True to Tradition

Frank’s Has Brought the Love of the Italian Pizza-Making Craft to Louisiana

article by Vanelis Rivera photography by Andrew Bailey

In the world of pizza masters, the Neapolitan pizza is held to incredibly rigorous standards. Conceived around 1600 in Campania, Italy’s southwestern region, it has achieved a renown not only credited to Neapolitan culinary talent but also handicraft. Owner of Frank’s, Frank Harris IV, has brought the love of the Italian pizza-making craft to Louisiana in a cozy and chic environment that is true to a tradition that values craft as well as taste.

Harris and partner, Brian Flournoy, opened the first Frank’s in Shreveport about six years ago, officially named Frank’s Pizza Napoletana. They branched out to open Frank’s Louisiana Kitchen, also located in Shreveport, and Frank’s in Monroe on September of last year. Harris, a pizzaiolo (professional pizza-maker), has been cooking professionally since graduating from The Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. A Shreveport native and hidden talent, he’s a “pretty famous chef that most people don’t know about,” informs Monroe General Manager, Michelle Cascio. In the eighties, says Cascio, Harris was sous chef to well-known Cajun chef John Folse and the pair traveled to Italy to introduce Cajun cooking to the land of pasta and tomato sauce. In Italy, Harris fell in love with the intricate art of the Neapolitan pizza. In 2009, Harris trained in California with renowned artisan pizza consultant Michael Fairholme and spent over five years researching and planning the opening of his first Frank’s. The process was expedited by his partnership with Flournoy, whose many executive and board related roles assimilated well with the duties of the restaurant business, centralizing his role as co-managing partner of Frank’s. While both owners were involved in the opening of Monroe’s location, Cascio’s experience and resolute attention played a significant role in the restaurant’s opening. In the food business since the age of thirteen, Cascio grew up in her grandparents’ butcher shop, a meat market formerly located in the southside of Monroe. Her grandmother taught her how to cut steak and make sausages, skills she applied as butcher and chef at Vieux Carré Market, which she still incorporates on the days she happens to jump into the Frank’s kitchen.

You’re meant to walk into Monroe’s Frank’s and feel like you’ve stepped out of your hometown. A knotty pine, plank wall with built-in seating divides the waiting area from the dining spaces. Minimalist modern flares accent each corner of the interior, like the single, Edison bulb pendants hanging from the ceiling and like whimsical vines and Frank’s sputnik-like chandelier. One wall mounts an immense wood-slice art backdrop centered with a water buffalo head mount—a nod to the source of their mozzarella. Louvered shutters add depth and texture to the wood booths. Bar area seating sits against a wall of ledgestone, while the bar is accented by a towering vertical wine rack display. Though standout design pieces are tastefully laid out for a trendy dining experience, the beating heart and living soul of the restaurant is in the pizzeria section.

Like a candy-apple red catahedral a bustling square of food and wine, Frank’s Stefano Ferrara 7,500 pound, oak-fired oven commands attention. These ovens represent three generations of Neapolitan craftsmanship. They are unique pieces built by hand and brick by brick, each one taking up to ten days to construct. Santa Maria bricks from Campania are used in the walls and dome and the cooking surface is Biscotto di Sorrento (clay from Italy’s Sorrento region.) All of it is assembled with mortar made from nearby Mount Vesuvius. This careful handmade tradition is internationally appreciated and in such high demand that there is a waiting list for Stefano fixed ovens, particularly because only six are made a year. Louisiana boasts six Stefano ovens, two of which can be found at both Frank’s.

The intense heat of these ovens play a significant role in the taste of Neapolitan pizzas. A true Neapolitan pizza is cooked in firewood ovens with a cooking temperature of about 485°C, guaranteeing the perfect cooking conditions. The smoky flavor imparted on the pizza and the speed at which it cooks (between sixty to ninety seconds) create the ideal conditions for a one-of-a-kind taste—thin, soft and chewy crust with a little char. Frank’s makes their dough daily using Antimo Caputo “tipo 00” flour from Napoli (milled specifically for Neapolitan pizza dough), fresh yeast, and sea salt. Their red sauce is simple: crushed San Marzano tomatoes and sea salt. Most of their white pizzas are sauced with panna, a mixture of their house-made buffalo mozzarella, ricotta cheese, and cream.

