In launching Frankies 570 Spuntino, his fourth restaurant with Frank Falcinelli, Frank Castronovo has one goal: “I just want to make it a West Village institution.” And, after a week of booked-solid tables, more buzz than a macchiato, and the it Fashion Week dinner party with Bon Appétit (where Adam Rapoport bro’d it up with the Rag & Bone guys, and Karolina Kurkova had forkfuls of chocolate tart), Castronovo can probably bank on that.
“It’s a bigger menu than Cobble Hill or Lower East Side, because we have a bigger kitchen. So, next week you’ll see, like, a little rabbit ragu (grandma-style) with artichokes (Roman-style); and, we’re making our own sausages for breakfast, which we love.” He adds, “Jonathan Waxman was here and voted our meatballs the best!” We heard!
What’s next for the Franks? More Frankies, another Prime Meats, or different concept all together? “I spent a lot of time in the Far East,” Frank hints. “And, I will say, we could definitely use some good Thai restaurants in New York.” Alas, there are no actual plans in the works. “It’s like I just had a newborn with Frankies 570, and I need to focus on parenting that, now that the other ‘kids’ are old enough to take care of themselves a bit.”
Related: Jonathan Waxman Selects Manhattan’s Finest Meatballs