A Peachy's Pick Since 2012, Frankie and Johnnie's Est. 1926 37th Street Winter 2018 Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. Read our first Culinary Queen interview with Kelly Sasuga:
For more information about Fresh Origins, visit their website at
...and they even have a gorgeous Chandelier!
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know to start off the New Year right we should start off with a bang. How do we differentiate the elite from the great? One way is to try the steak, and we certainly love steakhouses, particularly steakhouses where the owner is always there attending to every last detail and you know this happens at Frankie and Johnnie's. We first visited this venue at their original Manhattan location, and since it closed, we have been visiting owner Peter Chimos, the Greek God of Steaks at the 46th street location. Since we cover the NHL (read nearly 850 NHL Peachy Posts here) and we know that Rangers games make everyone hungry, we decided to visit their second Manhattan location this time at 37th Street. Even Henrik told us how dinner is important here; and if you don't live in New York you should know his is our King. Here are Peter and Peachy last time:
Frankie and Johnnie's has been a Peachy's Pick since 2012:
It was most recently featured in the Spring of 2017:
Peter has been in the restaurant industry longer than Peachy has existed and when he acquired Frankie and Johnnie's, he did so with his brother-in-law, Russ's dad. Peter's nephew and also an owner, Russ Panopoulos, is an absolute delight to work with and he is at the helm of 37th street and we were pleased to meet him. The 37th street location is especially ideal for MSG, the theater, the garment district and is now popular with Tammy, otherwise known as technology brands, as they have quite the diverse clientele. We understand Amazon and Google are nearby.
You can't have it all everywhere.
In a perfect restaurant world, of course the cuisine would be phenomenal, the people at all levels would be superlative, the presentation would be pristine, the history would be spectacular and the venue would be breathtaking.
You can have it all in Manhattan, which is why we live here.
And, you can have all of these qualities at Frankie and Johnnie's 37th Street.
We did miss you Peter, but we just loved the upstairs of this location, 32 West 37th Street, the third location of Frankie and Johnnie's after the Rye, New York location opened in 2002. This location was built in 1926 and it is an absolute bastion of class and style. It will remind you of the best years of New York (we weren't born yet but we have a history degree...) that live on today only at the finest venues of Manhattan. We also even liked the music and recognized Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong playing in the background.
So, look closely. Can you tell what this building was before it was Frankie and Johnnie's?
It was John Barrymore's townhouse. You must see the fireplace in the back and the gorgeous ceiling which we understand are original. Drew, we don't think you eat meat but you should know that all non-meat items were just as smashing and it would be fabulous to see you here!
This is a destination restaurant, and you can tell it is not run by a big restaurant group that will treat you like a factory and have employees turnover that don't care about you. Every last detail was perfect in our first experience here.
There is no great steakhouse without a convincing selection of wine, and we were impressed with the selection at this location.
We applaud their salad selection and we like that we see five choices. Salads are a total must at dinner as part of your meal, not the point of your meal (steak!). We chose the Frankie and Johnnie's classic salad that arrives perfectly chopped. Composed of tomatoes, peppers, onions, iceberg and mushrooms, this salad can be trusted to arrive dressed properly. At this time of year not everyone has high quality vegetables but they do here!
If you are not in Manhattan, you should know that we have been FREEZING and cannot remember when it was this cold for this long. Freezing, which is 32F, would be balmy compared to the weather we are living in now which is what we would think the Arctic is like. Soup is an even better idea in this weather.
We just loved the French Onion soup, the epitome of heartiness that hits the spot and warms you up. The onions were all about chunky warm goodness and the fresh mozzarella on top is a dream. The amount of cheese used was perfect, and you too will be highly enthused by this soup.
If you are a pescatarian like our friend Chrishaunda, you will revel in the divine flavor of the sea, namely the fabulous Broiled Salmon. It was triumphantly medium rare, farm-raised in the Pacific and boasted fresh, sensational flavor. It is sunshine on a cloudy day.
When it's cold outside, who needs the month of May when you have Filet Mignon? Especially when it is coiffed with a mushroom cap and arrives in style with Bearnaise?
We just loved the carnivorous splendor with its Mushroom Top Hat; it is from the Colorado/Nebraska region.
Every succulent bite of tender juicy ecstasy will make your day.
The pictures tell the truth and are always unedited.
Their signature knives are also a nice touch.
Both the side of creamed spinach, which has great color like the rolling green hills of Ireland, and the garlic mashed potatoes, which have splendid consistency and authenticity, are ideal companions to your entree. We just loved them.
Daniel Ouatu, Peachy Deegan and Salvatore Leal
Frankie and Johnnie's continues to be Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
