Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Frank - New York

So one of New York's best restaurants is a well-kept secret hidden between 5-6 St, 2nd avenue. Curious? I sure was and so me and a few others headed there the night after Brasserie on the recommendation of a native New Yorker who used to live down in Soho.

The neighbourhood isn't the best, admittedly, but the food was delicious. Frank is a small restaurant which, from the outside, is pretty forgettable. It's like a little osteria plonked in a huge, vibrant city and yet oddly enough, it works. Opened over a decade ago, it's still going strong and judging by the crowd there on a Thursday night, it's a people pleaser whatever the night.

So the food... What's it all about? Good, honest Italian nosh is the only answer I can give you. It's not poncy, it's not twiddled about with. It's fresh pasta, melt in your mouth pasta in fact, and the sauces are rich and infused with so much flavour it makes your taste buds tingle. We sat on a table with a couple of other diners and yet didn't feel like we were being fobbed off, the big scrubbed wooden table, low lighting and casually dressed staff only added to the experience.

First off was some bruschetta which was delicious although there was a tomato overload on my plate. Next (and this was the niggle, I'd barely eaten two bites of my starter before the mains came) was 'Uncle Tony's' gnocchi with 'tomatoes, basil and parmigiano'. Honestly the best gnocchi I've ever ever had, probably because it was fresh, spongy and full of goodness. I finished it all even though we had to stay there for ages to allow me to do so. Others tried the penne with mushrooms, a chicken dish (daily special) and the gnocchi like me. All of us were in consensus: Great Food.

The damage was also minimal: Less than $40 inc. tip and wine. Brilliant value and we were all extremely happy customers when we finally left and found a cab back uptown. Frank is somewhere I'd definitely take people to - Happily take people to in fact!

Vitals

Frank
88 2nd Avenue, New York City
Tel: + 00 1 212 420 0106
Website: http://www.frankrestaurant.com/

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