Finally, Frankies Spuntino 457

Living on the boarder of Carroll Gardens and Red Hook (and being the avid eater I am), its almost sacrilegious that I hadn't managed to get to Frankies Spuntino 457, on lower Court Street. Matthew had been, but whenever we tried to go together something would get in the way. Well, last Wednesday, all was remedied.

It was a bit chilly, so we didn't partake in the lush backyard outdoor setting, but we did spy another dining space housed in something like an enclosed gazebo/solarium. Come summer, believe that I will have dinner in that space. Flat out, its beautiful inside. Brooklyn's essential brick walls and wood floors are well represented. The "kitchen" as it is, is a tiny slice in the middle of the space, with just a few burners and a well disguised storage area. Simple and homey in that "I live-in-a-forgotten-era" kind of way, but a little over crowded when it comes to table placement. That's worth overlooking when you're served and understandable for the management, who clearly wants to please as many as possible with their homemade pasta and small plates of cheese and cured meats.

We started with the Arugula, Pecorino Romano & Merlot Wine Vinaigrette - $8.00. This salad is a great split for an appetizer. Simple, crispy, peppery and wonderfully astringent, this paved the way for the excellent meal to come. Matthew chose the House-Made Gnocchi Marinara & Fresh Ricotta - $13.00. The gnocchi were fluffy, the marinara a little watery but perfectly seasoned and the ricotta added a counterpoint to the sharpness of the tomato in the marinara. A decent dish, but a little overpriced for what it had to offer. On the other hand, I was totally blown away by the House-Made Cavatelli with Faiccos Hot Sausage & Browned Sage Butter - $15.00. HOLY MOLY! This was the first time I had tried Cavatelli and I'm a complete convert. Dense and chewy (I like a lot of bite in my pasta), the cavatelli mingled with the earthy sweet sage and the sausage was like something from pure pork heaven. I could eat this dish weekly and not get tired of it, and trust that I'm trying to deduce the recipe for the sage butter.

We skipped dessert, but I want to take a minute to laud the bartender, who was one of the nicest I've ever met, particularly in New York. Matthew and I both stuck to the Vodka Limeade - $8.00, muddled with fresh mint and lots and lots of fresh lime. Wonderfully refreshing and not overly alcoholic, the limeade provided just enough ooommph to carry us through the meal without ended up face down on the artfully weathered floorboards on our way out.

Overall, Frankies gets an A+ in my book. With all the recent hullabaloo about the owners and their newest ventures in dining and coffee (they've got a sweet deal with Portland based Stumptown Coffee), its worth watching to see what they'll do next.

P.S. Never, ever forget that Frankies is CASH ONLY, be prepared kiddos.

a.

Carmelized Onion Tart with Apple Celery Salad

Let's face it, we can't eat out all the time so every Sunday night for the past month or so, I've dedicated my evening to a cooking adventure of one kind or another. Generally, these have soups and stews because I'm under the impression that if you can't whip up a good soup, you can't cook. This week, however, I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit and tried an all vegetarian dinner that was absolutely delicious!

The main dish was an carmelized onion tart that I found in Moosewood Restaurant New Classics from the Moosewood Collective (ISBN 0-609-80241-0 Clarkson Potter/Publishers New York). This is a must have for everyone who sometimes longs for a light and delicious, fresh tasting meal to replace the run-of-the-mill meat/carb/vegetable formula that we all know and love.

I don't think anyone wants to read the whole recipe, so I'm not going to include that here, but if your interest is piqued and you're not into investing in the book, send an email to bkfoodblog@gmail and I'll see what I can do for you!

It all started with this.


It's a VERY basic pastry dough. A note on the instructions for this recipe: 4 tablespoons of water didn't quite get the dry ingredients to stick. Aim for fewer then 8. Making the dough, I'm happy to report, was the hardest part of the process and it still only took about half and hour. WHAT?!? A half hour to mix flour, salt, butter and water? Yes. I don't own a pastry cutter and I couldn't find one at Gourmet Fresh or the Met. I had to use a freakin' fork to cut the butter in and it took forever. Note to self, BUY ONE OF THESE:

After making the dough, though, the rest was a breeze. All you need is a skillet and a blender, and those I have in abundance! I carmelized my onions until soft, delicious and fragrant. It takes about twenty to twenty five minutes. Against my fresh-herb-loving instincts, I followed the recipe's direction to use dried thyme. Oh, I still remember the smell!
I subbed Monterey Jack for the gruyere that was called for because I didn't really know what gruyere is. But I've checked my ignorance at the door and now feel comfortable suggesting a Swiss cheese as the closest approximation to the original recipe if you're stuck on this end of Henry Street and don't want to hoof it to Fairway.

The custard for the tart was simple, quick and messless: 6 eggs, 2 cups milk (oh, just buy the whole milk. I won't tell!) a pinch or two of flour and 1 tbs Dijon mustard blended to a fine puree. The onions are layered on the bottom, 1 cup packed grated cheese on top, the milk custard over all baked at 400 for about an hour and voila!

I served it with a simple salad (as in macaroni salad and potato salad) of apples, celery, raisin and walnuts with a bit of mayo and sour cream. You can grab that recipe here. It dawns on me that this meal is a dairy wonderland, so if you're watching your weight (the gods know I'm not!) please do serve with a simple green salad.

The tart was flavorful, but could use some complication. An extra herb or two while carmelizing the onions or a spice here and there in the custard could make a delightful change. I made the mistake of over-seasoning with salt on the plate. Do not repeat this mistake--a dash if any will suffice.

All in all, it was quite a strenuous adventure: my secret confession is that I don't (or at least, didn't) prefer baked egg-based dishes. Quiche is kind of my worst nightmare. This tart, however, won me over completely. And it was even better cold the next day for lunch at work. Try it out! You'll be so glad!