Franny's

2/16/2008
Prospect Heights: 295 Flatbush Ave (btwn 6th Ave and 7th Ave) - (718) 230-0221
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7

Full Review:
New York is known for good pizza but there's actually also a lot of pizza here that kind of sucks. Franny's does not suck, at all. All around, it's one of the best pizza joints I've visited in New York. It's casual, fun, cozy, a little chic, and hip without being hipster. There’s something real about the restaurant, genuine about the people, tasteful about the interior. The smallish joint has contemporary but un-glitzy features and simple light wood furniture. Printed on the window is the restaurant’s name in orange, and that’s it. But somehow there’s nice character to the place. Its medley of rock music, exposed brick walls, and consciously but unpretentiously casual waitstaff all help to make this a friendly, welcoming spot.

The pizza is a notch above in price, but still affordable ($8-16 for a personal pie) and worth it. I had the tomato, anchovy, and parmesan on a simple thin crust. Not all of the choice have tomato sauce and none that I saw were doused with cheese USA-style. As the bartender told me, all of the pies are light. When I was about 13, I had pizza at a place called Sal’s in New Haven, CT, which I understood to be something of an institution there. It might have been the best pizza I’ve ever had and definitely the most memorable. The two things I remember about the cheese-less pizza were: 1) a very thin, soft, and not-rock-hard-but-still-pleasantly crispy crust, and 2) a delicious, garlicky and light tomato sauce with clams. Franny’s is the closest thing I’ve had to both of those things (save the clam).

The pizza was charred black in a few too many places, but that was the probably the only thing that felt unhealthy about the pie. This was refined pizza. It seems that countries with food-rich cultures like Italy have gone thru an evolution - and are particularly remarkable because they have figured out how to make things healthy without sacrificing taste. They've had time to develop a cuisine that can sustain a nation over centuries while still delighting the taste buds. I like to think that a pizza like Franny’s is an emblem of that. What might have started as something that looked like say, Domino’s – a good idea with some elements appealing to the gluttonous side – improved itself over time in both taste and sustainability to become Franny’s. It’s not a fried chicken, it’s healthier than that. And it’s not a turkey burger, it actually tastes good.

Service was laid back, not in your face, not rushed, attentive but laissez-faire. But one thing that didn't impress me was that the server didn’t know what kind of tomato they used for the sauce. (They were San Marzano tomatoes.) For a small menu that specializes in pizza – and a small number of pizzas at that – it’s an elementary piece of knowledge. This kind of thing only matters. to some but service, whether casual or formal, should know the food inside and out, and at least as well as the customer.

I see no reason to keep you from frequenting Franny's and support what they're doing – something both genuine and well-balanced in pretty much every way. Drop in, and expect to find healthy, reasonably priced, tasty food in a very comfortable but cool setting. I'm sure Franny's would kill in the East Village - it's a big win for Park Slope/Prospect Heights community.