Franny's

[slkinsey]

Franny's

295 Flatbush Avenue (between St. Marks and Prospect Pls.)

718-230-0221

frannysbrooklyn.com

After reading some interesting reviews (New York Metro, Slice, New York Press) and discussion in the NYC Pizza Survey thread, JosephB, bergerka and I made our way to Franny's yesterday evening with great anticipation. We were not disappointed.

I might as well cut to the chase. Franny's pizza is not classic NYC style pizza. Rather it is pizza in the Italian style filtered through the Chez Panisse philosophy that happens to be made in NYC. It is also clearly among the top 2-3 best pizzerie in the City -- and perhaps already the best, depending on one's priorities and preferences. Not bad for a place that's only been open for 8 weeks!

As stated above, Franny's pizze are baked, topped and served in the Italian style rather than the classic "old school" NYC style. They are served as small, somewhat irregularly shaped, individual pizzas not cut into slices but intended to be eaten with a knife and fork (although we had no trouble cutting ours into wedges for the purposes of sharing, and using our hands). Franny's uses a dome shaped, brick covered, wood fired masonry oven custom built for them by a third generation Italian pizza oven builder. The toppings are applied with a spare hand and many of the toppings American pizza eaters have come to expect are not available while many others are that might not be so expected. All very correct from a Neapolitan perspective.

Have I mentioned the crust? I've only been there the one time, but... if they are able to maintain the quality we experienced last night, I have no trouble declaring theirs the overall best crust in the City. It's a light thin crust, slightly sweet, crisp on the bottom yet pliable and capable of being folded, well browned with a touch of char, crunchy and dark at the edges, and with a beautiful wheaty flavor. It's almost like a combination of the best features of Patsy's East Harlem's and Grimaldi's crusts, plus something extra.

Franny's also puts to rest any questions as to whether a wood-fired oven can make enough heat to compete with the coal-fired guys. Not only does Franny's crust have all the desirable features of the classic NYC coal-fired crust at its best, but we all felt there was an subtle smokiness not found in the other pizzerie. This is likely due to a number of reasons... First, the oven is truly massive. It looked as though the walls were a foot thick. Second, the fire was quite large in proportion to the interior of the oven. There was a large pile of coals in the back crowned by several actively burning pieces of wood whose flames licked the curve at the top of the oven with an orange curtain of flame. Third, I am beginning to think that there are certain thermal benefits to the classic dome shaped oven as opposed to the flat-ceilinged rectangular ovens used by the coal guys. I know someone who wrote a book on baking with masonry ovens, and I'll see what he tells me. Fourth, the pizzeria is small, which mitigates heat loss from high volume production. Finally, the pizze are baked in a smaller size, and with fewer toppings. In fact, some of the toppings are not applied to the crust until the pizze are out of the oven.

On to the toppings... what may come as a surprise to many American pizza lovers is that not every pizza features tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Now that I think of it, of the three pizze we sampled, not one of them included both of these ingredients. Indeed, yesterday's menu listed eleven different pizze, and only 4 of them featured both tomato and mozzarella. Rather, they offer a somewhat eclectic and everchanging offering of seasonal ingredients that manages to be innovative and yet firmly within Italian tradition at the same time. Below is the menu from June 1, which is substantially similar to the one from yesterday.

So... on to our meal. After having a drink at the small bar and chatting with the owner/FOH manager, Franny Stephens, we were shown to a table near the oven by Karen, our attractive and enthusiastic waiter. Behind the counter, we could see owner/chef/pizzaiolo Andrew Feinberg at work.

We decided to share three appetizers and three pizze. For the appetizers we had squid with white beans, chilis and lemon; house cured sopressata with parmigiano-reggiano and Sicilian olives; and sugar snap peas with parmigiano-reggiano, and aged balsamico. These were all simple and perfect in their own way. The sugar snap peas were served raw (briefly blanched/refreshed, no doubt) in a pile, lightly dressed with evoo and balsamico and covered with shaved cheese. What could be better? Sugar snap peas are in season right now, and theirs were pristene. Why not just let them be what they are? The house cured sopressata was wonderful, with that slight funky undertone that says, "the good bacteria grew in this one." We chatted with Franny about this particular flavor on one of her many passes by our table and she remarked that they were very happy when they started seeing that flavor coming out of their curing room. The squid appetizer is wonderful. Tender, meaty, room-temperature rings of squid, tiny bunches of tentacles, huge white beans, soft croutons, evoo, lemon and just enough chili to make it interesting. All of these dishes are strong manifestations of what I admire most in the Italian culinary aesthetic: take a limited number of seasonal ingredients at their peak, combine them in a simple yet interesting fashion and get out of the way so they can shine on their own.

