To the New Orleanian who doesn't come down to the French Quarter much, Frank's looks like an opportunistic tourist joint. And like all businesses in the neighborhood of the French Market, visitors are a large part of the clientele. But Frank's credentials as a real New Orleans Italian restaurant go two generations deep, and eating there is surprisingly good. The place specializes in muffulettas by day, with local Italian standards cooked carefully into the night.
Frank Gagliano opened his muffuletta shop on Decatur Street in 1965. The Italian culture still dominated that part of the Quarter, as it had for 75 years. When his sons came of age the operation expanded into a neighborhood-style, full-menu restaurant. One of the brothers left a few years to open his own restaurant--Ristorante Filippo in Metairie.
The bottom floor could be anywhere in Italy, with its crammed-in counter, tables, cases of beer, wine racks, and service bar. The setup is to facilitate the sale of muffulettas at lunch. It's not at all unpleasant for dinner, but upstairs is a nicer room with a balcony overlooking the river. The steepness of that climb keep the more colorful older waiters downstairs, though--and joking around with the waiters is part of the fun. I always stay downstairs.
Ask to have the muffuletta unheated. At dinner, ask the waiter what he might be able to get the kitchen to do specially for you. It doesn't seem that everything they serve is actually on the menu.
| Attitude | 2 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 3 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 1 |
| Wine | 0 |
