rose's: review (opening night)

This is the first night of full menu food service at Rose's which occupies what was the original Franny's around the corner from me.

Franny herself was working the room. I told her what a time warp this was for me because I came to the opening of Franny's eleven or twelve years ago. She said it was a time warp for her too, and she remembered me from back in the days.

They have thoughtfully redone the interior with hard-to-describe school benches with dowels to put your feet on. There are several "booths for two" along the much longer bar and bench-booths nearer the kitchen (which now can only be seen through a window in a wall). There is art on the walls, bric-a-brac, a TV, a vintage amp, and other hard-to-figure-out details.

The menu is minimalist: some olives, a cheese sandwich, a burger, a pork chop. That's about it. Nice wine by the glass, and prices are reasonable by Franny standards: $9, $11 a glass.

Franny's children were roaming and climbing on bar stools, but they are savvy restaurant children. The crowd was not recognizable as coming from the Prospect Heights that I know, but things change.

The burger is quite good: wood-grilled beef on a soft sesame bun with cheese and fries. No tomato, no lettuce, no onion. No offer of ketchup (I approve).

We shared a hot fudge sundae for dessert: equally minimalist. One ball of vanilla, one ball of chocolate, house-made sauce and fragments of peanut brittle.

Prices are reasonable. Andrew Feinberg, the original chef of Franny's, is at the stove, flipping burgers (we saw little else emerge from the kitchen).

You could accuse Rose's of pandering to The New Middle Brow. The TV is pretentiously unpretentious. Or you could see the glass as half full and enjoy the fact that Rose's aims to please.

Grade: B

Rose's 295 Flatbush Ave.

rosesbklyn.com

718.230.0427

Monday and Tuesdays: Bar with snacks.

Wednesdays onward: Full menu