For pizza, we had one with house-cured pancetta, fontina and egg; one with mushrooms, herbs and mascarpone; and one with spicy cauliflower, tomato and pecorino romano. All were outstanding and graced with just the right amount of toppings so that nothing interfered with the full potential and expression of the crust. The pancetta/egg pizza featured fat chunks of pancetta, just a little cheese and a single egg fried right on the crust by the heat from the oven floor. When we divided the pizza into thirds, the perfectly cooked egg yolk ran out onto the crust. I hope a McDonald's executive never visits Franny's, or we'll see "breakfast pizza" all across America in short order. The mushroom pizza also impressed, with a rich foundation of cheese and thin-sliced but deeply-flavored mushrooms. The last one especially interested me, because I never would have thought to top a pizza with cauliflower. Well, it was fantastic. The pizza is baked in the oven with only a thin layer of tomato sauce, and the spicy cauliflower and slivers of red onion are added after it comes out of the oven (this is fairly common in Italy depending on the topping ingredient). For us, this pizza really worked. The cauliflower had just enough spice to make it interesting, and the contrast of the room-temperature cauliflower against the hot, crackling crust was superb.

So, that does it for our meal. No pictures this time, but we'll be back again and again and again. One of the sad facts of eGullet is that I am constantly discovering places I love that I wish were in my neighborhood. If I lived in Park Slope/Prospect Heights, I'd go there at least once a week. I have no doubt that they will continue to get even better. I have said before that I think the three factors that lead to great pizza are 1. the skill, continuity and dedication of the pizzaiolo (they have that one nailed in Andreg Feinberg, owner and formerly of Savoy); 2. the quality of the ingredients (yes again -- see below); and 3. the oven (yes again!). Based on this formula, they seem to have all the pieces in place.

The final thing that is worthy of mention about Franny's is their philosophy. You may recall from above that I described Franny's as "Italian style filtered through the Chez Panisse philosophy." This philosophy is manifested not only in their use of fresh, seasonal, (mostly) organic ingredients, but also in their dedication to local farmers and sustainable agriculture. Read more of their thoughts on this subject here. Below is the back of the menu:

[docsconz]

Nice report, Sam. I wish you (I) would have tried the pizza with clams, capers and parsley. That would have made an interesting comparison to the one from Lombardi's.

The menu and your descriptions sound awesome.

I thought the place was just a block away from where I grew up. While it is in the neighborhood, it wasn't quite that close.

While one can describe Franny's as Italy meets Chez Panisse, the inclusion of Chez Panisse is probably unnecessary, since the concept is already well entrenched in Italian Culinary tradition and is really reflective of the Italian-originated Slow Food Movement, of which Alice Waters is a prominent member, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Naples at the latest Slow Food Congress.

[slkinsey]

Yea, point taken. I used the Chez Panisse reference to highlight their quasi-evangelical and somewhat politically framed dedication to sustainable agriculture, local suppliers, etc. That is, to a certain extent, part of the Italian aesthetic, but they don't tend to make a point out of it. You won't find a pizzeria menu in Italy listing the names of all their suppliers and making statements about what "Madre Natura" has to say about it all.

[slkinsey]

Great picture of the oven here, and I should point out that they were doing a brisk business with a short line outside when we left.

[mjr_inthegardens]

2/3 of a mile from my new place

Nice Review!!

Should be trying it quite soon.

[bergerka]

I don't know what I can add to this that Sam hasn't already said...but I was thoroughly blown away. OH! He didn't mention the cocktails!

I don't remember what he had, but I had a rhubarb thingy that had JUST been added to the menu. It was vodka and fresh RHUBARB juice, as in juiced at the restaurant, with a little lemon juice, garnished with a thin slice of rhubarb. I LOVED it. It's definitely a girly drink, all light pink and sweet, but the lemon adds a little bite and it's very refreshing. It was also hilarious to see all of the waitstaff gathered around the bar waiting for me to try it (it was the very first time anyone had ordered it).

