Franny and Frankie

In a recent burst of restrained extravagance I ate at two very fine "Italian" restaurants. I say restrained extravagance, because from a normal budgetary point of view I shouldn't even be leaving the house, much less eating good food; but sometimes you have have to go moderately buck-wild. These two Brooklyn restaurants are a breed of eatery that is vanishing all over Manhattan: delicious, well executed food, in a nice setting, with no main course for more than $17. Franny's at 295 Flatbush Ave. is just down the block from my house, this is the fourth time I've eaten there in two years, so I feel that I've come to know its strengths and weaknesses pretty well. However, it was my maiden voyage to Frankie's 457 Spuntino, in Carroll Gardens, a neighborhood about half an hour from my house and 10 minutes from my brother's summer sublet.

The focuses at Franny's are pasta and wood oven pizza, with a whole gang of crostini, salads and small appetizers filling out the menu. It's definitely a carbo-load, Atkins diets beware. Well actually, if you're on Atkins f-- you, eat some bread, damn it. And this is some very fine bread to eat. The pizza crust is nicely brown, with just the right amount of woodsmoke and char. The tomato sauce is judiciously administered and their toppings are heavenly. I've had various pizzas there, though I'm hard pressed to remember exactly what they were since the menu is often changing. One time I had a bowl of Buchot Mussels, then the tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil pizza. Most recently we had the tomato, pecorino picante, and onion pizza, the tomato, buffalo mozzarella, and sausage pizza as well as the rigatoncini with pork sausage, dandelion greens and chilies. On another occasion we sampled the bucatini cacio e pepe. I have to say a few words about the two pastas I've tried: These are the best factory-made pasta preparations I've ever had outside of Italy. They are perfectly al dente, flavorful, and nicely seasoned.

One of the things that is pervasive throughout the Franny's experience is the quality of the ingredients, they just taste so damn good, even with so little done to them. The back of the menu lists all of the sustainable sources for their meats, produce and even electricity. These guys are really trying to live up to their ideals. Unfortunately, they whack you more than a little extra for the privilege of eating responsibly. Every time I eat there I feel like I've been mildly cheated. If they would just give me a little more... A good example of this is the pannacotta. I've made pannacotta, and it is incredibly simple. Vanilla (or other flavoring), cream, milk, sugar and gelatin. Franny's charges $8. Which would be fine, if it weren't the size of a postage stamp. When the waitress dropped it off I couldn't help but wonder "Where's the rest of it?" Yet for all that, it was a great dessert, extremely rich, delicate and well made.

Frankie's Spuntino is just the type of bare-bones luxury that I enjoy. Delicious crostini, good pasta and a delightfully drinkable bottle of white. This is the type restaurant everyone wishes they had just around the corner. I can't say I'm going to move to the neighborhood, but it certainly makes it more attractive. Most of the neighborhood seems to agree with me though, so one needs be prepared to wait more than a few minutes for a table.


Coming soon: the culinary options (delights?) of Bed-Stuy.
Featuring: What is a roti? Where's the best fried chicken in all the land? Is the Papaya Dog as dirty as it looks? and much, much more...