zagat is indeed free if you go to www.zagat.com/socialLA to cast your vote of the restaurants you like around the Los Angeles area or click on the image below.
Harvey at Franklin Tavern
One of the great James Stewart films of the 1950′s is Harvey. Stewart plays Elwood P. Dowd, a middle-aged, amiable and eccentric individual whose best friend is an invisible 6′ 3.5″ tall rabbit named Harvey. His family seems to be unsure whether Dowd’s obsession with Harvey is a product of his propensity to drink or mental illness. Elwood spends most of his time in the local bar, and throughout the film invites new acquaintances to join him for a drink. Interestingly, the barman and all regulars accept the existence of Harvey, and the barman asks how they both are and accepts an order from Elwood for two Martinis.
This past Easter Sunday at Franklin & Company Tavern a depressed Harvey came in without Elwood.
Triple Crown at Franklin Tavern!
The Run for the Roses is upon us! Greg and Jeremy have been frequenting the Santa Anita race track and getting all sorts of ideas and promotions in place to be one of the few bars in Hollywood making an event out of the triple crown races!
The Kentucky Derby this year landed on Cinco de Mayo but that’s okay. Come on down and celebrate the Derby de Mayo. Get a free drink by coming in a derby bonnet or a sombrero! Join in the festivities with craft beer on draft, mint juleps, margaritas, or Red Stag iced tea.
Cicerone Certified Beer Servers
Little known fact about Franklin & Company Tavern is that all of the servers and bartenders before being allowed to work on the floor must first become certified beer servers with the Cicerone certification program. Below is a more detailed explanation on the importance of the Cicerone program from their own website.
Anyone can call themselves an expert on beer. But when consumers want great beer they need help from a server who really knows beer flavors, styles and brands. They also want to buy from a place that understands proper storage and serving so the beer they drink will be of the highest quality. Too often great beer is harmed by improper service practices.
In the wine world, the word “sommelier” designates those with proven expertise in selecting, acquiring and serving fine wine. Lately some beer servers have adopted the title “beer sommelier” to tie into the credibility of the wine world. But anyone can call themselves a beer sommelier regardless of knowledge or experience. And while some will be highly skilled, the only way to demonstrate that objectively is through independent testing of knowledge and tasting ability. The Cicerone Certification Program offers that independent assessment and certification so that industry professionals—as well as consumers—can be sure of the knowledge and skills possessed by current and prospective beer servers.
The word Cicerone (pronounced sis-uh-rohn) has been chosen to designate those with proven expertise in selecting, acquiring and serving today’s wide range of beers. Only those who have passed the requisite test of knowledge and tasting skill can call themselves a Cicerone.Franklin & Company is the only known restaurant in Los Angeles where being a certified beer server with the cicerone program is mandatory.
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| A view of the service station with the entire Franklin staff’s framed Cicerone Certifications. |
Food Porn
Having been opened and serving the public for a couple months already it was time for professional photo shoot of the restaurant and it’s food. Paul Wheatley, a great friend of the restaurant, did an amazing job executing those photos. If you are need of great food porn for your restaurant or market you can contact him at Paul Wheatley Photo.
Below are some of the great shots Paul took.
Blue Cheese Tater Tots
Scotch Egg
Meatballs & Fries
Whiskey Tasting
The Franklin Philly
Ahi Tartar Tacos
Lobster Roll
Beer Tasting
The tap system built from old butcher shop scales
The menu was designed by Greg’s sister Annabelle
Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad
Fish & Chips
Wine on Draft
Steak & Fries served with chimichurri butter
Salmon served with smoked portobello mushrooms and green beans
Roasted Curry Cauliflower
Dry Rubbed Baby Back Ribs
A few of the beer on the reserve beer list
Mural upstairs in the snug
Chef Jared Combs at work
Every Thursday night is Burgers & Bourbon pairing
Sea Bass with Sautéed Kale and smashed potatoes
The completed murals
He who rings the bell in jest buys a drink for all the rest
Every Saturday is bar-b-que day!
GQ Magazine Photo Shoot
Before Franklin & Company opened it’s doors a private dinner was held for a great friend of the restaurant, Rob Weiss. GQ magazine and Basil Hayden’s Bourbon approached Mr. Weiss to do an article on him and his work as a television and film producer, screenwriter, actor, and director. Most notable for his film Amongst Friends, his work on Entourage and currently executive producing of the HBO comedy-drama, How to make it in America.
Rob invited a large group of his notable friends and collaborators for a dinner afterwards. Franklin & Company had a chance to test run most of the menu that night and all the food got high praise.
In the beginning…..
On June 1st, 2011, restaurateur Greg Morris (Spanish Kitchen, Belmont, Oaks Gourmet Market) and his General Manager at the market, Jeremy Fraye, took over a small eatery in the Franklin Village at the base of the Hollywood Hills. The former restaurant in that location, Prizzi’s Piazza, a beloved neighborhood spot serving Italian fare had moved on to a new location in Burbank. Greg and Jeremy saw an immediate opportunity to expand what they had begun at the market. A carefully chosen selection of craft beer, small batch whiskies and boutique wines now being served in a more polished take on the early American rustic tavern.
Below is a series of photos taken while the restaurant was transformed over the course of eight months until finally opening their doors on December 22nd. The first two are the dramatic before and after shot from the same vantage point.
Before 06/01/11
After 01/01/12
Original lighting fixtures.
A very small bar. This needed to change.
These are the original restroom fixtures.
This is the new look of the restrooms.
The small upstairs was decided on being referred to as the “Snug”. Named after the private areas of bars that during the turn of the century the policeman on the beat, the mayor and clergyman would drink away from prying eyes.
This is Mauro, one of the men on a small crew that built almost everything in the restaurant themselves.
Barrels bought from a vineyard in Arroyo Grande.
Chevron tile chosen to make the upstairs “snug” feel more spacious.
Various vintage scotch crates were purchased on the internet to build a unique staircase.
A great find at Scavenger’s Paradise in North Hollywood. It lights up every night at 10PM.
These were scales rescued from the Yellow Aster Mercantile on Hollywood Blvd.. Formerly a butcher shop and deli in the 1930′s, these scales hadn’t moved until now. They have been retrofitted to be the tap system and have become one of the more popular details in the restaurant.
The wheels from inside the scales that listed the weight were re purposed as lampshades.
Chalkboard artist Ben Williams did a beautiful job with numerous chalkboards that adorn the wall at Franklin.
Ben was also commissioned to do large murals on the walls that flank the open kitchen.
Brick was added to the exterior to give it a more back east feel.
The ampersand was originally designed by Jeremy brother, Sebastian Fraye.
Specific bottle caps were chosen to be inlaid with the tile in the entryway to the restaurant.
© 2011 Franklin & Company
