Profile

The brick-walled, tin-ceilinged spuntino is less than a restaurant (though the food's terrific), more than a bar (affable bartender, respectable Negroni), and already, in its infancy, the sort of homey, affordable, drop-in-anytime place that gives interlopers from distant zip codes a serious case of neighborhood envy. The menu reads like a shopping list, with mix-and-match categories for beans and grains, vegetables, meats, and cheeses, plus a choice of sandwich breads and fillings. But the ingredients are prime (and often organic) and the chefs make the most of them, whether they're dressing long leaves of verdant puntarelle with fragrant olive oil, capers, and anchovies, grating pecorino over bitter escarole, or roasting Brussels sprouts and acorn squash till they're irresistibly sweet. — Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

Brunch

Sat.—Sun., 11 a.m.—4 p.m.

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite's Full Review (10/18/04)

Best of New York Awards

• The Best New Restaurant That Isn’t Masa or Per Se (2005)

Featured In

• Cheap Eats Guide 2006 (8/7/06)

Recipes at Frankies 457 Spuntino

• Orecchiette With Horseradish and Parmesan (2007)
• Cured Sardines and Puntarelle Salad (2006)
• Heirloom-Tomato-and-Avocado Salad (2005)