franny’s
(Pizza/Italian)
295 Flatbush Avenue between St. Mark’s Avenue and Prospect Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 230-0221
(Pizza/Italian)
295 Flatbush Avenue between St. Mark’s Avenue and Prospect Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 230-0221
http://www.frannysbrooklyn.com/
Subway: B/Q to 7th Avenue; 2/3 Bergen Street
My husband is moving to the Bay Area at the end of this month, so we’ve decided we’re finally going to do all of the things in NYC that we always talk about doing. After going to the Bodies exhibition in South Street Seaport, our plan was to go to Grimaldi’s (http://www.grimaldis.com/) in Brooklyn for what some claim is the best pizza in New York City; however, when we drove by the restaurant, the line was down the block (they say this is normal) and the wait was over an hour. Unfortunately, we were too hungry for this.
Plan B. I have been dying to try this other pizza restaurant in Brooklyn, franny’s, for a long time. The owners, Andrew Feinberg and Francine Stephens, met at Savoy and fell in love. And the product of their love story is franny’s.
To make matters better, on March 9, 2005, in the Dining section of the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/), Andrew Feinberg was the featured in “The Chef” section in which he made a Meyer lemon-ricotta ravioli that sounded amazing (I still have the article and recipe archived at home!). And even though they no longer serve pasta at franny’s, this was really when franny’s was added to my must-try list.
There was a 40-minute wait on a Saturday night when we got there, but fortuitously, as soon as we arrived, a group of three got up from the bar, where they also serve dinner, so we sat immediately. The bar area of the restaurant looks like a wine bar, yet the welcoming and friendly bartender made us feel like the bar is a part of the restaurant, which is adorable, cozy with an open kitchen, not too loud and well laid out.
Everything on the menu sounded delicious and as others at the bar were served their dishes, we watched, salivating. It was a difficult decision, but we began with the heirloom tomato salad with burrata, a super rich and creamy mozzarella-style cheese; house-cured cacciatorini, finnochiona and coppa; crostini with warm Tuscan kale, garlic and pecorino Rossellino; and crostini with preserved San Marzano tomatoes with olio verde. The bread they use for the crostini and as the base of the heirloom tomato salad is amazing… crusty, with a soft and chewy center, and a slightly doughy, fresh taste, which balances the unbelievable crostini – everything was so good. I think the most amazing part was the burrata, which also paired well with the delicious house-cured meats.
Subway: B/Q to 7th Avenue; 2/3 Bergen Street
My husband is moving to the Bay Area at the end of this month, so we’ve decided we’re finally going to do all of the things in NYC that we always talk about doing. After going to the Bodies exhibition in South Street Seaport, our plan was to go to Grimaldi’s (http://www.grimaldis.com/) in Brooklyn for what some claim is the best pizza in New York City; however, when we drove by the restaurant, the line was down the block (they say this is normal) and the wait was over an hour. Unfortunately, we were too hungry for this.
Plan B. I have been dying to try this other pizza restaurant in Brooklyn, franny’s, for a long time. The owners, Andrew Feinberg and Francine Stephens, met at Savoy and fell in love. And the product of their love story is franny’s.
To make matters better, on March 9, 2005, in the Dining section of the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/), Andrew Feinberg was the featured in “The Chef” section in which he made a Meyer lemon-ricotta ravioli that sounded amazing (I still have the article and recipe archived at home!). And even though they no longer serve pasta at franny’s, this was really when franny’s was added to my must-try list.
There was a 40-minute wait on a Saturday night when we got there, but fortuitously, as soon as we arrived, a group of three got up from the bar, where they also serve dinner, so we sat immediately. The bar area of the restaurant looks like a wine bar, yet the welcoming and friendly bartender made us feel like the bar is a part of the restaurant, which is adorable, cozy with an open kitchen, not too loud and well laid out.
Everything on the menu sounded delicious and as others at the bar were served their dishes, we watched, salivating. It was a difficult decision, but we began with the heirloom tomato salad with burrata, a super rich and creamy mozzarella-style cheese; house-cured cacciatorini, finnochiona and coppa; crostini with warm Tuscan kale, garlic and pecorino Rossellino; and crostini with preserved San Marzano tomatoes with olio verde. The bread they use for the crostini and as the base of the heirloom tomato salad is amazing… crusty, with a soft and chewy center, and a slightly doughy, fresh taste, which balances the unbelievable crostini – everything was so good. I think the most amazing part was the burrata, which also paired well with the delicious house-cured meats.
For the stars of the show, we chose the pizza with buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, garlic and oregano; tomato, provolone piccante and wood-roasted onions; and tomato with buffalo mozzarella, anchovies and chilies (I really wanted the clam pizza, but they had just made their last one when I placed my order). The crust was thin and crisp, and each pizza was the perfect size for one. The white pizza came out burnt in spots from their powerful wood-fired brick oven, which was disappointing. I loved the garlic slices on the pizza, but my husband found them to be overpowering and tried to pick them off as best he could. The provolone and onion pizza was delicious, with large caramelized onion slices scattered over the entire pizza, which were a perfect balance with the sharp provolone. Finally the anchovy pizza… I love anchovies, but these anchovies were too strong for the delicate mozzarella and tomato pizza.
What I really love about franny's (besides EVERYTHING... except the anchovies) is their dedication to using locally grown, seasonal ingredients, an incredibly laudable task especially in the NYC area. I’m already hoping to go back soon, even though it is in Brooklyn, and I have a hard time motivating to the boroughs; next time I’ll go earlier in the evening so I can be sure to taste their clam pie, enjoy a Negroni (my new favorite drink of Campari, gin and sweet vermouth) and bask in the love story that created franny’s.
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