Part of what made Franny's so enjoyable (even besides the absolutely stellar food) was the enthusiasm and customer-savvy of the staff, from the hostess to the waitstaff, the bartender and the owner. EVERYONE seemed absolutely devoted to the ideals espoused on the menu and to making sure the diner's experience was overwhelmingly positive and pleasant. It worked, too...we had FUN.

I'll be going back a LOT. Who's with me? WHO'S WITH ME????

K

[JosephB]

Beautiful Sam . . . just beautiful.

Yes, we were thrilled by Franny's.

More later . . . .

[Fat Guy]

Sounds great. All those $14 price tags for what sound like tiny pizzas, however, might be cause for concern. And $9 for a crust brushed with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic? In Brooklyn?

It looks as though a meal for two would easily cost $50+ at this place, and that's hard to swallow.

[JosephB]

Sounds great. All those $14 price tags for what sound like tiny pizzas, however, might be cause for concern. And $9 for a crust brushed with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic? In Brooklyn?

It looks as though a meal for two would easily cost $50+ at this place, and that's hard to swallow.

Actually, we spent about $50 each with drinks, tax, and tip -- definately not cheap. And at the end of the meal we felt that we could eat more. I suppose that if you limit yourself to a $13 pizza and a $7 pint of beer, you can get out for $50 a couple for outstanding food.

From what I could tell, the place was full of young urban professionals by the time we left. I don't think Franny's prices will scare them off. On the other hand, for $13 at Grimaldi's you get a pizza enough to feed 2-3 people (well, ordinary people).

[Fat Guy]

So really, at your $100 per couple price point, or even at the "economy" price point of $50 per couple, we're not talking about a pizzeria. We're talking about a restaurant that serves pizza. I think it's a distinction worth bearing in mind, as well as a whole 'nother category to explore.

[Jason Perlow]

OTTO isn't a pizzeria either by that definition, which I would probably agree with.

[Pan]

Thanks for a great report, Sam! We should definitely do a Pizza Survey outing at Franny's. Fat Guy's remarks give me pause, but I'll certainly go once, even if it does cost me.

[Fat Guy]

OTTO isn't a pizzeria either by that definition, which I would probably agree with.

This place is charging the same prices on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn that Otto is charging on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It makes Otto look cheap. The challenge would be finding a more expensive pizzeria, especially when factoring in location. I'm not sure even Serafina is more expensive for similarly constituted pies (although they go to a higher maximum on account of the caviar pizza), and La Pizza Fresca (where the key ingredients are imported) also seems to be in this range. Those places -- Serafina, La Pizza Fresca, and Otto -- also sound much more like the appropriate points of comparison for a Neapolitan pizza fancier (the Kinsey/Sconzo/Bavuso axis strikes me as heavily predisposed to favor whatever seems most accurately Neapolitan). While I think all those places are capable of serving a delicious product, the style and cost issues combine to establish a rather distinct genre. To me, in any comparative analysis of a particular product -- pizza, burgers, frankfurters, bread, whatever -- the fundamental issues involve defining the styles and the criteria for excellence within those styles. This helps to differentiate between expressions of stylistic preference (liking ribeye better than porterhouse and therfore ranking all great ribeyes ahead of all great porterhouses) and qualitative analysis of stylistically similar products (liking one porterhouse better than another because it better fulfills the criteria for porterhouse excellence). The rest is just a question of harvesting experiences -- in my experience, once you break things down to a certain level of granularity, two experienced and level-headed tasters are not likely to disagree on the specifics of which samples met which criteria. Of course it's possible to define categories so narrowly that all comparison becomes impossible, or so broadly that all comparison becomes meaningless. The trick is striking the right balance. Sorry for rambling.

[JosephB]

OTTO isn't a pizzeria either by that definition, which I would probably agree with.

