Frankies 457

Happy Spring everyone!

In my mind, Spring brings a few things to mind besides the lovely weather. Spring means longer days, relaxing walks, and a bountiful green market selection. Spring is most definitely my absolute favorite season amongst the four. Both my father and I were born in April (9th and 12th) and the official start of baseball season is during Springtime too. It is a season that holds so much promise, joy, and positivity. Spring in my world is really a time of renewal.

With all of this talk about Spring and my love for it, it is interesting that we will be getting married in the Fall/Winter of 2012. December 1st to be exact is our wedding date, but that isn't important at the moment. It is the location of our wedding that is really where the focus of this post lays. Our most recent trip to the location was on one of the most picture perfect 75 degree days at the jump-start of Spring (3/22/12). Who could ask for anything more from a midweek day off?!

Frankies 457 is one of those quaint and rustic restaurants that everyone in Brooklyn and maybe Manhattan has heard of. It is in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn. Carroll Gardens is home to some beautiful brownstone lined streets, old school Italian specialty shops, new hip restaurants/bars, and locally run businesses that have been in this area for decades.

We chose Frankies for our wedding because it felt right and it felt real. We had never dined at Frankies until the night we signed our contract back in January, but we just knew that it would be perfect for what we wanted for our wedding day. When Doug and I began planning our wedding, we knew that we didn't want dancing, or 200+ guests, or even a basic selection of "fish-steak-or chicken". We wanted our wedding to feel like we were having a sunday night dinner with those we love the most. Our only musts were that we wanted our guests to have the best food and fantastic beer and wine. Everything else would be icing on the cake. Frankies 457 allowed us to have all of our loves in one of Brooklyn's best known gems.

On our most recent trip, Doug and I walked into Frankies on a Thursday around 1pm. We were immediately seated out in their back garden underneath the warm sunlight that one of the first beautiful days of Spring had to offer.

To drink: Doug had a craft beer and I enjoyed a crisp glass of Verdicchio. Yum!

To start: A shaved fennel and celery root salad that was dressed with pepitas, red onion, lemon, and pecorino cheese. We also ordered a rice, parsley, and peashoot soup which was a special that day. I didn't get a picture of this item, but will do my best later to describe it.

Doug's choice: Frankies is well known for their meatballs. For lunch they serve a the meatball sandwich which is on Grandaisy Bakery rosemary focaccia.

My choice: an in-house made linguini with fava beans, tomatoes, and homemade toasted breadcrumbs.

Our soup and salad dishes arrived together. The fennel and celery root salad was a great surprise for us. We tried it on a recommendation of a friend and we were so happy that we did! The ingredients came together in the most amazing way with a crisp and tart combination of bright flavors that kept us going back in with our forks. The celery root has a mild celery flavor that was cut nicely by the parsley and lemon. On a warm day, this salad packed a comforting cool rush.

The "rice and peas" soup special screamed SPRING to the pallet. The broth was a chicken base that had a bit of arborio rice, parsley, and pea shoots simmered together in the most amazing marriage. I sensed a touch of red chile flake, but it worked perfectly. As a side note, as I explore different foods, I am learning that I do enjoy a touch of heat here and there. Anyway, Doug and I agreed that we could have eaten many bowls of this soup. Funniest part was that I was sitting in the garden, getting a sunburn while enjoying this hot starter soup. So glad that we opted for this menu item that day, but the only downside to the soup is that it isn't on regular rotation of soups at Frankies.

After the waiter pried the salad plate and soup bowl from our hands, we digested for a moment and enjoyed the beauty and serenity that the Frankies garden offers. That moment was short lived and within 2-3 minutes, our pasta and sandwich were placed before us. As you can see from the pictures above, Frankies services very nice portions for a meal. I wouldn't say that they offer enough to bring home with you, but generous enough to share with a friend (if they are lucky). The pasta dish was filled with chewy, homemade linguini that had been simmered with a sauce made from tomatoes, fava beans, and garlic. The chef topped off the mound of pasta with toasted breadcrumbs and finely chopped italian parsley. The pasta was light, delicate, and so yummy. I would say that it has now been added to my best dishes I have eaten list.

Finally, I will bring it home with their balls. Frankies meatballs are light, succulent, and juicy. Frankies also mixes in something special with the meat that leaves them flecked with raisins and pine nuts. This little addition added a great sweetness and texture to every bite. The meatballs were coated with Frankies deliciously tangy tomato sauce, placed on the focaccia bread, and served simply on a plate. After my first bite of this delicious sandwich, I looked up at Doug and told him that I was, "thrilled that we get to eat these at our wedding and share them with our family."

I meant every last word of that statement from the bottom of my heart. We have now dined at Frankies 457 on 2 occasions since signing our wedding contract and I fall in love more with their food with every experience. I honestly cannot wait for December 1st for many reasons, but mostly I am so excited to offer our friends and family the opportunity to share a delicious and rustic italian meal with us at Frankies! It will be OUR Brooklyn wedding to remember forever.

Happy eating everyone!