The Franks of Frankies 457 Spuntino fame have so many real and rumored projects in the air that it’s getting pretty hard to keep the facts straight. According to owner Frank Castronovo, despite reports of their new Court Street café’s soft opening, the name has yet to be printed correctly. Here it is, from the horse’s mouth: Cafe Pedlar (and if you really want to say it right, you should pronounce it in the good ol’ Carroll Gardens way as “Cafe Pedlah”). The name was inspired by the late Vincent “Jimmy the Peddler” Cincotta, one of the city’s last horse-and-cart vendors and father of local produce man Carmine, who owns the property. The project is part of a partnership with Duane Sorenson, the man behind Stumptown Coffee Roasters (we hear he’s the one pulling the shots now), and an impromptu offshoot of the yet-to-open Stumptown roastery and Frankies café in Red Hook, called Delightful Coffee Shop.

The bar at Prime Meats (Photo: Daniel Krieger)

Having just opened the bar portion of his new venture, Prime Meats, co-owner Frank Castronovo provides some more details on the timeline for full-scale operation. According to Castronovo, in recent weeks “the bar has been open Thursdays to Saturdays to accommodate overflow from Frankies [457 Spuntino], but this particular week, because we received our health certificate, we decided to open the front door.” Right now, only the cocktail menu is available, with beer and wine most likely coming sometime next week, and limited bar food by the first week of March; full use of the dining room—with the entire restaurant menu—is still about three months away. Operating hours will probably vary, but the goal is to be open seven days a week starting March 5, from morning to late night (look for Stumptown coffee and breakfast treats in the a.m. by the second week of March).

Prime Meats, 465 Court St at Luquer St, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (718-254-0327). Cash only.