A Sweet September Table for Two
catching a flawless dinner before the best month to be in the city escapes us
A noticeable breeze arrives at the end of August, followed by a darker-than-usual 7pm. That breeze is a promise that the swelter and leisure of summer in the city is coming to a close, and that the refreshing air of September is on our doorstep. I’ve always loved the moments between summer and fall—September 1 comes and goes, and though we are still weeks from the Autumn Equinox, the goosebumps on our arms tell us cooler days are imminent. We start the inventory of our sweaters and remember how much we love leather boots. I often walk around purposely under-dressed to cherish a coolness on my skin, replacing months of feeling like the city air is sitting on top of you. Earlier sunsets, though somewhat frightening, leave me wishing for ever-earlier dinners that wrap up just as dusk settles, so I can stroll home as it gets dark. Summer was lovely and I look forward to fall, but I cherish these moments in between. New York has never looked or felt better.
September’s recipe calls for sitting outside as much as possible and walking everywhere, without headphones. It calls for wearing layers and special dinners with friends and partners. We owe it to ourselves to hold onto perfect 70 degree days and a mostly still-hot sun as much as possible.
This week, I wanted to share the restaurants that feel predisposed to a September evening. These are restaurants that I found ultimately perfect, especially for oddly-timed early dinners that leave you with hours of evening to enjoy the sun setting and the newly-cool air. This is where you should be going out of your way to visit before the month is through. Bring your best friend and sit in silence, bring your love interest and drink too much wine. Sit and eat and enjoy how good New York can feel.
Frankies 457 Spuntino
Frankies is a beloved staple in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Walking in for a 6pm reservation, you’ll be guided through a narrow entry, past a mostly-empty bar, into a small dining room that isn’t overly loud, nor crowded. If you are lucky, like I was, you’ll be seated at the two top against the dining room’s back wall, along a window that overlooks Frankies’ garden. If you’re extra lucky, there will be a wedding unfolding just moments after you sit down, right outside that window, that you will watch adoringly.
Twenty years ago, Frankie’s opened as a neighborhood ode to Tuscan cooking, a quaint, brick-lined dining room with wooden furniture, scattered windows and soft lighting. It feels just the way you would want an Italian restaurant to feel. Comforting, easy, straight-forward, warm. I felt like I was smiling ear-to-ear throughout this entire meal, each detail and dish better than the last. I was also feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to be able to watch a wedding while eating dinner. The magic of New York is that everything can happen at the same time in the same place, always. We don’t have many lines of distinction here—people work out on sidewalks and get married at restaurants and pray in parks. We eat in clothing stores and drink wine in coffee shops.
While I watched a couple walk down the aisle (tear), I sipped on the most deluxe martini—ice cold vodka in a coupe glass with an olive oil rinse. Frankies’ olive oil (for sale at any moderately expensive food retailer), is exceptionally good. It did, in fact, belong in my martini. I’d like to think we executed a perfect order, beginning with that exceptional martini. We got Frankies’ semolina bread with a bowl of that same olive oil… imagine an amazingly simple bread with an amazingly simple, rich olive oil. This was a bread course worth all 300 pennies it cost us. We followed with a ball of fresh mozzarella, grilled jimmy nardello peppers drizzled with… a bit more olive oil. No complaints here, I probably could’ve drank it. The mozzarella was mild and creamy, with slightly soft, slightly sweet, slightly smoky jimmy nardellos (need to learn the origin of this pepper’s name). A perfect bite composed of bread, lots of olive oil, a bit of mozz, and a bite of pepper. Delightfully simple. No notes.
Next, a true star you’ll never guess. Frankies’ Greens with Cipollini Onion Vinaigrette. I will soon dedicate an entire newsletter to my litmus test that simple, green salads are the most central indicator of how good a restaurant is. Our plate of bright green lettuces, crunchy romaine and wilted arugula, was dressed in a mildly sweet, bright dressing that kissed the lettuce in such a way. The salad was topped with halved green olives, a bite of salt that made perfect sense. This is what they mean when they say less is more. Frankies’ salad game should be studied in textbooks. You won’t understand until you try it for yourself. Trust me.
