Chefs at Frankie’s use only fresh ingredients to craft authentic Italian cuisine.[/caption]
Toward the end of Albania’s communist regime in 1990, Frank Nikshiqi was one of the thousands of Albanians who fled the country after being involved in anti-communist demonstrations.
Nikshiqi settled in New York City, where he spent the next six years working for and learning from chefs in high-end restaurants. He honed the craft of making Italian food and learned the secrets to sauces such as gravy, chicken broth and marinara.
He brought his East Coast cooking skills with him to Texas and began opening Italian restaurants in Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth, Abilene, Beaumont and Port Alto. Last year he sold the Frankie’s Italian Grill in Beaumont and began searching for a home close to Austin.
Nikshiqi said he wanted a to find a community with good schools for his two children, so he and his family moved to Georgetown in 2014.
Last summer he opened Frankie’s NY Style Pizza & Pasta, which will celebrate its one-year anniversary at the end of July. Nikshiqi’s wife, her siblings and her parents also help run the restaurant.
The Italian eatery offers a menu of salads and sides, a variety of hot rolls and pizza, chicken dishes, classic pasta and 11-inch subs. Nikshiqi said customers frequently order the chicken marsala and chicken piccata, though to him, no one dish is better than another.
“To tell you the truth, everything is special,” he said. “Everything is made from scratch.”
The restaurant has a dough mixer to craft its own breads, and the meatballs, calzones and lasagna use only ground beef and a variety of cheeses. Nikshiqi said he only uses fresh ingredients and gets most of his supplies from Round Rock.
“We buy quality food; I don’t cut corners,” he said. “If it’s something we wouldn’t eat ourselves, we wouldn’t give it to our customers.”
Every dish is made to order, he said, so nothing is precooked. Customers order at the counter and can get their own drinks, but the food is delivered to the table. Customers are also able to bring their own beer and wine into the restaurant, which Nikshiqi said he encourages.
“I don’t want to charge them a fee; I’ll even bring them wine glasses,” Nikshiqi said. “I just want them to try my food.”
Frankie’s also offers catering, and Nikshiqi said he is planning to open another restaurant in Round Rock in September. The Italian dine-in establishment, which he said he plans to call Tuscany Italian Grill, will serve a variety of steaks, seafood and pasta.
The restaurateur said he may expand the Georgetown location someday, but right now he plans to take his businesses one step at a time.
“First I’m going to open the one in Round Rock and see how it goes,” he said.
A look at the menu
Lasagna ($8.99) uses only ground beef, not a mixture of meats, and melted mozzarella cheese.
Pizzas ($2-$3.99 slice, $8.95-$10.95 whole pizza) are served in 12-, 14- and 16-inch sizes, and can be ordered by the slice. Nikshiqi recommends folding the slices over like a East Coaster to get a good bite.
The
chicken marsala ($10.99) is coated in a dressing that takes 48 hours to make.
The eatery makes several gallons of the
house dressing, a tomato basil and oil and vinegar mixture sprinkled with spices, at a time.
Chefs at Frankie’s use only fresh ingredients to craft authentic Italian cuisine.[/caption]
Toward the end of Albania’s communist regime in 1990, Frank Nikshiqi was one of the thousands of Albanians who fled the country after being involved in anti-communist demonstrations.
Nikshiqi settled in New York City, where he spent the next six years working for and learning from chefs in high-end restaurants. He honed the craft of making Italian food and learned the secrets to sauces such as gravy, chicken broth and marinara.
He brought his East Coast cooking skills with him to Texas and began opening Italian restaurants in Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth, Abilene, Beaumont and Port Alto. Last year he sold the Frankie’s Italian Grill in Beaumont and began searching for a home close to Austin.
Nikshiqi said he wanted a to find a community with good schools for his two children, so he and his family moved to Georgetown in 2014.
Last summer he opened Frankie’s NY Style Pizza & Pasta, which will celebrate its one-year anniversary at the end of July. Nikshiqi’s wife, her siblings and her parents also help run the restaurant.
The Italian eatery offers a menu of salads and sides, a variety of hot rolls and pizza, chicken dishes, classic pasta and 11-inch subs. Nikshiqi said customers frequently order the chicken marsala and chicken piccata, though to him, no one dish is better than another.
“To tell you the truth, everything is special,” he said. “Everything is made from scratch.”
The restaurant has a dough mixer to craft its own breads, and the meatballs, calzones and lasagna use only ground beef and a variety of cheeses. Nikshiqi said he only uses fresh ingredients and gets most of his supplies from Round Rock.
“We buy quality food; I don’t cut corners,” he said. “If it’s something we wouldn’t eat ourselves, we wouldn’t give it to our customers.”
Every dish is made to order, he said, so nothing is precooked. Customers order at the counter and can get their own drinks, but the food is delivered to the table. Customers are also able to bring their own beer and wine into the restaurant, which Nikshiqi said he encourages.
“I don’t want to charge them a fee; I’ll even bring them wine glasses,” Nikshiqi said. “I just want them to try my food.”
Frankie’s also offers catering, and Nikshiqi said he is planning to open another restaurant in Round Rock in September. The Italian dine-in establishment, which he said he plans to call Tuscany Italian Grill, will serve a variety of steaks, seafood and pasta.
The restaurateur said he may expand the Georgetown location someday, but right now he plans to take his businesses one step at a time.
“First I’m going to open the one in Round Rock and see how it goes,” he said.
