Welcome to Frank’s 231,
a Midwestern Meat and Three
Frank’s 231 is based on the staple Southern tradition of a meat* and three: Choose your main, choose your sides, and enjoy a meal tailored to your personal tastes.
While the setup is Southern, the menu itself casts a much wider net, featuring local produce and meat almost exclusively, and changing frequently with the (micro) seasons and the whims of the kitchen. Dan loves making sausage, so there will always be at least a couple to choose from on the menu.
You can choose a meal with one, two or three sides, or skip the main entirely and build a plate from the ever-rotating side menu.
*We don’t take the “meat” in “meat and three” literally – the menu leans heavily on vegetables. Plant-based eaters will not be disappointed!
Dan Compton
Frank’s 231 Chef/Owner
After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism way back when, Dan headed west to seek his fortune in San Francisco. It didn’t pan out. But the move did change his life all the same. It was there that he met his wife, Charlotte. It was also there that he was bitten by the cooking bug.
The onset of symptoms was swift and irreversible: Dan moved back to Chicago, enrolled in the culinary arts program at Kendall College, and pledged himself to a life of long hours and poverty for a second time. Dan interned at Vie, the celebrated seasonal Midwestern restaurant helmed by Chef Paul Virant, and worked his way up through the kitchen, eventually being named chef de cuisine.
After more than a decade at Vie, Dan’s northern Michigan roots came calling, and he and Charlotte made the move in 2021. Dan soon joined Farm Club (not sure if you’ve heard of it?) and served as chef there for a couple of years. He eventually stepped back to work as their in-house butcher and sausage-maker while looking (and looking) for the right place to open a new restaurant. Dan’s time at Farm Club was transformative, opening his eyes to the small but mighty food scene of northern Michigan.
In June 2025, he opened his own place, Frank’s 231, in Traverse City. He is very excited to continue working with Farm Club by featuring produce from Loma Farm, along with other small local producers such as Second Spring Farm, Lakeview Hill Farm, Anavery Fine Foods and the Farmers’ Creamery.
Dan needs a new headshot. We’ll work on that. This is from his Chicago days.
If That’s Dan...Who Is Frank?
Frank was Dan’s grandpa on his mom’s side. He was a food lover, a wine connoisseur and an accomplished amateur cook. He always supported our culinary endeavors, so we thought it was only appropriate to dedicate our first solo venture to him. Plus franks, sausages...you get it.
Watercolor portrait of Frank painted by one of his talented granddaughters, Julia Merrick. Thank you, Julia!