Our main dishes were a homemade cavatelli with hot sausage and brown butter—perfectly al dente elongated, thick shells that grasped onto every drop of the brown butter sauce, topped with parsley and parm, with rounds of browned hot sausage scattered throughout. It was spicy and sweet and so very savory. Perfectly salted, texture was immaculate, flavor was out of this world. To balance that buttery rich dish, we got linguine with spicy crab marinara—bright tomato sauce with rich crab meat, a touch of red pepper flakes, topped with fresh basil. Their pasta is so delicious and I am so thrilled to have anything other than a bolognese or cacio pepe, keep the excitement coming without diverting too much from those traditional Tuscan flavors.
To wrap up this truly perfect meal, as the wedding ceremony wrapped and guests gathered for cocktails prior to their seated dinner, we ordered dessert, exercising serious self control to not go straight to the tiramisu. Our lovely server, who guided us perfectly throughout the meal, made her best call yet. She encouraged us as we ordered the red wine prunes with mascarpone. I have an aversion to prunes for some reason but this was a out-of-this-world. A cold pillow of smooth mascarpone served as a seat for red wine soaked, sweet prunes. Every bite was sweet, creamy, and not-too-rich. Its magic is in its simplicity. I want this every day forever.
As far as fall dinner goes, Frankie’s is perfect. I hope you are all able to make it over there.
Rolo’s
I almost didn’t want to add to this newsletter for fear Frankies’ would be too long (which it is). Rolo’s is an equally important fall table—though just as good through the winter—as a dimly lit Ridegwood institution serving wood-fired items that you didn’t know needed to be wood-fired. Rolo’s is known for their incredibly light and chewy wood-fired polenta bread (with calabrian chili butter, of course), inventive produce-forward small plates, and a slew of incredible large-format dishes. From seasonal pastas to their (as good as everyone says) two-sheet green lasagna that is the size of a personal pizza but flat, famously just the crunchy top of the lasagna tray. Their famous cheeseburger no one can ever seem to snag, chicken, pork, and steaks are elevated by their tasteful platings and wood-fire techniques. A special shoutout to the “war style” crispy potatoes, served with kewpie and spicy peanut sauce. This is a dinner for earlier sunsets and cooler evenings where the thought of rich meats and bowls of pasta are the touch of warmth you need. Don’t miss their cocktails and incredible wine list—and save room for dessert, if you can.
Saraghina Pizzeria
Deep in Bed-Stuy is the heart of the Saraghina empire that is whipping out famous sourdough bread, focaccia, and pasta at their bakery, providing all of Fort Greene with an apero hour at their caffe, and bringing people together for easy wine and pizza at the restaurant. For starters, the type face on their menu is so comforting to me—second of all, they have an option for gluten free pizza, and third of all, a glass of house wine is $9. A rustic and relaxed interior leads to a lovely garden, with plenty of additional sidewalk seating for busier nights. Saraghina serves chewy Neopolitan style pizza with a range of toppings like marinated asparagus and salsa verde, spicy artichokes and fennel sausage. Apart from having options for a nice pizza to share, and a cheap glass (or 4) of wine, Saraghina has plenty of sides and small dishes to round out a long snacking dinner. An array of pasta or a fritto misto alongside a misticanza salad are the perfect additions to an easy late-summer/early-fall meal. The menu has not too much pizzazz, and the restaurant as a whole is not bells-and-whistles focused. Simplicity is good, especially when you do simple so very well. A pizza and olives with some red wine in a slightly chilly backyard? Sign me up.
Where to next!!!!
Theme for fall is pasta and italian adjacent. More from me soon <3
Oh my gosh, Frankie’s has been bumped to a MUST!!
Ur frankie's write-up might be my favorite yet damn