This homey, brick-walled Italian spot is bigger than it seems–walk past the long, wine-bottle-lined bar up front and you’ll find a cluster of tables in the back, with happy couples sipping glasses of wine and noshing on elegantly prepared, seasonal food like butternut squash soup and house-made gnocchi with fresh ricotta. There’s plenty to share here; choose from a selection of cured meats, cheeses, salads and crostini or go for a larger dish, like braised short ribs or sweet sausage over polenta. The Frankie’s folks also have a fantastic, upscale version of the BLT–no limp lettuce or generic bread in sight. In fact, this place is so good that it begat its own Manhattan spin-off, right on the Lower East Side’s Clinton Street.