Eating 22 Years of Experience at Frank's Pizza

This is restaurant number two in my search of the best pizza in town. It was a little difficult to find since it can't be seen driving on Prospect Avenue — even my GPS was confused. It happens to be in the back of the Kmart plaza close to My Gym.

It is a long narrow space with seating to the left and right. The open-style kitchen runs to the back on the left. There were prepared pizzas in the front for those who want it by the slice.

We sat down and a friendly waitress came handing us the menus. We were there to eat pizza, of course, but decided to also order from the lunch menu. The extensive menu consisted of appetizers, soups, pasta, veal, poultry, seafood, subs, calzones and, of course, pizza.

From the lunch menu, we picked the chicken parmigiana with pasta ($7.75) and a medium pizza with half mushrooms and half meatballs and garlic ($10.50). After inquiring about the mushrooms, we were told they are freshly sautéed and not canned.

After a particularly rough night, we were happy to see a cappuccino machine behind the counter. We quickly ordered and sat back listening to an argument brewing in the kitchen. Our waitress and the owner sounded like father and daughter — I guess it is a family business. It was over our cappuccinos, which tasted adequate.

As I waited, I looked through the menu again and realized Frank's (345 Prospect Ave.) is part of 24 other locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and have 22 years of experience.

A basket of garlic bread was placed on our table. My daughter claimed it to be the best one she has ever had. I was a bit offended, but thought it was quite good. Although, looking at the very evenly chopped garlic, I suspected it was the bottled variety.

The chicken dish came next. The spaghetti was cooked al dente and the sauce was tangy with a splash of sweetness. The perfectly cooked chicken was covered with mozzarella cheese — a good dish.

It seemed like forever before our pizza was placed in front of us — actually it was placed to our side on a stand (it didn't take over our table). The medium pizza was larger than we expected and there was no extra grease floating on top — a very good sign. The garlic smelled delicious and I couldn't wait to taste the pizza.

We noticed the mushrooms didn't look fresh and after a bite realized they were definitely canned. The crust tasted like a crusty baguette. It was good and the pizza was super crispy — you could hold the slice with one hand and it held up straight.

The sauce was similar to the one used on the chicken. The meatballs were sliced thin and delicious.

I am not sure if the pizza was authentic, but it definitely was tasty.

Rating: OO (two oranges)

Stay tuned for another pizza eating adventure next week. Also, don't forget to share your favorite pizzeria so I can add it to my list.