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2 italian dinner in the east village


jeunefilleparis

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I unexpectedly and happily ate at Little Frankies or is it Little Franks on 1rst and 1rst. My friend and I chared a delicious prociutto and arugala pizza, very thin crust, not soggy. Prociutto was very flavorful. They have pasta specials every night. Fridays was an icredible rigatoni with mozzeralla, eggplant and spinache. I can not say enought good things about this. It was cooked to perfection, the top being a little crunchy from the melted cheese. they have a lovely garden inthe back too

ok east post next

L

"Is there anything here that wasn't brutally slaughtered" Lisa Simpson at a BBQ

"I think that the veal might have died from lonliness"

Homer

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Little Frankie's is the name, I do believe. I've never eaten there because, as a small place, they allowed smoking. Now that that's no longer an issue, I'll have to try the place.

Warning about East Post: Their pastas are absolutely humongous! Unless you don't eat anything the rest of the day and feel like you could eat a horse, hesitate to order an appetizer plus pasta, let alone a traditional Italian multi-course meal. I do find the food good there. Though I prefer places like Lavagna and Col Legno, they're more expensive. East Post is a good value, but I'd happily pay the same price for about 1/3 less food.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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As far as I'm concerned, East Post is a must to avoid...not getting into Mermaid, we decided to give it a try.

The first clue was the warm bread basket that came with some sort of cold tomatoey dip - yipes. My caesar salad was awful (why is it so hard for restaurants to make a decent caesar?!), my wife's pasta fagioli was not much better, and our "rib eye" steak came from no rib eye of any cow I've ever seen - more like a slice of sirloin...our side of spinach sauteed in garlic and oil was passable, and my Borgo chianti was drinkable...I knew we should have walked down to Lil Frankies or up to Sobaya - live and learn.

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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Little Frankie's is the name, I do believe.

Actually, it is Lil' Frankie's, as I learned when the directory assistance operator could find nothing listed for Little Frankie's, which left me unable to call them when I'd wanted to. However, upon arrival, I made note of the name on the door... Lil' is the word you want to tell the operator if you're looking for their number.

Christopher D. Holst aka "cdh"

Learn to brew beer with my eGCI course

Chris Holst, Attorney-at-Lunch

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i m sorry that your meal at east post was bad. my pasta last saturday was amazing, it was a penne special with warm asparagus, sauteed shrimp and diced tomatoes in a white wine sauce. I didnt find the portion to be too big since i ate a beef carpaccio salad before that and 2 pieces of bread,,,,, but i have a huge appetite:)

tonight i m going to March to eat, will report back soon!

"Is there anything here that wasn't brutally slaughtered" Lisa Simpson at a BBQ

"I think that the veal might have died from lonliness"

Homer

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The first clue was the warm bread basket that came with some sort of cold tomatoey dip - yipes.

I actually like the dip, but it's made from red bell peppers, and it's no good for me (I clearly have an allergy to bell peppers). But the solution for people like you and me is to ask for olive oil and dip the bread in it. I really don't require any other type of spread for bread in an Italian restaurant.

I've had the pasta e fagioli, and while it certainly doesn't compare to what you can get in an average restaurant in Siena, I found it hearty and enjoyable enough for the price and location (essentially a couple of blocks from my apartment).

I really can't comment on the rest of your dishes, as I haven't ordered them (except for perhaps the spinach?). I don't think I've ever gotten a side dish at East Post (maybe the first time I went?), because their portions are so oversized. I will say this, though: I would assume that its specialties are pasta and fish (and perhaps seafood, though I'm careful about shellfish). For the record, I've found all of the pasta and fish dishes I've gotten at East Post to be at least satisfactory and usually solidly good. While the quality of its food and ambiance are clearly inferior to places like Col Legno and Lavagna, its prices are about half as expensive. So perhaps the watchword is to order carefully there or eat elsewhere.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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Well, I guess if the dip was red pepper I couldn't tell because it was so cold!

And to be honest, the bread wasn't worth dipping in anything.

As you said, "the quality of its food and ambience are clearly inferior..." - then why would you want to spend ANY money there at all?

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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As you said, "the quality of its food and ambience are clearly inferior..." - then why would you want to spend ANY money there at all?

Yes, it's inferior to restaurants that are twice as expensive. Why would I want to spend any money at all there? Frankly, I find that a silly question. You had a bad meal there. I haven't. Once more, in context:

I've found all of the pasta and fish dishes I've gotten at East Post to be at least satisfactory and usually solidly good. While the quality of its food and ambiance are clearly inferior to places like Col Legno and Lavagna, its prices are about half as expensive.

Now, based on my experience, are you telling me that if you were me, you wouldn't go back? Frankly, I can't spend some $25 on dinner every night. If money were no object, things would be different, obviously.

But none of this has anything to do with the fact that you had a bad meal. There's no reason for you to go back, regardless of how much the food costs.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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Actually, I don't really like to tell anyone how to spend their money! Sorry for the silly question.

You are correct that I won't go back, and I was trying to provide a service by letting others know what I thought - one of the ways I judge a restaurant is whether I would send anyone there - and quite frankly, I wouldn't. Another way is if they can make a decent classic like a Caesar salad, and they can't. They also take liberty with some of the menu items - the rib eye wasn't.

One of my favorite things to do is spend as little money as possible, and get decent food - in that nabe Lil Frankies foots the bill better (imo) than EP - so does Hasaki, Congee Village, the Natural Restaurant, Flor's Kitchen...

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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