Each week, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s always hungry reporter visits a different restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By ANON E. MUSS, Journal Services
I love pizza.
So much so, I truly believe I could eat pizza three times a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
I wouldn’t live very long, but I would die happy.
However, it had been a long time since I had eaten pizza in a restaurant. It’s usually either at a buffet, or driving through the pick up lane at a national chain.
So needless to say, I was looking forward to a visit to Frank’s Pizza Napoletana (6950 Fern Avenue, Shreveport). In all honesty, a friend and I tried to visit Frank’s for lunch the Monday before Christmas. My friend arrived first, and texted to tell me that all the parking spots were full and there was a line out the door. That told me Frank’s must be good, so we rescheduled for dinner the Thursday after Christmas.
I arrived at 5:30 and the place was buzzing. All but a few tables were taken, and recorded music was playing (a little too loud for my ears). A young man wearing shorts — it was 46 degrees — quickly greeted me and showed me to a table not far from the front door. My friend arrived a few minutes later.
It didn’t take me long to notice, and appreciate, Frank’s atmosphere. It was outstanding. Everything looked new, even though the restaurant opened in 2013. There’s an open kitchen, wine bottles on walls, and school banners hanging from the ceiling. I felt like I was in a college town. The demographic was mostly young to 40’s. People were talking (loudly to be heard over the music). People were laughing. Everyone looked happy to be there.
I counted seating for approximately 60 guests in the main dining room, bar seating for 20-25, and a handful of seats in front of the kitchen. There was also an enclosed patio with several tables, a TV, and hopefully a few heaters.
Not long after we were seated in the main room, Bill, who would be our server, was ready to take our drink order. As we would soon learn, Bill was attentive — never far away when our glasses needed a refill. He was also knowledgeable about the menu, and considering how many items Frank’s serves, that’s no small task.
I was very hungry and knew I wanted an appetizer to hold me over to my meal. Choosing which appetizer was not easy, as there were 11 offered, plus three “New, All-Day Appetizers”. I asked Bill his thoughts on the Spiedini Plate ($14), as I had no idea what Spiedini is. He gave it a thumbs up — fior de latte (a semi-soft cheese known for its fresh and mild taste), wrapped with pepperoni, and roasted in a wood-burning oven.
It wasn’t long before Bill brought a tray with four Spiedini. They looked great, as cheese was overflowing out both ends of the pepperoni wrap. Had the Spiedini been served hot, it would have been excellent. Unfortunately, they were lukewarm at best. Still, the Spiedini tasted good.
My friend went with the Fried Mozzarella ($10). Notice I didn’t say fried mozzarella “sticks”. Sure enough, they were fried mozzarella balls. 12 of them, on a tray with a side of sauce. My friend said he had never had fried cheese shaped like a ball. He said they had a “fresh” taste. I tried one, and was happy to discover the balls were warmer than my Spiedini.
Because both appetizers tasted so fresh, I asked Bill if they were made in-house. He said everything served at Frank’s is either made from scratch at the restaurant each morning, or is imported from Italy. That’s impressive.
One thing I noticed when looking over the menu: Frank’s is more than a pizza place. Much more. In addition to eight salads, you can choose from the likes of Seafood & Vegetable Lasagne Bianche, Roasted Butternut Squash – Parmigiano Risotto, and a grilled IL Cubano Panini.
But if you want pizza, Frank’s offers plenty. 21 of them, all customizable. For example, I wanted a pizza which the menu said was served with white sauce. I preferred red sauce, and Bill said he could make it happen. So, I chose the Vegetariana ($17). It was a 12-inch pizza, with wood-roasted portobello and white mushrooms, asparagus, sauteed baby spinach, shaved red onion, roasted peppers, panna, fior di latte, capers, chopped garlic, Pecorino-Romano fresh thyme, and goat cheese.
You can’t get that at “The Hut”.
When served, the pizza looked great and had plenty of the above-mentioned ingredients. Everyone has their own preference of crust. I like mine to be a little stiff — not too floppy. Frank’s pizza crust was a tad too floppy, but that in no way took away from its taste. The Vegetariana was very good, made even better when sprinkled with red crushed peppers.
My friend ordered the Classico Calzoni ($19). When Bill brought it out, all I could do was stare. This calzoni was HUGE! My friend said it looked like a loaf of bread. The calzoni extended the length of the plate — a crust stuffed with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Kalamata olives, roasted peppers, red sauce, fior di latte, and Pecorino-Romano.
He said the calzoni was so big, it could have been shared by two people. My friend said it had a lot of bread, but there was plenty of the good stuff inside. Instead of the pepperoni being round, he said it was cut in thick strips. My friend said they blended well with the sausage and black olives.
Knowing everything at Frank’s is made at Frank’s, we were looking forward to trying one of the seven deserts on the menu. To our disappointment, Bill told us they were out of all but one desert, the Nutella Calzone. Bill said the restaurant had been so busy the week of and after Christmas, they had run out of most everything and had not had time to prepare more. The one which was available didn’t do much for me or my friend, so we passed.
The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $59. I appreciated that on the receipt, the tip suggestions were based on the subtotal, and not the after-tax total. I also appreciated that even though by this time the restaurant was packed, Bill didn’t hurry us to leave. My friend doesn’t live here anymore, and we had a lot of catching up to do.
Even though the food was good, it’s not what would cause me to come back to Frank’s. After all, you can get pizza at a lot of places. The main reason Frank’s could easily become one of my favorite eateries was the afore-mentioned atmosphere. In addition, by the time our food arrived, a young man from Natchitoches Parish had set up a microphone and was playing guitar. He sang everything from Hank Williams, Jr., to Luke Combs, to Waylon Jennings. It’s nice to go to a restaurant and listen to good, live music.
My friend and I agreed — Frank’s Pizza Napoletana deserved Four Forks. Good food, very good service, a great atmosphere, and reasonable prices. That’s all the ingredients for a restaurant of which I would not only return, but go out of my way to do so.
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to review? Email SBJRestaurantReview@gmail.com
1 Fork: Would rather eat a box of dirt
2 Forks: Will return, but only if someone else is buying
3 Forks: Will return and look forward to it
4 Forks: Will return and go out of my way to do so
