First look: Frank & Nic's West End Grille

Have a drink at Frank & Nic's. (Credit: Shaun Vain)

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Frank & Nic's, which opened in December 2008 in the Zenith apartment building, has it all. There are drink specials, scrumptious meals and friendly service. It's well suited to a casual dinner, a nice date or drinks with buddies.

Crowd: It's an all ages, any situation restaurant where folks enjoy family meals, hot dates or fun nights on the town with friends. With a bar like this and good drink specials, Frank & Nic's is sure to attract a vibrant crowd. Chase Scott, manager of Frank & Nic's (and part-time guitarist) says, "Quality and friendly service is our main goal, but there are plans of expanding the bar area."

Food: Frank & Nic's offers a wide variety of steak and fish. Its West End ribeye is a 14-ounce New York strip served one of several ways: With brandy peppercorn sauce, mushroom sauce, merlot butter, Maytag blue cheese or cowboy-blackened. Plenty of choices, but to be honest, the steak tastes great with or without those preparations.

No reason to visit a grill if you don't like steak, right? Wrong! The pasta primavera includes fresh tomato, zucchini, yellow squash, seasonal organic mushrooms, broccoli and fresh tossed herbs, all in a cream sauce. If you're someone who has to have something exotic, try the mango chicken noodle soup. Maybe you've got a sweet tooth that needs to be satisfied. If that's the case, the dessert menu will disarm you. Consider the West End sundae, which, in addition to sundae standards, includes a fried Snickers.

Drinks: One of Frank & Nic's' top drink sellers is a raspberry champagne called The Zenith, natch. Happy hour (5 to 7 p.m.) includes $1-off domestic draft beers and $7 specialty drinks. Since word of mouth is what makes it so popular, Frank & Nic's offers a 10 percent discount for residents of the adjacent neighborhood and The Zenith apartments. There are also discounts for civil servants, including $2.50 drafts on Tuesdays.

Digs: Frank & Nic's is divided into three areas: The bar area, dining area and private dining room. Each offers nice city-scapes. The bar feels modern and classy. The dining area is separated from the bar by a piece of artwork, which pairs well with the art on the walls. It all feels very modern. The private dining room offers a dining experience like no other. It has its own bar and two 10-feet-wide, drop-down TVs. The room can be rented out for large parties, and is open to the public on weekends.

Bottom line: Frank & Nic's is built for comfort, quality food and friendly service. With all this and a hip atmosphere, you'd miss out if you didn't stop by and see what it has to offer.