NEW FRANKIES Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo have come back to Manhattan with Frankies 17 Spuntino (17 Clinton St., between Houston and Stanton streets, 212-253-2303). This is the two Franks’ second “spuntino” – which means a snack or light meal in Italian. They also own Frankies 457 Spuntino in Brooklyn (457 Court St., between 4th Place and Luquer Street, 718-403-0033). Mr. Falcinelli cooked for movie stars and hipsters, first at Moomba in New York and then at Moomba in Los Angeles, but that doesn’t make him a culinary slouch. Before cooking for the stars, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.; spent time cooking in France, and worked under Charlie Palmer and David Burke in New York before opening his own highly acclaimed restaurant, Culinary Renaissance, in Metuchen, N.J.

Mr. Castronovo worked under French chef Paul Bocuse and then David Bouley before opening Jean Claude, a bistro in SoHo.

Both of their current restaurants serve homey, southern Italian food. The Manhattan location is currently just open for dinner, and does not take reservations.

BIG BUDDHA After numerous delays, Buddha Bar (25 Little W est 12th St., between W ashington Street and Ninth Avenue, 212-647-7314) opened last night. The gargantuan, 600-plus-seat space, dominated by a giant black lacquered Buddha, features sushi and other Asian-influenced fare as well as dark lighting and DJs. A discreet, glass-enclosed, roofless atrium between the “Buddha Dining Room” and sushi bar provides a place for smokers to indulge without facing the indignity of standing outside.

21 CLUB Cafe Condesa (183 W. 10th St., between Seventh Avenue South and West 4th Street, 212-352-0050) a 21-seat eatery, opened quietly last week.The chef, Luis Mota, who worked under Simpson Wong at Jefferson, is cooking on an induction stove because a gas burner would overwhelm the little restaurant. Lunch sandwiches include a pressed Cubano and a croque monsieur. Dinner features all-appetizer-size salads, pastas, meat, and fish. The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. until midnight or 1 a.m., depending on the day. For the next week or so you will have to bring your own wine. After that a list of wines from Spain, Mexico, France, and America will be offered.

YUM YUM Also in the West Village, Yummy Shawarmy (717 Seventh Ave. at Bleecker Street, 212-989-7170) is up and running, serving mostly standard Middle Eastern fare, but with low-calorie sauces.

TO MEAT OR NOT TO MEAT Vegetarians, vegans, and Matthew Kenney fans lost a dining option recently when Heirloom (191 Orchard St., between Houston and Stanton streets) closed on April 16. Mr. Kenney, the chef and managing partner, said the restaurant was only temporarily shuttered while he explored legal options in addressing an impasse with other investors.”It is important to me that Heirloom adheres to its original vision and is reflective of the creativity and service that people have come to expect from my establishments,” he said in a statement. A spokeswoman interpreted that as: “Matthew wanted to keep the restaurant vegetarian, while investors had other ideas.”

Mr. Thorn is food editor at Nation’s Restaurant News. He can be reached at bthorn@nrn.com.