Dancing Marlin (small plates in Frankfort)

I was very excited to try Dancing Marlin as it has a rather creative type of menu that isn't particularly well represented in Frankfort, or the rest of the south burbs for that matter. Despite the owners not having been in the restaurant business before, they have definitely gone about this the right way, he was constantly working the room, and wanting feedback both positive and negative to improve. The menu was developed by Nathan Sears (of Vie fame), and the service is very good. Onto the food.

We ordered (4) dishes to try things. Started with the smoked whitefish dip served with house made pita chips. The dip was very good as the fish really shined through rather than it tasting like fish flavored cream cheese.

Next was the fried kale, which was topped with grated cheese. The first few bites were great, then it kind of lost its novelty as it became a little oily. This was the one dish we didn't completely finish. It wouldn't be bad as something to have in a large group where everyone is just getting a taste though.

One of the specials was a grilled baby octopus. The octopus was served with potatoes and jicama in an asian style bbq sauce. While I prefer a greek preparation of octopus, it was very well executed and not rubbery at all.

Up next was the Belly Buns, this was pork belly on a steamed bun, and it was the star of the show. The portion of the belly was generous, the bun was not overly gummy, the flavors were spot on, just a really nice dish.

We also had the seared ahi bruschetta, which wasn't really what I had expected. Served on a toast point, the next layer was an edamame puree (think edamame hummus), an heirloom tomato slice, a thick slice of seared ahi, covered by a set of microgreens. All of the components themselves were very high quality, but the application of the edamame was a bit heavy handed and threw off the balance of the dish. Still very tasty.

It is worth noting that Dancing Marlin has not been open very long, but it shows very strong potential, and I truly hope it makes it as we need more places like this.

Dancing Marlin
20590 S. Lagrange Rd
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-6646