This place is charging the same prices on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn that Otto is charging on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It makes Otto look cheap. The challenge would be finding a more expensive pizzeria, especially when factoring in location. I'm not sure even Serafina is more expensive for similarly constituted pies (although they go to a higher maximum on account of the caviar pizza), and La Pizza Fresca (where the key ingredients are imported) also seems to be in this range. Those places -- Serafina, La Pizza Fresca, and Otto -- also sound much more like the appropriate points of comparison for a Neapolitan pizza fancier (the Kinsey/Sconzo/Bavuso axis strikes me as heavily predisposed to favor whatever seems most accurately Neapolitan). While I think all those places are capable of serving a delicious product, the style and cost issues combine to establish a rather distinct genre. To me, in any comparative analysis of a particular product -- pizza, burgers, frankfurters, bread, whatever -- the fundamental issues involve defining the styles and the criteria for excellence within those styles. This helps to differentiate between expressions of stylistic preference (liking ribeye better than porterhouse and therfore ranking all great ribeyes ahead of all great porterhouses) and qualitative analysis of stylistically similar products (liking one porterhouse better than another because it better fulfills the criteria for porterhouse excellence). The rest is just a question of harvesting experiences -- in my experience, once you break things down to a certain level of granularity, two experienced and level-headed tasters are not likely to disagree on the specifics of which samples met which criteria. Of course it's possible to define categories so narrowly that all comparison becomes impossible, or so broadly that all comparison becomes meaningless. The trick is striking the right balance. Sorry for rambling.

Can you run that by me again?

[slkinsey]

So really, at your $100 per couple price point, or even at the "economy" price point of $50 per couple, we're not talking about a pizzeria. We're talking about a restaurant that serves pizza. I think it's a distinction worth bearing in mind, as well as a whole 'nother category to explore.

Yea, I'd say it's definitely true that it's a different category of pizzeria. I was telling Joe when we left Franny's that, if they only added a rotating menu of maybe 4-5 "secondi" they would be a lot like my friend Alfrido's place "Big Ben" in Urbania, Italy (a small town in Le Marche near Urbino). Big Ben advertises itself as a "ristorante pizzeria enoteca." The pizze are more expensive there, too, than they would be in a place that sold only pizza. That said, my impression is that "trattoria/ristorante pizzeria" places are relatively comon in Italy.

For sure it's not a slice shop, and the overall experience and price point cannot be compared to more traditional pizzerie on the American model. In that sense, one cannot directly compare the totality of what is Franny's to the totality of what is, say, Patsy's or Grimaldi's or Ray's. On the other hand, I do think one can compare individual common elements, such as the crust, in isolation.

[mjr_inthegardens]

Ate at Franny's last night.

I have to agree with Fat Guy and with my girlfriend on the point that this is not a pizzeria, it is a restaurant serving artisan pizzas. I don't think a comparison of Franny's with Grimaldis, Totonnos, and the like is worthwhile. "Best Pizza in NYC" --- I don't know about all that.

Definitely the pizza are expensive. Despite the ingredients and despite the method. I think you're paying a premium for the concept.

They were out of the Pancetta and Egg pizza which pissed me off, one downside of locally sourced artisan ingredients I guess. 9:30 on a thursday. We ordered the sopressata, parm, olives appetizer which was ok. but the sopressata is not as distinctive and sharp as that from the Esposito Pork Store on Court St. I suppose we are spoiled. I think they should get better in time, curing good sopressata is not something you can perfect in a month or even three. They have an cocktail menu at Brooklyn prices ($7-8 for special cocktail). Didn't try the rhubarb concoction because I was in a Maker's mood.

We ordered 2 pizzas, the garlic, tomato and olive pizza and the meatball/mozz/tomato sauce pizza. The crust really is very good, a nice char and crisp but still with a pleasant lightness. The meatballs were very good -- pork/beef blend about the size of a large marble each, 10-12 for the pie which was a little larger than the dinner plate it was served on. The mozz was ok -- not knocking my socks off with the presentation or the taste. The oven looks really cool --- a hunka hunka burning wood, eh; didn't get to check out the garden.

I think I will try Franny's again, I have to have a date with that egg pizza. All in all though, at that price point probably rarely.

cheers

-mjr

[phaelon56]

I hope a McDonald's executive never visits Franny's, or we'll see "breakfast pizza" all across America in short order.

