Belmont Stakes to Provide True Taste of New York

NEW YORK, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Racing Association, Inc. and Centerplate, the leading hospitality provider to North America's premier sports stadiums, entertainment venues and convention centers, will partner once again with chefs and proprietors of Brooklyn's Frankies 457 and Manhattan's Frankies 17, two of New York City's most-recognized Italian restaurants. Chef Frank Falcinelli and Chef Frank Castronovo will create a menu featuring local foods, premier wines, and signature cocktails for this year's Belmont Stakes.  The Belmont Stakes, the final race in the Triple Crown series, draws big crowds, and in recent runnings, Centerplate has served more than 100,000 guests.  

This year marks Centerplate's 16th hosting of the race, and the chefs join Belmont's accomplished hospitality team led by Drew Revella, Centerplate's onsite executive responsible for Centerplate's services at both Belmont Park and the Saratoga Race Course.

Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli grew up in Queens, just around the corner from Belmont Park and as kids, the two would often ride their dirt bikes to the track. The two Franks, both veterans of gourmet kitchens, created a menu filled with new classics: Italian American comfort food re-imagined with great ingredients and greenmarket sides.  The Franks' philosophy on food is to "make the past the hippest part of the present."

This year's menu includes:

• Sliced Ribeye with Heirloom Tomato & Red Onion Salad
• Frankies Meatballs with Pine Nuts & Raisins
• House-Made Cavatelli with Faiccos Hot Sausage & Browned Sage Butter
• Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Coleslaw, Remoulade & Buttermilk Biscuit

This year's menu offerings will extend throughout the day with a special sandwich and Roman pizza service from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.

"This is a hospitality design exercise in translating the Belmont Stakes into food and hospitality," says John Sergi, Chief Design Officer of Centerplate. "The Belmont is quintessentially New York—the democratic Triple Crown Race—so we went for making the food understandable and home grown, and went way more focused than local, taking the experience to a neighborhood level.  The Derby may have its mint juleps, but the Belmont has Frankies' Meatballs!" The new signature offering is a key feature of Centerplate's commitment to culinary excellence enhancing the overall fan experience and reinforcing the sense of hospitality at Belmont Park.

Frankies menu will be offered in the Garden Terrace Restaurant, Belmont's premier restaurant overlooking the finish line. Their menu will also be featured in the Belmont Cafe and the backyard's Marquee tent.

About Centerplate

Centerplate crafts and delivers "Craveable Experiences. Raveable Results." in 250 prominent sports, entertainment and convention venues across North America. Centerplate has provided services to 12 Super Bowls, 20 World Series, key events for the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Art Basel Miami Beach, 15 official U.S. Presidential Inaugural Balls and the largest plated dinner in history at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Celebration.  Visit the company online at www.centerplate.com.

About the Chefs

Frank Falcinelli has worked in Michelin two-star restaurants in France, with chefs Charlie Palmer and David Burke in New York, and was a partner and chef in the New York hot spot Moomba. He lives in Brooklyn with his French bulldog, Frankies mascot Merlin.

Frank Castronovo trained with such culinary superstars as Jacques Pepin and France's Paul Bocuse. In 2003, he opened Frankies 457 Spuntino with childhood friend Frank Falcinelli. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

SOURCE Centerplate

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