Franny's

[slkinsey]

I also confess that I don't see how you could possibly have spend >80 dollars on a "snack" of vegetables, pizza and wine unless you bought an expensive bottle of wine.

Let's construct an expensive snack at Franny's. I'll choose the big-ticket items...

Sugar Snap Peas with Sheep’s Milk Ricotta, Mint and Lemon for $11

Red Rice Salad with Asparagus, Peas and Provolone Dolce for $13

Pizza with Clams, Chilies and Parsley for $17

Glass of 2006 Sono Montenodoli Canaiuolo Toscana (organic, biodynamic, sustainable) for $14

That's a pretty hefty "snack." Most people would call that "dinner." I don't know that I could eat that much by myself.

The subtotal is $55. Sales tax brings it to $59.55. Tip brings it to around $71. This is not nothing, but it falls significantly short of $80 for a heavy-meal-sized "snack" in which I chose the most expensive items.

[Sneakeater]

ANYBODY would've had a cocktail first.

There's your $80.

(ETA: Agree that's not a snack. That's more than I usually have there for dinner.)

Edited June 26, 2008 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

I have to say that, unlike Ssam Bar, I don't see how Franny's becomes a better deal with more people. You (or at least I) end up ordering the same amount of food per person, OR MORE.

(My typical dinner there alone: one antipasto, one pizza.

(My typical dinner there with a group: a bunch of antipasti, a bunch of pastas and pizzas.)

[Nathan]

I have to say that, unlike Ssam Bar, I don't see how Franny's becomes a better deal with more people.  You (or at least I) end up ordering the same amount of food per person, OR MORE.

(My typical dinner there alone:  one antipasto, one pizza.

(My typical dinner there with a group:  a bunch of antipasti, a bunch of pastas and pizzas.)

←

two people:

two antipasto, one pizza.

or if looking for a heavier meal: two antipasto, one pasta, one pizza.

obviously it depends upon who you're eating with.

[Sneakeater]

Yeah. I don't think one pizza for two people there could be enough.

[BryanZ]

Had dinner at Franny's last night and really enjoyed it. This is the kind of restaurant that should be everywhere but for some reason isn't. One of my dining companions likened it to Ssam Bar, and while I was at first skeptical of this comparison, after my meal I can see the validity in that claim. Personally, I'd more liken it to Noodle Bar since both restaurants focus more overtly on what I'd call "creative comfort food." Regardless, there all three restaurants offer bold, market-driven cooking that is inspired (but not chained to) a given ethnic cuisine. In the Momofuku case, it's China, Korea, and Japan; Franny's clearly owes its debt to Italy.

This is the kind of restaurant where one could order just a couple items and get out for $40 or so. Quite reasonable. Still, like at the Momofukus, nearly everything looks good, and one feels the need to try the majority of the menu and spend more than anticipated. Our plan to try just two pastas miraculously transformed into our trying all three, for instance.

Last night I tried a warm beef terrine, fried potatoes, sausage with beans, three pastas, the clam pizza, the cannolo, the panna cotta with saba, and some (comped) caramel gelato. All the food was very tasty and, as I stated previously, bold. Perhaps my only complaint was that some of the items seemed bracingly salty. Not offensive in small doses, but had I eaten the entirety of the sausage or the pizza I would've been overwhelmed.

I think others have noted this, but the food here does not feel overly manipulated. It's got a Chez Panisse Cafe by way of Italy vibe to it. I really enjoyed it.

[Daniel]

I went back in this thread and am looking at the pizza photos.. I felt the clam pizza served last night was a lot more thin than photos on this thread.. The pizza reminded me of something like a really thin naan bread.. Its was really flimsy.. I happened to have loved the pizza but, it looked nothing like any of the other photos on this thread..

We would not be able to have done this with the pizza last night:

The panna cotta was fantastic, some of the best I have had. It was a like adding gelatin to all the ingrediants you would put into a really nice whipped cream.. Wonderful whipped cream jello.. Lots of vanilla bean in there.

The pastas were good however, we ordered all three.. I felt they were too similar to have gotten all of them..

Edited September 17, 2008 by Daniel (log)

[slkinsey]

That pizza was extremely thin! If you look slightly North of center, you can actually see that the crust is so thin that you can see the green topping through the pizza. I don't remember how I took that picture, exactly, but it wasn't like he was holding up a stiff, entirely stable crust.

That said, I'm not surprised that it's different now. One thing I think is cool about Franny's is that they are continually evolving. Possibly they are using a more tender flour now?

[Daniel]

Yeh, totally.. I see it.. I took a shot similar to that the other day at my place upstate.. I made this super thin pizza.. I guess I am not describing it correctly.. It just seemed a lot more flimsy.. There is no way we would have been able to take that shot last night..

Here is my photo from the other day..

[slkinsey]

Yea, that's what makes me wonder if they're using a lower gluten flour. Honestly, I think a more pliable crust would probably be an improvement at Franny's.