There are great meals and then there's The Dish. That perfect plate of food you think about—and long for—while forlornly poking lesser fare with your fork. In the inaugural edition of The Dish, writer John DeVore revisits what is, to him, the best restaurant dessert in the game: "I normally avoid prunes unless my doctor suggests them but I have been converted. I could eat this dish every night, forever."
The Scene: First things first: I am not a fan of restaurant desserts. I would rather eat ice cream while walking home, thank you. You can miss me with molten chocolate cakes or fancy, Bourbon-infused bread puddings. I'm not, nor will I ever be, interested in the sorbet. But it was my bestie Sammy, after splitting Frankies 457 Spuntino’s one order of cavatelli with hot sausage and browned sage butter and another of the excellent sweet potato ravioli during a spontaneous early dinner/life catch-up, that she enthusiastically ordered what sounded like, to me, a dessert comprised of high-fiber stone fruits and cream cheese drowned. No. No, thank you, ma'am. Well, this is the story of how a man can change.
The Dish: Frankies 457's Wine-Stewed Prunes and Mascarpone
The course: Dessert
The Ingredients: Plums, cinnamon, sugar, red wine, and mascarpone
The Legend: In its original review of Frankies 457 Spuntino, The New York Times called their prune dish "perfect." More recently, New York Magazine confirmed the prunes are "as good as ever."
"It's pretty fucking elegant. You know, for two ingredients," says Frank Castronovo, co-owner of Frankies 457. " It's not a cloying dish, which is what I like about it. It wasn't too sweet. It's easily shareable."
"When it hits the table, it's perfect," says Frank Falcinelli, aka Frank F., the spot’s other co-owner. "It's absolutely undeniable."
The Origin Story: "Prior to Frankies opening, we ate at Lupa and Mark Ladner had a dessert on the menu, dates and mascarpone," says Frank C. "I always thought it was too sweet."
"We wanted to do a lighter dessert. As a young chef in southwest France, prunes are a big thing," he says.
"So we just adapted prunes to that recipe. The prunes have acid, and the dates don't."
Frankie C. also remembers: "We opened bottles of wine from the restaurant we had leftover. We added some cinnamon and a little sugar, then reduced the mixture with the prunes, and topped it with the mascarpone. It's so easy and works so well."
And something magical happens when they're stewed in wine. "It softens them up," says Frank F. "It makes a nice juice, juicy, light syrup for a sauce."
The First Bite: Consider the prune.
In the now-classic Zuni Café Cookbook, chef Judy Rodgers celebrates simple ingredients, including the prune — a dried plum, one of the most unfairly maligned fruits in American culture. Too often it’s treated as a natural laxative, when in fact it’s a luxurious, fleshy, not-too-sweet superstar. Rodgers steeps prunes in black tea and suggests serving them with fatty proteins like duck, or simply “for breakfast.”
I thought of her earlier this summer when a friend insisted I order “the prunes” at Frankies 457, after we had devoured plates of perfectly cooked pasta and even more perfectly seasoned meatballs.
My prejudice wasn’t anything special.
“You’re not the only one. Actually, that’s a pretty common reaction to that dish. It’s just like, oh, prunes. You think of grandma,” says Frank C.
“I think they get a very bum deal,” adds Frank F.
"And I think this dessert, one by one, has changed people’s minds about how delicious prunes can be. At the end of the day, it’s a plum. Do you really hate plums? No."
The verdict: Forget Crème brûlée or seasonal fruit tarts. This is the perfect restaurant dessert, unfussy and perfectly balanced. Frankies 457's prunes and mascarpone—a rich Italian cream cheese—is fatty and tangy, warm and creamy, sweet and mellow. It's a perfect end to a meal because it doesn't work too hard to impress. The night's over, time for a hug, and off you go.
Go check in at Frankies 457 Spuntino with Blackbird, earn some $FLY, and be sure to save room for the Wine-Stewed Prunes and Mascarpone.
On my way