As I sat
down for dinner last week my only focus was how good the place smelt and how
fast my food would come to me. It is a place I have been to since I was little
and each time I return it seems to just get better and better. It is a local
place without much fanfare. But the food is amazing and as a result of recent
renovations it looks like a modern version of its original glory.
While I
waited for my food I looked up at the new brightly colored menu signs and tried
hard not to add more food to my order. That’s when I realized that my latest
blogs have included good food with a link to the name, Frank. Where it’s the
name of the place or the chef that seems to be a good sign of what you are in
for. It was at that moment I decided this easygoing meal would have to be
written up to finish this theme. I took it all as a sign.
I took
out my cell phone and decided I would take just a few basic pictures of my food
to illuminate my love for this food. Italian food can be found just out
anywhere nowadays. Some might even count going to a Sbarro’s in a mall food
court. I cannot even go there mentally.
My oldest
memories of Frank’s begin from the age of five or six. I vividly remember
coming to dinner with my family to this restaurant every Wednesday after I went
to CCD class (religion class that we got out of school early for). It was a
ritual before I even knew what that meant. All I knew was that I couldn’t wait
for class to be over so that I could go and eat. The meal would arrive at the
table on a circle-shaped tray and that image has always stayed with me. The
fresh out of the oven, piping hot pizza was a thing of beauty. It may look like
any other pizzeria pizza but the taste it what separates it from any
competition. That vision has remained in my mind all of these years, just like
the fact that we always took a booth in the back, and even how the bathroom use
to look.
It had
been awhile before I went back to this pizza haven. There were the years in college
and after where I wasn’t the foodie I am now. But there is a certain bit of my
soul that remains there because it is a part of my history.
When I go
now I still like to see the silver tray they are carrying out the pizza on. I
swear that’s what makes it taste better. I still sit in a booth but usually in
the front. It’s not as crowded as I remember it but there is a constant stream
of people going in and out. There are a lot of deliveries being made, but I
think its taste the best when you eat it literally right out of the oven. The
atmosphere in there just breathes calm into whatever kind of day you are
having, a real neighborhood place you can always guarantee whatever you desire.
While all
of the food is delicious my favorites are the old staples. Out of all of the
pizzerias in Brooklyn (and there are a lot) this one makes the BEST pizza hands
down. Just a plan slice can convince you of that. The slice is also huge,
practically a slice and a half. I like that too.
As for
entrees I have to go with the two other foods I die for here. That is the baked
ziti and rice balls. If you have never had a ball made of rice, cheese, and
sometimes peas than I feel sorry for you. This fried ball has never let me
down. Sometimes a rice ball can come with chopped meat inside but I prefer the
standard.
I always
order my baked ziti light on the sauce but well done. As you can see from these
simple pictures I took with my phone, the flavor just leaps off the page. I am
thankfully I haven’t taken any pictures with my camera, it would have looked
that much better and I might have been tempted to lick the page. Too bad it
wasn’t scratch and sniff. They need to work on scratch and taste.
Ah the
perfect meal, simple yet satisfying. Don’t get me talking about the garlic
knots. Those illuminate any meal.
You will
undoubtedly recall my love of all people named Frank who have a part in
creating magnificent works of art through food. And I’m not talking about the
kind of places where you pay a fortune for two bites. I am talking about places
that are practically reinventing the foods we know and love. I have never been
so changed by an eggplant sandwich as I have been since I went to Frankie’s
457. That place is like a temple now to me. (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2015/04/for-my-two-favorite-frankies-frankies.html)
My last
blog about F & J Pine Grill continues my streak. It was an unexpected blog
experience but it was too good not to include it. When I have a good meal that
comes with great service that I am wowed by I must write about it. I know it
may seem like it happens a lot given how many foodie blogs I write, but I
really think a lot of places disappoint me. My standards are high, realistic,
but high. Time and money are too precious to waste on mediocre meals.
It occurs
to me as I write this that there is yet another “Foodie Frank” (as I will now
call these gentlemen) I had forgotten about! And this is an important one. It
is Frank Pepe’s in Connecticut (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2013/02/for-my-birthday-getaway-that-brought-me_9.html).
Though my visit was two years ago I can still remember the excitement I felt
walking in and looking around. Waiting for my pizzas to arrive I held my
breathe. Luckily it was everything I had read about and much more.
Now as I
look back and see all of these so called “Foodie Franks” in my life I can’t
believe I didn’t notice it sooner.
It is like the universe is trying to tell me something. I think it’s
that Italian food that has carbs and cheese to start with, are the basis of my
soul. If you are what you eat then………….ok I will leave it like that.
I predict
that this will not be my last “Foodie Frank” related blog but you never know
what the future brings. That’s the best part.
For More
Information:
Comments
Post a Comment