"Breakfast pizza" has been available - in central NY state for years but al that I've tried was uniformly mediocre. It is comprised of standard pizza crust (most of which sucks in this town) and is toped with beaten eggs and bacon or sausage - sometimes broccoli is added to the mix. The egg bakes on the pizza until it has a sort of dry omelet like consistency.

As for the prices at Franny's - this gets right into the point of diminihsing returns discussion that has surfaced on the Per Se thread and elsewhere. The jump from very good pizza to nearly stellar may prompt a price increase that seems unreasonable but they appear to know what they're doing. If customers line up to pay the price they must be doing something right.

[JosephB]

As for the prices at Franny's -  this gets right into the point of diminihsing returns discussion that has surfaced on the Per Se thread and elsewhere. The jump from very good pizza to nearly stellar may prompt a price increase that seems unreasonable but they appear to know what they're doing. If customers line up to pay the price they must be doing something right.

I loved my Per Se experience, especially because of the special company we had, but it occurred to me yesterday that for what it cost for Donna and me to eat at Per Se, we could have had 20 meals x 2 at Franny's. I think that if we dined weekly for 20 weeks at Franny's that we would have a special relationship with the place, and that would represent a lot of added value for me.

[eatpie]

When a young couple starts a mom and pop pizzeria "restaurant" that focuses on organic produce and ingredients from LOCAL purveyors, I for one will gladly support their cause. That being said, isn't this the kind of place those of us "in-the-know" who "get it" should be RUNNING to support. The fact their pizza and food rocks doesn't surprise me - they sincerely care! So what if they charge a little more. These guys are doing it the right way, the hard way, the only way. For christ's sake, they f'ing cure their own meats in a custom curing room. No one opens a pizza "restaurant" to get rich! Well, then again, this is not part of the Battali empire. Their time, effort, care and ethical responsibility should be applauded.

No, I dont work at Franny's, they are not friends of mine and Ive only been there once....So, I'll get off my soap box now and calm down. Sorry

[slkinsey]

I have to agree with Fat Guy and with my girlfriend on the point that this is not a pizzeria, it is a restaurant serving artisan pizzas. I don't think a comparison of Franny's with Grimaldis, Totonnos, and the like is worthwhile.

Well... a "pizzeria" is a place where pizza is made (and usually also sold). That is the definition of pizzeria. There is are no qualifying criteria of price point or level of formality. If Alain Ducasse opened a white tablecloth place selling 35 dollar pizza with sous-vide lobster on top of it, it would still be a pizzeria. Understanding that, Franny's is without a doubt a pizzeria. Really, it's silly to argue this point. Franny's is fundamentally a place that makes and sells pizza, ergo they are a pizzeria. Now, is Franny's a different kind of pizzeria compared to Grimaldi's? Absolutely. Likewise, V&T is a different kind of pizzeria compared to Grimaldi's. Interestingly, although Franny's is considered "unusual" and Ray's "standard" in NYC, in Italy it would likely be exactly the opposite.

"Best Pizza in NYC" --- I don't know about all that.

That's why I said "perhaps already the best, depending on one's priorities and preferences." According to my priorities it's definitely on its way to being a contender, although they need a few years under their belt. According to radically different priorities, it might not be worth considering. In my mind, the quality of execution and the level at which it achieves what I think are some fairly universal criteria for pizza excellence, it has to be near the top. It's really impossible to consider a "best pizza in NYC" any other way, because there are so many different styles, goals and preferences. Steven makes a good point in that it's not entirely possible or advisable to (quasi-) objectively compare and contrast disparate styles of pizza in New York.

For example, there are places like Patsy's and Grimaldi's that feature a specific style of crust and topping. Is it really fair to compare Patsy's and Grimaldi's to places of the "lots of sauce and extra cheese" variety? It depends on how you do it. First you would have to have an understanding of the operable stylistic goals, then determine to what extent they achieve these goals, then compare the two pizzerie. And, I guess at some point if you're talking about "the best" you have to make some judgments as to which stylistic paradigms are more worthy than others. My own personal evaluation would put the old NYC school pizzerie above the "sauce and cheese" pizza because that is a style that is more closely aligned with my priorities and preferences. But the fact is that there might be a "sauce and cheese" place that is doing a better job at what it does than Patsy's and Grimaldi's are at what they do.

