Why You Should Never Cap Your Restaurant Roster
I didn’t need another pizza restaurant in my life.
People had told me glowing things about Frank’s Pizzeria before, but I’d never really given visiting much thought. Omaha’s pizza scene is vast, diverse, and elite, and I thought I’d eaten at enough places to satisfy my dough and cheese cravings.
Virtuoso. Piezon’s. Dante. Via Farina. Mootz. Copps. Tasty Pizza. Lighthouse. Mangia. Orsi’s.
I could go on. The point is, my roster of pizza joints was as stacked as the 2017 Golden State Warriors. There were already so many great players that I didn’t have room for another pizza restaurant in my life. So even as recommendations for Frank’s piled up, I stuck to my old haunts.
Then Sarah Baker Hansen released her Omaha Pizza Bracket, which ranked Frank’s as a coveted #1 seed. The former food critic for the Omaha World-Herald and the city’s most influential voice on food, Sarah’s ranking made an impact on me. If Frank’s was good enough to earn that high distinction in her eyes, I had to try it.
And wow, was she right.
We can quibble about seeding and whether Frank’s is worthy of being one of Omaha’s top four pizza places, but I now feel confident saying it’s at least in the conversation. I was taken by the old school pizzeria vibe as soon as I entered and was greeted by a pinball machine, booths with padded benches, and the open kitchen where you could watch the cooks toss and cook your pizza.
Much as I enjoyed the atmosphere, it paled in comparison to the pizza itself. Frank’s specializes in NY-style pizza, and these slices hit all the checkpoints. The crust was firm and crunchy, yet pliable enough to fold. Every millimeter was covered with oozey buffalo mozzarella cheese, which was complemented by a tangy, acidic tomato sauce. I was a convert after a few bites.
The only question that remained in my head was, “What on earth took me so long to get here?”
By declaring my roster “full”, I’d closed my mind on what turned out to be a fantastic restaurant, and one I look forward to returning to soon.
This post is by no means a call to abandon your old favorites. I still hold much love for Virtuoso, Mootz, Dante, and the lot, and will continue to frequent them.
But keep an open mind when you hear friends recommend restaurants to you. Trying somewhere new doesn’t mean you’re cheating on your old reliables. Rather, you’re expanding your mind and palate, giving yourself a bette reference to judge your meals.
And who knows? You just might find a new favorite.
Trust me, I know the struggle of supporting your favorite restaurants. Frank’s main “competition” for NY-style pizza in Omaha is Virtuoso and Piezon’s. I have relationships with both chefs/owners—David Losole and Matt Vrzal, respectively—and have hosted both on the Restaurant Hoppen podcast, so I want to back them first and foremost.
But, as this visit to Frank’s taught me, that desire shouldn’t hold me back from trying new restaurants as well. Omaha has a vast wealth of culinary talent, and closing yourself off to some of it is only limiting your tastebuds’ satisfaction.
In the end, I have no problem with having your “staple” restaurants that you return to time and again; I certainly have mine. But also keep an open mind and look for new places to explore. Maybe once a month, go to a local restaurant you’ve never visited before. You just might find another to add to your restaurant roster.
I know I did.