The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual

But the recipes are not the recipes of my youth. My grandmother never, ever put pork in her sauce. Italian cooking is as varied as every family cooking it. Satisfaction comes from the tastes with which you are familiar, so a lot of these didn't grab me.

This was the perfect gift for my boyfriend who was raised in Brooklyn in an Italian family. Chock full of interesting stories, tips and recipes. Beautifully printed and bound too!

I am a New Jersey girl of Polish decent, who grew-up in a mostly Italian/Polish neighborhood. I've been making meatballs and sauce the way my Italian mother-in-law made them for the past 46 years. I have tried eating meatballs in many Italian restaurants, but they were never as good as my own. However, when my daughter made the Frankies Spuntino recipe for meatballs and Sunday Sauce, I had to admit that they were the best meatballs I have ever had and the Sunday Sauce was wonderful too. I couldn't wait to buy The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual for my very own and yes, I made them for my "significant-other," who couldn't believe how really great they were.Although I will still make my own meatballs and sauce from my worn-out, olive oil-stained recipe book, I will make The Frankies' meatballs and Sunday Sauce with no reservations...I have no need to try anymore meatballs. I have now been to "Meatball Nervana."Thank you to the Frankies for their great recipes. I look forward to trying more from this book.

I bought this book because Frankie Farcinelli is distantly related to me. HE even has a photo of my grandmother's sister in the book. I never visited his restaurant, but the recipes are straight forward. This cookbook is most notable for the stories that envelope these recipes that speak of Italian grandmothers and families enjoy the Italian-American culture.

The beautiful binding with gold imprints and closed book page coloration makes this a natural gift item. The pen drawing illustrations inside are exquisite. They are of framing quality. The recipes are a little different than what you might rxpect in the average Italian cookbook. The two health-conscious chef authors explain why. This id a charming cookbook and I will be gifting it to my foodie friends with a bottle of white truffle oil for Christmas.

I visited this restaurant a couple of weeks ago, and had some of the best food I had ever tasted. Pure and simple, excellent quality, I couldn't wait to get the book and start cooking! This book is everything you could hope for in a cookbook. The recipes are clearly explained, the ingredients are easy to get ( you probably have most of them), and the resulting dishes are absolutely delicious. I tried three recipes over the last holiday weekend, and my family and guests were delighted. The Sunday Sauce and Meatballs are wonderful! A bonus is the excellent narrative that accompanies the recipes; funny, practical and smart; you won't be able to resist trying this food. I collect cookbooks,and this one is going to spend alot of time in the kitchen with me, not so much time on the shelf.

I saw these guys on the Martha Stewart Show making meatballs! They talked about their restaurant for which the book is named. I finally got it! WOW! Not only is it helpful in knowing what items and products are needed in the kitchen, it is a wonderful story as well. The pictures are terrific, the recipes are terrific and, I would image, the food served at Frankie's is Terrific! I can't wait to visit NYC to try it out! If you want to learn more about the art of Italian cooking from the stand point of guys that grew up eating this food, get this book! You will enjoy it for years to come.

Great book - most cookbooks, you look up a recipe, go to the page, and maybe read any relevant content for a page or two before just going off the recipe. This book is actually readable, from cover to cover. A quick background on the guys, tips on gear/gadgets and how best to stock your kitchen, then on to the food. One of my big complaints with cookbooks is being told "this is how it's done" or "you only do it this way", without being told why. I'm left wondering "if I don't do it this way, will it suck, will it just be more watery, will it be a total disaster?" Here, they tell you what they do, and why they do it. Good stuff

I felt like this book could have delivered so much more on its initial promise maybe I’m missing something?

Living in London now, but coming from New York, finding this on Amazon was amazing as I've always missed their cavatelli especially. The Lower East Side restaurant, which I think has closed since I left, was my favorite Italian restaurant in New York; though they still have their main Brooklyn establishment. Some of it may take some effort to put to use in England (measurements and some of the terms), and some of the ingredients will vary from what might be available in America, but would be well worth it to anyone that is willing.

This is a cookbook that everyone who cooks should have, there are some great recipes and they are easy to follow just like Russell Norman's first book Polpo.I would recommend that anyone buying this book would not be disappointed.

Part of Christmas present for my son in law who loves it!

I loved some of their approaches to pasta- so simple you can't believe the tastes