Frank’s Place – A Diamond in the Rough
My new reader suggestion dropbox has been netting some really great results as far as generating a list of pizzerias that I have not yet reviewed. One suggestion I received was for Frank’s Place in Simpson. Coincidentally, my girlfriend, AKA “The First Lady” happened to be in the area with family and had dinner there. She immediately texted me and told me that we were going on a pizza review date the very next day because she was so impressed with the place. I’m not one to argue when it comes to going out for pizza even though I had pizza from 4 different pizzerias the night before! I’m not at all familiar with Simpson, so this was going to be uncharted territory for me. When we arrived, we parked across the street, and I took a look at the building’s exterior, still not knowing what to expect, but one gentleman who appeared to be an employee or the owner was outside and greeted us with a very friendly smile, which set a nice tone.
When we walked in, I was impressed by how warm and clean the bar was. There were people everywhere and you could immediately tell that this was a hot spot. The place itself was small, but Franks does a nice job of maximizing every inch. As I said, patrons were seemingly piled on top of each other, but it didn’t feel crowded. Tables were close together, but it added to the friendly, warm atmosphere. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as we made our way through the bar to the back dining area. There was also another dining area to our right, which looked lovely as well. The back room which we were seated in was very nice and comfortable. This room quickly filled up with hungry diners as well. We took our seats and started leafing through our menus, knowing that we were ordering pizza, but we also like to try something else to go with it at each place so we selected some wings and buffalo shrimp. The appetizers were ready in a jiffy and the first lady really enjoyed the buffalo shrimp, however the mild wing sauce had a very high tomato content which more closely resembled a marinara sauce than a buffalo sauce, so I wasn’t a fan, but the wings were a decent size and they were cooked perfectly.
Click here to view Frank’s Place Menu
After snacking on appetizers, it was time to try the pizza, which by its rectangular shape, we would call this an Old Forge pizza, but that would not really accurately classify this pizza because the thin, crispy nature of the crust more closely resembled a New York Style pie. I wouldn’t call this a grandma crust either because it was so crispy, so let’s just call it an Old Forge Grandma New York Style Sicilian Crust – you know, to keep it simple! Coincidentally, the crust was by far the best part of this pizza. I very much enjoyed the consistency, tenderness, crispiness, and flavor. For being a pan pizza, this fresh dough really acted like it was cooked on a brick oven. The sauce was so-so in my opinion. It was a sweeter sauce with a smooth consistency that just kept it simple, sort of like the canned sauce you buy at the store and don’t have to do much to. The sweetness of the sauce did provide a nice contrast to the saltiness of the cheddar/mozzarella (I’m guessing) combination of cheese on the top. I must add that the quantities of sauce and cheese were spot on perfect. Combine the application of those components with the perfectly stretched and cooked crust, and I could tell that the pizza maker knows what is going on in the kitchen! What I mean by that is that the pizza maker maximized the quality of the product with the ingredients given. At a price of only $9.95 for an “Old Forge” square pizza, these ingredients represent a very good value in NEPA because many Old Forges sell for $12.00 or more.
Frank’s Place offers GLUTEN FREE PIZZA!
Overall, I have to say we were satisfied with the pizza because it is a great value, it is somewhat unique, and the pizza maker put on a nice presentation. Frank’s Place is more than a bar, and their pizza is better than most “bar pizzas” which feature a premade crust and simplistic ingredients. More than that, Frank’s is a very cool establishment that we very much enjoyed dining at. It’s a perfect combination of neighborhood bar, casual dining, and a solid place to take your girl on a date. In addition, the menu is absolutely gigantic and expansive so you are guaranteed to find something that you will really enjoy. My girl and I will be returning for a nice dinner (and good prices) in the near future. I recommend you give Frank’s a try, because this place is worth the trip!
Restaurant: Frank’s Place Restaurant and Bar
Date: January 2014
Pizza Ordered: 12 Cut Red Square
Eat In/Take Out: Eat In
Crust: 4.5/5
Sauce: 2.75/5
Cheese: 3/5
Overall Taste: 3/5
Crispy/Cooked Properly: 5/5
Overall Value: 4.25/5
OVERALL RATING: 3.5/5
