Frasca has become one of my go-to places in the neighborhood. The fiance and I will share a 5 item butcher plate (or whatever they call it) and an arugula and prosciutto pizza. Add on some wine and dessert and you've got a pretty solid meal for not that much money (around $50 if we're drinking by the glass). I went in with pretty low expectations when they first opened, but I leave happy every time.

Frasca also has the added benefit, at least for parents, of being one of the most family friendly restaurants around. Their staff is awesome, though I admit that they have a soft spot for my son as evidenced by the hostess who puts on a special song* for him every time he's there. They have a kids menu, which includes a drink, and entree and a scoop of ice cream and diaper changing stations in the bathrooms.

I have one of the funnier stories about my son from Frasca, which is not particularly food related. About two months ago now, there was a little girl just about 3 (close in age to my son) who was in the next booth. They played peek a boo until his dinner arrived. When we ready leave, we asked him to say good bye to Sophie. He gives her a big hug and plants one on her. When asked he still refers to her as his "girlfriend" and relays how he gave her a "'moochie and a hug." So if anyone knows of an adorable little blond girl named Sophie who frequents Frasca, please let me know, it would make a certain little boy very happy.

*"Ring of Fire". My son, the budding 3 year old musician was Johnny Cash for Halloween. He refers to the oven as the "Ring of Fire."

I have been to Frasca about ten times. It is in the neighborhood and I think they make a good pizza.

To bring this back to the TV debate: I like going there by myself, sit at the bar, eat a pizza and watch the ballgame. I am less self-concious that way and the food is better than almost all barfood. When I am with other people there I do not even notice the TV.

Frasca is what it is - a place with good food that does not break the bank. It is not a formal joint by any stretch but nicer than a bar. I am glad to have it.

Additional props for Frasca. Great pizzas, nice wine selection, friendly staff. We finally went a couple of weeks ago and would up going back a few nights later. We spoke to one of the managers (owners?) and he mentioned that after being initially very busy, things have slowed a bit....perhaps it's winter taking it's toll.

Any, we really enjoyed it and would love to walk into there on a weeknight and find it a bit busier...

I've been to Frasca two times now - once with a large group of women and the other, with BF. It accomodated both types of dining well. I found the food to be fresh and tasty. Sure, it's a little Lincoln Park-ization (via Roscoe Village) of neopolitan pizza (i.e. it's not quite Spacca Napoli), but it's a quality product with friendly service and reasonable prices. I will definitely return.

I met a friend at Frasca yesterday for a light dinner (as we both had late lunches). It was a great place with top notch service. My glass was never empty and the table was rid of empty plates quickly.

We shared a trio of bruschetta - brie & apple, proscuitto, oven roasted tomato & mozzarella.... all of them being wonderful & a perfect portion for 2 people to share.

For pizza, we ordered the "Rustica" which included sausage & oven roasted tomato. Again, the pizza was perfectly done with a touch of olive oil and red pepper flakes.

Monday is half bottle on wines night... Wednesdays is buy one pizza, get one free

Went to Frasca for dinner last night and thought I'd add a bit to this thread...particularly about non-pizza items

I went with 2 friends at 8pm, without a reservation. We had a 20-25 minute wait which allowed for a drink from the bar. Service was good overall--no complaints. Atmosphere was nice, noise-level was fine--didn't interrupt conversation.

Food: We started with the "fonduta: fontina and pecorino fondue with apples, toasted bread + sopressata", which was very delicious and did not last long on the table! Entrees included one order of "rigatoni con salsiccia e funghi sautéed in a light tomato sauce with italian sausage, wild mushrooms and grana padano" and two orders of pork tenderloin marsala wtih gorgonzola mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Both the pork and the rigatoni were very good. Portions: generous with the rigatoni, totally adequate with the pork tenderloin.

This restaurant is centrally located for this particular set of friends and we have already decided that we will be back--and next time we'll try some pizza, which looked and smelled very good!

