Frank’s Trattoria
371 First Avenue between 21st and 22nd Streets
New York, NY 10010
(212) 677 7141

Imagine going into a restaurant and being completely surprised by every aspect of your dining experience. First, in order to enter the restaurant at Frank’s Trattoria, you must first walk through the take-away pizzeria. Upon walking through the swinging door into the area demarcated as the “Dining Area” by the neon sign above the aforementioned door, you enter a bustling, tightly packed space with paintings and furniture reminiscent of a senior center circa 1976. If you were to keep one foot in the dining room and one foot in the pizzeria, your body would be covering a 20-year gap.

I was excited for a rich, hearty, authentically Italian plate of pasta. The menu was basic: ravioli, lasagna, carbonara, alfredo, puttanesca, bolognese, and the list continued onto the next page of meat dishes and seafood. I was out in search of a winning pasta dish at Frank’s; therefore, I overlooked the meats and seafoods. Although I was ready to place my order after a quick read, the curt service didn’t allow for even an exchange between me and the server. Being snubbed by the server only increased my interest in Frank’s Trattoria – I was ready to dive into a gargantuan plate of Italian splendor – food that was so good that the servers carried an air of the Soup Nazi. After I ordered, the hostess/owner who seemed to run the show at Frank’s, brought an antipasta salad and Italian bread that was basic but did a good job satiating my increasing hunger. I waited another 30 minutes to receive my meal: spaghetti bolognese and farfalle carbonara. Pasta was served in a modest-sized bowl that seemed to fit the décor of the restaurant and its size indicated that pasta is simply a first course and not an entire meal at Frank’s. Both pasta dishes were absolutely authentic. Authentic in the way home cooked food is. However, it was merely that – a home-cooked, no frills Italian meal. My bolognese was salty yet plain at the same time, and the best part about it was the al dente pasta. The carbonara was a step up: tasty although soupy. One pasta dish may be able to satisfy an appetite but one would be safer sharing another dish or getting an appetizer, as well. The meal was reasonably priced – each pasta dish cost about $10. Salads hovered around $5.

Frank’s does, however, have great thin crust pizza and they deliver in the neighborhood. I don’t intend on venturing into the “Dining Area” again for a while, but I will continue ordering their pizza, calzones, and well-portioned take away salads (mozzarella and tomato, Caesar) from the comfort of my home.