For me, one may legitimately compare the crust at Franny's with the crust at Patsy's and Grimaldi's, et al. because the style and overall goals with respect to the crust are closely related. Based on my limited sampling at Franny's, I would say that the crust is clearly in the same neighborhood as Patsy's and Grimaldi's, and clearly better than Totonno's and Lombardi's.

This place is charging the same prices on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn that Otto is charging on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It makes Otto look cheap. The challenge would be finding a more expensive pizzeria, especially when factoring in location.

Without a doubt, this is the case. If you go there and start with the squid appetizer ($8), move on to the pancetta, fontina and egg pizza ($14) and have a beer ($7), you're talking about around 38 bucks after tax and a good tip. That's definitely expensive compared to Patsy's where you could get a similar amount of food for maybe 17 bucks (2/3 of a $14 pizza and a beer), but on the other hand you're getting a lot of things in terms of quality and interest of ingredients that you won't get at Patsy's (whose toppings are nothing special), so I don't think it really makes sense to compare them on a strict price basis. For most (but not all, of course) people who would be interested in eating at Franny's (e.g., their target market), 40 bucks for an outstanding meal doesn't represent that much of an expenditure. I can think of plenty of places where I might spend a similar (or greater) amount of money and come away less satisfied -- I call those places "practically every restaurant on the Upper West Side." Again, it depends on what your priorities and preferences are. Compared to what one might pay for a similar level of cooking at any kind of restaurant, we didn't consider it too much to pay. Based on our observations, plenty of people in the 'hood must feel the same way as they seem to be handling about as much business as they possibly can.

Those places -- Serafina, La Pizza Fresca, and Otto -- also sound much more like the appropriate points of comparison for a Neapolitan pizza fancier (the Kinsey/Sconzo/Bavuso axis strikes me as heavily predisposed to favor whatever seems most accurately Neapolitan). While I think all those places are capable of serving a delicious product, the style and cost issues combine to establish a rather distinct genre.

A couple of things here.

It definitely makes the most sense to compare Franny's as a whole directly against places like Serafina and La Pizza Fresca (i.e., Italian-style places serving Italian-style pizza). Otto... I'm not so sure about. Otto is, IMO, really in its own category. I would tend to agree that places like Serafina, et al. represent a kind of pizzeria that is as distinct from Patsy's and Totonno's as those pizzerie are from Ray's and V&T. That said, I do think it's possible to mitigate the impact of stylistic differences and preference somewhat when making cross-genre comparisons by considering simply how well each place does what it does. For me, Franny's ranks very high on this scale. One can also compare and contrast individual elements in isolation where appropriate. For example, as stated above, I think it's entirely legitimate to compare Franny's crust to Patsy's crust, as the pizze are stylistically similar enough, and the goals of the respective pizzerie are similar enough in this respect to make the comparison meaningful.

As proud as I am to be considered the member of an "axis" along with Signori Bavuso and Sconzo, I am not so sure that I would describe myself (or my fratelli) as "heavily predisposed to favor whatever seems most accurately Neapolitan." This is a style that I like, to be sure, and I am happy to see it in New York executed to this level. But this hasn't prevented me from preferring Patsy's over Naples 45, for example. I will say that it's true that I tend to value things in a pizza that are also accorded high value in the Neapolitan style (e.g., crust = 80% of the show, sparse toppings, etc.), but I don't think I have a fondness for Neapolitan pizza that predisposes me to admire, say, Giorgione's pizza over Patsy's just because Giorgione's is closer to the Neapolitan style. In fact, the opposite is true. I think Patsy's is better. Now, if a neo-Neapolitan place (e.g., Patsy's) and a Neapolitan place (e.g., Franny's) are operating on a similarly high level, then I suppose it's true that my preferences might incline me towards the Neapolitan place. "Accuracy" has nothing to do with it, though. I am not dogmatic or doctrinaire with respect to "authenticity" when it comes to pizza.

I think you have to have an understanding of what the pizzeria is going for and adjust your expectations accordingly. For example, I don't think it makes any sense to complain about the fact that Franny's doesn't slice their pizza any more than it does to complain about the fact that Patsy's does. Anyone who does make such complaints is missing the point entirely. This is amply demonstrated in Heimlich's NY Press review of Franny's where he comes to the pizzeria with an incompatible paradigm and just doesn't get it.

