"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 West Village clone, Frankies 570. Maybe you’ve heard of them. If you don’t know them by name, you certainly know them by their work, most notably for creating what we now know as “Brooklyn.” Frankies 457 was the first restaurant of its kind in this part of New York City, and what followed was a million copies of casual restaurants staffed by dudes that wear vests from Bed-Stuy to Paris. You’re welcome, France. Enjoy the the mustaches. Not that you need us to remind you, but Frankies 457 is still 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 consistently excellent. That’s saying a lot, considering they’ve been doing this for over a decade. 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, so you’re just going to have to be OK taking a bit of a gamble. The bummer of it all is that without those unpredictable waits, this restaurant would be an absolutely ideal date spot. 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. Meatballs The Frankies didn’t invent meatballs, but they did figure out how to make them taste pretty good. These are mandatory. House-Made Cavatelli with Faiccos Hot Sausage & Browned Sage Butter Generally known as the dish that Frankies is known for. Little home made cavatelli pasta with a delicious spicy sausage. Put it on your table. 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. 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 here, and though I don’t know what the name of it is, you just need to know what to listen for and then order it. 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." - Chris Stang
