Sunday, January 31, 2010

Frankie's Sputino & Buttermilk Channel Quickies

Out with a few friends last night I finally got a chance to having dinner at Frankie's Sputino, the Carroll Gardens stalwart that's impossible not to love. Well, unless you're waiting an hour or two for a table or trying to pay with a credit card, that is. Our wait was projected to be two hours, though it only ended up being 45 minutes, and they were happy to take a cell phone number and call us when when a table was available. We also put our names down at Prime Meats, figuring we'd grab whichever one opened up first. Frankie's won, so there we went.

Logistical quirks aside (seriously, bring cash), Frankie's really is the kind of restaurant you need to make a point of getting to if you never have. I had the sweet potato ravioli (something I've been meaning to make forever, myself), and it really was impressive. We also tried the gnocchi, cavatelli with sausage, and the pappardelle with lamb. I know the cavatelli and the pappardelle were home made, but I'm not sure about the ravioli, only because it didn't specifically state it on the menu. It tasted fresh, in any event. Sorry about the lack of pictures, but I wasn't in my usual restaurant review mode. No complaints from anyone, and the cavatelli in particular was very good.

While their dessert menu looked good, we decided to scoot down the block to Buttermilk Channel, another place I'd never tried. I had the roasted apple bread pudding, and it was very good. It was lighter and fluffier than most bread puddings I've had, which wasn't bad, but I prefer something more dense and overtly artery-clogging. it was very good, though, and I'd get it again. Two of my cohorts ordered Doug's Pecan Pie Sunday, which is a pecan pie and ice cream parfait in a big float glass. Don't pass this up if you have even a passing interest in pecan pie. It's really unconscionably good.

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out one really awfully annoying caveat to our dessert, though. Most of us were ordering drinks (beer and wine), but since I was driving I decided to just have a club soda. Well, it turns out that a club soda at Buttermilk Channel costs you $4. Really? Come on. The dessert was good, but that was annoying enough that I'll think twice about going back again, or at least bringing my own water.

Information:

Frankie's Sputino
457 Court St.
Brooklyn, NY
718.403.0033
http://www.frankiesspuntino.com/

Buttermilk Channel
524 Court St.
Brooklyn, NY
718.852.8490
http://www.buttermilkchannelnyc.com/

6 comments:

Sam said...

"Others in our party had the gnocchi, the cavatelli with sausage, and the pappardelle with lamb, each of which was great."

Oh man is that some lazy writing.

Vineeth said...

Hi,

I'm a student reporter at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and reporter for the New York Times blog, The Local. I'm working on a story on the success formula for restaurants in growing neighborhoods like Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. I wanted to get your input as I understand you know a lot about the subject.

What do you think is the most important factor for a restaurant to succeed in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill?

What type of restaurants do you think stand out in small and growing neighborhoods?
Which in your opinion are some of the best restaurants in the area? Why?
In your experience, of the new restaurants that arise, which are the ones that last?
Any other restaurant trends you've noticed?

My deadline is Monday, so any time you can find to answer these questions and send me a mail would be great. Thank you so much.

Vineeth said...

Oh my email is vineethchacko@gmail.com

donuts4dinner said...

I lovelovelove Prime Meats. I live in Williamsburg, so Carroll Gardens isn't super convenient for me, but I still find reasons to go. (Buttermilk Channel is another I really enjoyed, actually, and have been meaning to blog about for months now.) I just checked out your Prime Meats review and realized that oh yeah, you're the reason I knew to order the olive oil cake despite the fact that it wasn't on the menu. Here's my review (and name drop), if you care to read: http://www.donuts4dinner.com/2009/11/24/restaurant-review-prime-meats/

Brian said...

Wow, sounds like you had a great time! And PM isn't too hard to get to from WB, just hop on the G! The horrible G that almost ruined my Super Bowl party (More on that later)

Glad to hear you got to try the olive oil cake. Definitely go during brunch and try a fresh one!

Scruffles said...

The G train sucks!

PS: The cavatelli and Doug's pecan pie sundae haunts me......mmmmmmmmm