Frankies (457) Spuntino

457 Court St., Brooklyn, NY

8.1

map & more

Neighborhood
Brooklyn
Carroll Gardens

Cuisine
Italian
Pasta

718-403-0033

Official Website

By Chris Stang
January 25, 2010

Known to most simply as Frankies 457, this is the flagship restaurant from “The Franks” who (see it coming?) happen to be two guys named Frank. The Franks are also the proprietors of Prime Meats, and 457′s Lower East Side clone, Frankies 17. Not that Frankies needs another glowing review, but this really is a fantastic restaurant if you can manage to get a table. It’s a tiny, cozy joint with simple Italian cooking, and the food is pretty damn great. Also adding to the awesome is a very reasonably priced wine selection and playlists that are heavy on The Stones and Zeppelin. It’s a nice place to linger, especially in the summer when the back garden is open. Downside? Tough to linger when you can’t get a table. Waits can push well past an hour during prime time, sometimes close to two. Every once in a while you’ll get lucky and sit sooner than you expect, but there isn’t a ton of bar real estate, even if you get sent next door to Prime Meats. The bummer of it all is that without those unpredictable waits, both 457 and 17 would be absolutely ideal date spots. Did you both have “unimaginable patience” listed as a quality on your match.com profile? Welcome to the best night of your life.

Food Rundown:

Fennel, Celery Root & Parsley with Sliced Red Onion, Lemon & Pecorino
A citrusy fennel salad that benefits from the celery root. Really nice.

Roasted Vegetable Salad
This is really just a bowl of roasted vegetables, which can be great if that’s what you’re feeling, but there are better salads to be had.

Frankies’ Greens with Cipollini Onion Cider Vinaigrette
We’ve hit the salads pretty hard at Frankies and this one is amazing, really because of it’s simplicity and that sweet and acidic vinaigrette.

House-Made Pappardelle with Braised Lamb, Tomato, Tarragon & Frankies Olive Oil
A tasty home made pasta with hearty lamb and herbs. This is a wintertime dish if I’ve ever seen one, but it’s somehow not as heavy as you might expect.

House-Made Cavatelli with Faiccos Hot Sausage & Browned Sage Butter
Aside from the massive pork shank special I ate a few weeks ago, this is my favorite of all the offerings from Frankies. Little home made cavatelli pasta with a delicious spicy sausage.

Sweet Potato & Sage Ravioli in Parmesan Broth
A fantastic light and airy ravioli, this is the perfect mix of sweet and savory. A fan favorite for sure.

Giant Pork Shank Special
Yes, I made that name up. This was a special last time I was in Frankie’s 17, and I was told that it’s on and off the menu at both locations. Remember that movie Encino Man? Yea, well this looks like something Link would have eaten before Pauly Shore defrosted him in 1992 California. So good, and so meaty.