To me, in any comparative analysis of a particular product -- pizza, burgers, frankfurters, bread, whatever -- the fundamental issues involve defining the styles and the criteria for excellence within those styles. This helps to differentiate between expressions of stylistic preference (liking ribeye better than porterhouse and therfore ranking all great ribeyes ahead of all great porterhouses) and qualitative analysis of stylistically similar products (liking one porterhouse better than another because it better fulfills the criteria for porterhouse excellence).

Narrowing the field does have certain benefits, and it does enable one to make what seem like more "objective" comparisons that some may hold as more meaningful (although I would argue that one person's "criteria for excellence," even in a narrow category, may not be the same as another's). One would hope, however, to have the ability to account for stylistic differences when making comparisons. For example, one may prefer traditional menus to tasting menus in haute cuisine -- and yet, I would still expect a critic to be able to put that preference aside in comparing Per Se and AD/NY. We do, after all, feel like we have enough basis for comparison to say that Patsy's East Harlem is better than V&T (right?).

Getting back to pizza, after one has done enough like-pizzeria to like-pizzeria examination, if it turns out that there are several pizzerie of different kinds which are all more-or-less operating at the same level versus their respective stylistic goals... then the person making the evaluation may bring his or her own stylistic preferences into play in assigning an overall "winner" (not that I think such an exercise is useful or worthwhile) -- hopefully noting where and how those preferences came into play. This is one reason why I always like to say "arguably the best" in these situations rather than "the best." The "arguably" part means that it is one among several that could reasonably be considered the best, and that the overall designation of "best" will depend largely on the prejudices and preferences of the person making the evaluation. One could say much the same thing about steaks or hotdogs or hamburgers.

The rest is just a question of harvesting experiences -- in my experience, once you break things down to a certain level of granularity, two experienced and level-headed tasters are not likely to disagree on the specifics of which samples met which criteria. Of course it's possible to define categories so narrowly that all comparison becomes impossible, or so broadly that all comparison becomes meaningless. The trick is striking the right balance.

Balance is everything, and I suppose there is some small value in debating where that balance can and should lie. I do think that one must be cautious about taking the reductive analysis approach too far. At some point, you're only comparing 12-inch pizza with pepperoni and low-moisture mozzarella cooked in a coal-fired oven at 12:30 PM on a Tuesday. One coud argue that this is the best context in which to form any comparative judgments, but one could also argue that the scope is so narrow as to have very limited meaning. It is also true that, whereas two reasonably perceptive and intelligent tasters will likely have a high degree of correlation between their judgments given a sufficiently narrow range of samples, well defined criteria and an a shared understanding of how to evaluate these criteria, there can still be a large degree of difference as to what level of importance and desirability they accord those criteria.

When a young couple starts a mom and pop pizzeria "restaurant" that focuses on organic produce and ingredients from LOCAL purveyors, I for one will gladly support their cause.

What is nice about a place like Franny's is that it really doesn't matter if you philosophically support their causes or not. I am sure that 90% of the people who eat at Franny's don't give a rat's ass about organic produce, local purveyors and sustainable agriculture. They're in there because the food is great and they think it's worth the money. Anything else is gravy. I, personally, don't give a rat's ass for patronizing places whose causes I support philosophically unless I'd go in there anyway for the good food.

[docsconz]

I too am very proud to be considered as part of an "axis" with Messrs. kinsey and Bavuso, both of whom I very much respect as people and as tasters. And yes, when it comes to the traditional round or "neapolitan" style pizza, I do prefer the pizze most resembling those of Naples, however, that doesn't mean I don't also enjoy a good "Sicilian" style pizza or what I still consider the consummate New York Style pizza, such as what used to be served at The Original Rays on 11th St. and 6th Ave.

[Fat Guy]

Did I mention it's an axis of evil?

[docsconz]

Now really, how can anyone who loves Neapolitan style pizze be evil?

[slkinsey]

Now really, how can anyone who loves Neapolitan style pizze be evil?

Um... sometimes they are.

[Moopheus]

The first time I walked by this place I thought the window said "tranny's". Glad to hear it is only selling pizza. Sounds like we will have to give it a try.