A- for family (and wallet)-friendly Frasca.
For various reasons we ended up staging a very last-minute birthday dinner for our 8-year old last night.
Called Frasca the day before to reserve for 12 (6 kids/6 grown-ups), and to preorder the core meal; pizzas and salads.
I spoke with a kitchen person in the AM who assured me that they could do what we needed and referred me to a manager I should call in the afternoon. At 4PM I spoke with Jen to get prices and confirm an order.
Our table was waiting in the area just behind the bar and just in front of the pick-up station/counter for waitstaff. It was a perfect location for the size of the party and for the kids to move a little without bothering other diners or endangering waitstaff.
They held the food as guests trickled in and checked in regularly both to supply new plates/napkins/water, etc. and just to make sure everything was OK. (They also happily stored our Dinkel's birthday cake in the fridge till it was needed.)
The quantities recommended were exactly right: we devoured all the salad and took home just enough pizza for today's lunch at the office.
On top of that, I can't say enough about our waitress, whose name I did not get. She handled this large, boistrous party with total aplomb and graciousness throughout. Checked in regularaly, made some accomodations for last-minute changes and preferences, etc.
The pizzas were as good as has been noted. There were 2 "capone" and 2 "caponata" pies, as well as 2 plain cheese and a pepperoni. Thin crust with some nice burn blisteres, a bit more chewy than crispy. Balance of ingredients was excellent on both the multi-topping pies. Nice earthy, oven-roasted flavors, nothing overwhelming anything else.
Busing was also very efficient and consistent, always clearing, consolidating, making room on a table crowded with presents, refreshing waters, etc.
In the end, as it was 2-for-1 pizza night, the food bill and bar tab (admittedly light, a beer and 3-4 cocktails), for 12 was under $200 with 20% tip. (And, I should add that despite the size of the party, they didn't even add on the gratuity.)
For a neighborhood place you can't beat how accomodating, tasty, and reasonably priced an outing this was.
Hats off to these folks who really seem to know what they're doing.

Has anyone been there for brunch? thoughts?

LetThemEatCupcakes wrote:Has anyone been there for brunch? thoughts?

Yeah, second the brunch question. My girlfriend lives around the corner, and when I walk from the 11, I always peek in, and brunch looks completely dead there, even on football days. I've enjoyed their butcher plates and awesome specials monday through wednesday evenings, though (esp 1/2 off bottle day).

When they first opened we found them better than the generic bar/restaurant with sports TV on the ceiling look promised. They were also very family friendly and we did a kid's party there for which they were very helpful and accomodating. Have since moved out of the neighborhood, but our son's dentist is still nearby, so after a good check up (no cavities , imminent orthodonture ), we headed over for a bit.
Boy had his usual: kid-sized pizza with pepperoni. I wasn't paying much attention but he's a pepperoni pizza connoisseur and he immediately pointed out indignantly that there was very little of the title ingredient present. It didn't look like an accident because the distribution was painstakingly even across the pizza. There were about 2, nickel-sized circles of pepperoni per slice, sitting near the outer edge. So one would have to eat 2-3 completely pepperoni-free bites just to get to them.
When the bill came, injury was added to insult when I noticed a $2.50 ingredient charge. To me, that's kind of a lot to begin with. For so little pepperoni on a kid-sized pizza it, seemed absurd.
The staff were as friendly and the service as good as ever, and my omelet was very tasty and well put together.
Still, overall, it rankled a bit.

This thread has been awfully quiet, and yet Frasca has been up and running steadily for four years now, turning out some pretty damn good food. And Frasca has become a bit of a later night dinner spot for me with the kitchen open until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and easily accessible with the nearby "L" stop and easy street parking.

Most importantly, I find that they offer a very good and reliable thin crust pizza (quasi-Neapolitan, but certainly a little thicker and less wet in the middle). It's certainly not NY-style, but I love that the slices can be folded in half (old habits are hard to break). My one complaint with the pizzas is that they tend to slightly undercook them so I advise ordering them a little more well done and more charred. That being said, the pizzas are very well crafted with nice charred bubbles proving that the doughs have been hand stretched, great ratio of good quality ingredients - neither under- nor over-topped, and good flavor. And even when slightly undercooked for my liking, the underside always exhibit some nice char.

I second your advice of ordering pizzas more 'well done' there, BR.

I'm rarely in the neighborhood, but I have occasion to visit Frasca whenever I go for a massage. The bodyworker I see, one of the very best LMTs in all of Chicagoland, has his office essentially above Frasca. An early afternoon Saturday massage followed by snacks and a few glasses of wine downstairs is one of my favorite one-two punches.