Frankies 17's Clinton St. Expansion Almost Complete

Lower East Side: Diners waiting the standard hour or more for a two top at Frankies 17 on Clinton Street this weekend were greeted with a welcome surprise: their soon to debut second dining room next door is now being used as an overflow waiting area and private dining room. On Friday at 8, over a dozen people sat in the front half of the new room—a mirror image to the original space but with additional seats in lieu of a kitchen— drinking wine, waiting for their tables next door.

Managing partner Travis Kauffman tells us they still have to put in a wood floor (reclaimed from an old school house), add some finishing touches to the walls, and build a pathway between the two dining rooms, which are separated by a hallway inside a residential building. So, we're probably looking at a solid month or two before the space will be used as a fully functioning dining room. For the time being, it gives waiting guests a lot more breathing room and holiday parties looking for a scaled down space, a new potential home. Meanwhile, we hear the new Frankies out in Carroll Gardens is moving ever closer to completion.
· EaterWire: Frankies 17 to Expand, Double Seating Capacity [~E~]