Their top selling pie is one of their Pizze Bianche (white pizzas), The Desperate Housewife, a tide of flavors: roasted chicken, mozzarella, chile flakes, artichokes, sautéed baby spinach, crispy pancetta (Italian bacon), grape tomatoes, basil pesto, garlic, Pecorino-Romano cheese, ricotta, finished with toasted pine nuts. In the Pizze Rosse (red pizzas) section, The Big Hurt reigns, a must-have for any self-proclaimed meat fiend: braised pork, mortadella (Italian sausage), sopressata (Italian dry salami), coppa (dry-cured pork), crispy pancetta, pepperoni, caramelized onions, red sauce, mozzarella, Pecorino-Romano, garlic, and Calabrian chiles. It hurts so good! On the Keto diet? Just ask Frank’s to transform a pizza into a salad. Meanwhile, gluten free guests are encouraged to ask for Frank’s gluten-free dough. Doesn’t matter which pie you choose, or whether you eat it with a knife and fork or by hand, Frank’s wants you to know that each ingredient is carefully selected. They butcher their own meat and fish, make their own sausage and pancetta, cure and cold smoke their salmon, and make all their desserts. The only freezer they claim to have holds their house made gelati and sorbetti.

True to tradition, some menu items are in Italian, but don’t let that deter your meal choice, because the Frank’s staff is ready to guide you based on your taste and appetite.

For your antipasti (appetizer), try the Spiedini, skewers of mozzarella wrapped with pepperoni and roasted in the wood burning oven. The Salumi È Formaggi Misti, a sampling of Italian cured meats and Italian cheeses with olives, focaccia bread, and various other “goodies,” is a hit for tables of two or more. At lunch or dinner Frank’s Vino Rosso Burger is satisfying and aromatic: an 8 ounce ground beef patty with red wine reduction, blasted in the wood fire, topped with asiago, caramelized union, sliced tomatoes, and served on house-made rosemary focaccia with creole mustard-mayo and wild arugula with crispy onion rings. Cascio recommends the Orecchiette Pasta Bolognese, made with house cured pancetta, ground beef, ground pork, and red wine. “I could eat a whole bowl of that,” she laughs.

Their new brunch menu features many of their main menu staples (including the pizzas) and some breakfast twists. Their gulf oysters on the half-shell are wood oven broiled and served with garlic-parsley, brandy butter, bread crumbs, and Pecorino-Romano. Currently, five of their main menu salads appear at brunch. Try the elaborate La Cosa Nostra: arugula and baby spinach with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, crispy prosciutto, roasted pecans tossed with a warm sherry vinegar-cane syrup vinaigrette, red onion, herbed French goat cheese, and Pecorino-Romano. Frank’s brunch specialties include brunch favorites with an Italian touch. The Mr. Eggs Benedict includes house cured bacon on two house-made buttermilk biscuits topped with poached eggs and Italian sausage white gravy, served with vegetables du jour and fresh fruit. In the Crepes Bayou Desiard, diced chicken breast is medleyed in Creole-sautéed mushroom cream sauce with house cured pancetta and parsley.

La dolce vita (“the good life”) can be achieved venturing into the dessert section of the menu. Michelle’s Tiramisu is a classic with espresso soaked ladyfingers, dark cocoa, and mascarpone. Anything Nutella is worth a try at least once and the Nutella Calzone is no exception. This wood-fired dessert features the world favorite hazelnut spread, bananas, roasted pecans, and mini marshmallows drizzled with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Cap your meal like they do in Italy with their selections of the unique and unmistakable taste of Illy coffee.

Headlining such indulgent menu items speaks to Frank’s love for eating and cooking for people who love to eat. Heartfelt hospitality and an inviting atmosphere reveals that the restaurant is more than just pizza. Casual meets upscale in a truly artisanal space meant to captivate sight, smell, and taste.

Frank’s is located at 2252 Tower Drive Suite 101, Monroe, LA. Call 318.387.1044 to make reservations or visit the Frank’s website for more information about their menu items and chef specials: https://www.franksmonroe.com. Give them a follow on Facebook or Instagram for food teasers.