Snack Attack: Escargot Toast at Frenchie

Courtesy of CBH Communications

A tough and chewy pile of snails can ruin a restaurant experience. At the South End’s newest, Frenchie, however, the escargot passes with flying colors. This version comes out melting and sizzling in butter, poured over a piece of bread. The strong and crispy slice is a perfect alternative to the escargot fork.

Since it opened in late January, the small and low-lit restaurant has been filled with conversation, glasses of wine, and good French food.

“We wanted to do some classic French things that people recognize, and some twists,” says Frenchie chef Alex Falconer.

The menu features plenty of these, from white wine-soaked mussels with smoky chorizo, to drumstick coq au vin with nutty farro. And the escargot toast is no exception. Usually served in a ceramic dish with rounded compartments to hold the shells, the chef decided to take a different route by featuring it atop Francese bread from Iggy’s in Cambridge. Savory toasts like these are trending right now in Boston’s food scene, and Falconer is a big fan.

“I figured, why not just throw it on a toast and make it a little more fun and not as classic? Spruce it up a little bit,” he says.

More specifically, Falconer uses Burgundy snails for the dish, and cooks them in a broth of shallots and white wine along with garlic butter, herb butter, parsley, chervil, and—of course—more butter. Once simmered to a silky perfection, he pours the luxurious concoction over the toast.

“Get good snails and treat ’em right, you know?” he says.

Falconer has been treating the snails—and other dishes—so good, in fact, that the volume of demand has led the restaurant to launch lunch hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. within a month of opening. Luckily for you, Frenchie’s new hours give you an excuse to order this snack with a nice glass of white wine throughout the day.

$9, Frenchie, 560 Tremont St., South End, 857-233-5941, frenchieboston.com.