Celebrating Spring with Brooklyn's Italian Eats

Arancini at Esposito's Pork Store, Brooklyn.

Oh, spring. You tease. Saturday was a gorgeous day. Sunny, no wind—I walked a few blocks in short sleeves with no chill. My skin hummed with happiness in the blue sky and warm air. By the time Sunday morning rolled around, it was all over. The clouds rolled in, the sky got dark, and today it’s violently windy and gray (okay, as I type this the sun is peeking out, but just barely).

However, J and I did all we could to suck up the sun while it shone. We took a leisurely stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, then down Court Street through neighborhoods of Cobble and Boerum Hill. Our first food stop was Esposito’s Pork Store, where we admired the sausages hanging from the ceiling and the thick cut pork chops in the cold case. We ordered baseball-size arancini—fried rice balls stuffed with cheese (mine) meat sauce (J's). The gregarious counterman heated them for us, wrapped 'em up, and we took them to a kid-filled park up the street. With many napkins in hand, we devoured our treats—mine was marvelously stuffed with a combination of mozzarella and fresh ricotta.

Still hungry, we ambled further down Court to Frankies Spuntino 457, a modern take on a traditional Italian sandwich joint. We found seats at the bright bar, and ordered up a couple of Italian white wines. J then settled on the sausage and broccoli rabe sandwich, while I went for eggplant marinara. He made the better choice. I wasn’t a huge fan of my sandwich’s sauce—it was neither sweet nor spicy, instead rather watery and boring. His sausages (from Faicco's Pork Store) were fantastic, however, and I loved the pairing with the bitter rabe.

I’m crossing my fingers for another day like Saturday….soon!!

Esposito's Pork Store
357 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231

Frankie's Spuntino 457 (they also have a location in Manhattan)
457 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-403-0033