Frank Castronovo 'Fesses Up to Frankies' PDX Expansion

Image of Frank Falcinelli (left) and Frank Castronovo (right) in their NYC restaurant courtesy Metromix

Brooklyn's famous Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo, the two bearded Italian-restaurant restaurateurs, were instrumental in getting Stumptown's Duane Sorenson to bring good coffee to NYC. Now, he's returning the favor.

At a book launch party (for the newly released The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual) at — where else? — Stumptown, Frank Castrovono confirms that it was Duane's idea to bring the Frankies brand to Portland, and the duo's first non-NYC expansion will live in the SE Division space next to the original Stumptown. "It's a city and community that will really enjoy what we're doing," Castronovo says, adding that the Frankies Spuntino formula of old-world, nostalgic Italian cooking would remain completely intact, in a straight transplant of Frankies to PDX.

To get the restaurant off the ground, Castronovo says that both Franks will be a heavy presence in Portland prior to the launch ("sometime in 2011"). "We're gonna come out with all our people and just bring the vibe," he says, adding that an exchange program — like the one Sorenson implemented in his NYC and Amsterdam Stumptown outposts — will help recruit and train kitchen staff. "[Portland] is so rich in the quality of people, people who want to learn. It's a rich city."
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