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Frank and Angie's is the kind of restaurant where you check your pretense
at the door. It's not one of those foo foo Italian restaurants that
have become so popular in the bigger US cities: you're not going to
find gnocchi or risotto or squid blackened linguini. There are no wait
persons who posture endlessly at your table. The wine list is not going
to be recognized in Wine Spectator. What you're going to get is good
Italian food and pizza at reasonable prices in an environment that's
laid back and fun. Anyone have a problem with that?
I always tend to start with the Bruschetta. Their
own baked bread is spread with olive oil and marinated tomatoes. Simple,
but very tasty and appealing.
And I am partial to their Angiepasto salad. At $6.95, this is a monstrous
salad with green leaf and iceberg lettuce, bell peppers, spinach, red
onions, salami, pepperoni, cappicola ham, black olives and tomato wedges.
Served with a tart vinaigrette dressing, it is a meal in itself if you're
so inclined. But then you've got to move on to the pasta dishes. You
should try Mama Soprano's baked ziti. It reminds me of this little Italian
joint in New Haven that I used to dine at as a kid. Requisite amounts
of ricotta cheese is the key here and it's quite tasty. And in keeping
with the non pretentious theme, they don't call their sandwiches Panini.
They're just called sandwiches: imagine that!! But they're good. I like
the DiMaggio, named after Joltin' Joe himself. It's got salami, herb
vinaigrette sauce, provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato and it's one
of my favorites. Another solid sandwich choice is the DiNiro. This features
pizza sauce, meatballs, provolone and romano cheese, and layers of serious
flavor. And you can also substitute veggie meatballs. Bona fortuna!
But it all begins and ends, in my opinion, with
the Pizza at Frank and Angie's. It has steadily improved to the point
where I would rate it against some of the best pizza joints in Austin.
Why? It's got great crust. That's the focal point of pizza. Try the
Chairman of the Board and tell me you don't agree. This 18" beauty
features Italian sausage, mozzarella, pepperoni, red onions, green bell
peppers, mushrooms and romano cheese. My buddy Don King first turned
me on to this pie and I'm indebted to him. Another stellar pizza is
the Lugosi's Lament, which for you old movie fans, obviously features
garlic, old Dracula's nemesis. But it's does it in an intriguing manner
with mozzarella, chopped tomato, and Romano cheese. It's hard to resist
this one. And for dessert, polish things off with one of their stellar
canolis. These confections are vintage Italian and the sweet cheeses
inside make for an irresistible contrast to the crunchy exterior.
Frank and Angie's works for me on a number
of levels. It's fun, the food is good, and what's more, it's consistent.
And the pizza just keeps getting better. And the prices are reasonable.
Now how cool is that? As Don Corleone himself might have said: "I
don't need no stinkin' pretense. Just give me something good to eat."
At Frank and Angie's, I'd say, mission accomplished.
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