Review: Taste the nostalgia at Frederick’s

CaptionCloseNew Zealand rack of lamb with red wine garlic sauce and potatoes au gratin, asparagus and Brussels sprouts from Frederick's restaurant on Broadway.New Zealand rack of lamb with red wine garlic sauce and potatoes au gratin, asparagus and Brussels...

Review: Taste the nostalgia at Frederick’s

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New Zealand rack of lamb with red wine garlic sauce and potatoes au gratin, asparagus and Brussels sprouts from Frederick's restaurant on Broadway.

New Zealand rack of lamb with red wine garlic sauce and potatoes au gratin, asparagus and Brussels sprouts from Frederick's restaurant on Broadway.

The bar flows into the dining room at Frederick's.

The bar flows into the dining room at Frederick's.

Nostalgia’s not a bad thing, even the kind of nostalgia that brings us to a favorite restaurant long after its time in the cultural vanguard has passed. So how long can Frederick’s get by on nostalgia? Only time will tell.

Time travel with me to the year 2000, the year Frederick Costa opened Frederick’s off Broadway. It was a pioneer, a melding of French and Asian influences and one of the handful of places to go all-out for an anniversary, to exercise an expense account or impress a first date.

Frederick’s is still a place to do all those things, but the city’s restaurant scene has caught up with and lapped it for food, atmosphere and service.

Sometimes it works just fine. Edgy or not, there’s a simple beauty to a well-roasted rack of lamb or a beef tenderloin in a wine reduction with peppercorns, both served as full dinners with starch and vegetables.

Even when the food worked, the service pulled me back to a motel lounge in the ’70s, and there were clear misses on the menu, including fried spring rolls, dried-out duck and overcooked fish.

Frederick’s

7701 Broadway, Suite 20, 210-828-9050, frederickssa.com

Quick bite: Traditional grill and seafood bistro with French and Asian influences in a spare but elegant dining room.

Hit: Mussels, beef tenderloin, rack of lamb

Miss: Overcooked duck and fish, beanless green bean salad, sloppy cocktails

Hours: Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Vdcasino Dinner: 5-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Price range: Appetizers, $11-$21; salads, $9-$11; sides, $5-$7; seafood entrees, $30-$43; entrees “from the land,” $28-$39; desserts, $8-$9.

Alcohol: Wine, beer and cocktails

Read the full review and its recalibrating star rating on our subscriber website, ExpressNews.com, or pick up the Taste section in the Sunday paper.

msutter@express-news.net

Twitter: @fedmanwalking

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