Welcome to The Lowdown, a regular Paid Subscriber exclusive featuring what (and where) I’ve recently been eating and drinking.
On today’s The Lowdown…
It’s Officially Summer in Carroll Gardens when the Linguine with Spicy Crab Marinara Hits the Menu at Frankies.
Summer 2026 in a Glass (Literally) at Dante Aperitivo.
Snacking While Watching World Cup at Bar Ferdinando.
Singapore Slings and Smoked Pork Chops at Tavern Next Door.
Don’t Sleep on Ciao, Gloria’s “Miso Corny!” Cookies.
House of Pizza & Calzone’s Ham & Anchovy “BTP Special.”
Taste-Testing Salt & Straw Ice Cream’s Berry Series.
And more!
457 Court Street, Brooklyn, New York 11231
Since moving to Brooklyn in the spring of 2010, I don’t think a summer has passed me by where I haven’t posted up at Frankies 457 Spuntino in Carroll Gardens for their Linguine with Spicy Crab Marinara, a limited window dish that I think about all year long. The restaurant will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the site of my very first dinner in Brooklyn after the moving truck pulled away.
After running around on errands all morning on an oppressively muggy Friday that promised rain I called an audible and walked into Frankies, where I was immediately greeted by The Franks (owners Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo) who were holding court at a front table by the window, all the better to monitor the neighborhood action. With the oncoming rain they weren’t currently seating in the garden and Falcinelli said, “Post up at B1 at the bar. Take a load off and have a nice lunch.”
I started things off with a perfectly balanced and spirited Negroni to keep me occupied until the bartender brought out the pair of crostini I had ordered, Chicken Liver Mousse and Ricotta and Honey. Each crispy slice of toasted bread was topped with a fat quenelle of their respective topping and a crack of pepper, which bridged the gap from savory and velvety chicken liver mousse to sweet and tangy and creamy ricotta and honey (my all-time favorite from the crostini lineup and one I often serve at home when entertaining).
When the oversized shallow bowl of Linguine with Spicy Crab Marinara made an appearance it warranted my full attention and the first bite of the sweet crab and spicy marinara sparked a highlight reel of all the times I’ve had this dish each summer. I almost forgot to ask the bartender for a side plate of bread to sop up every bit of sauce, scarpetta style. I may need to get back from a Xerox of this experience while it’s still on the menu.
Without a doubt, sweet closers like Tiramisu, Vanilla Crème Brûlée, Ricotta Cheesecake, and a Chocolate Tart were all tempting, but my move is always the Red Wine Prunes & Mascarpone. I’ve shared this dish with skeptical friends and every time we’re both nearly dueling with our dessert spoons to see who can get the last bite of spiced, wine-soaked prune and tangy mascarpone.
51 Bank Street., New York, New York 10014
Last Friday as I navigated my usual route, taking me from the Flaitiron Eataly to the LEGO store to the Union Square Greenmarket to Breads Bakery to Dante West Village to Salt & Straw, I took a detour to Dante Aperitivo to take a break and beat the early afternoon heat with a midday refresher. While I had attended a visiting pop-up there two summers ago hadn’t been back since they officially opened but I had been quite taken with their scenic neighborhood location on Bank Street.
I was worried they were closed but I just happened to be the first person coming through ( the girlypops don’t start queueing up until late afternoon). Their GM, a stylish woman named Valentina welcomed me in and I recognized the charming Neapolitan bartender Federico Lombardi, the former Head Bartender at the acclaimed bar Paradiso in Barcelona.
While I had already sampled the Summer 2026 at Dante’s West Village outpost the memory lingered and had me craving it, especially on a particularly hot and sunny Friday afternoon. Dante always features a seasonal signature drink named simply after the season and year, and this summer’s offering really stands out with its blend of Código 1530 Rosa Tequila, Cocchi Rosa, freshly pressed watermelon juice, lime, topped with Perrier-Jouet Rosé and served on the rocks in a svelte highball garnished with a so-thin-its-nearly-see-through watermelon slice. Its juicy profile is super-refreshing and the kind of drink I wouldn’t mind drinking by the carafe.
When it was still relatively quiet before other guests joined me at the bars and sun-kissed tables by the windows, Val came over to introduce herself as she also writes about food culture, and it turns out we had a lot of mutual connections through our the Southern Foodways Alliance. She also wrote a moving essay for Gravy, SFA’s quarterly journal, about personal identity and community and how working in the service industry after moving to Texas from Colombia “began cracking open the safe where my Latina identity lay.” I recalled reading it in Gravy when it was first published last winter but unexpectedly meeting the very author in person was the highlight of my day. A bonus fun-fact: Julia Kuo, the talented artist who illustrated Val’s essay also illustrated all the spirited cats in my book Distillery Cats. Small world…
151 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.