Brooklyn Hitmakers the Franks to Bring Top Pizza Talent to New Slice Shop This Fall

As previously reported, neighborhood restaurateurs Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli — known collectively as the Franks — were working on a pizza slice shop with Long Island legend Umberto Corteo. According to the New York Times, there has been a switch up with that partnership. Instead of working with Corteo, the Franks have tapped an acclaimed duo: Chad Robertson of the San Francisco bakery Tartine and Chris Bianco of Phoenix’s Pizza Bianco.

Bianco, considered one of the top pizza makers in the country, has collaborated with bread maestro Robertson at LA’s Manufactory. The Franks are bringing the talents of Robertson and Bianco to NYC to the upcoming F & F Pizzeria, which will adopt Robertson’s dough techniques, using grain milled every two weeks, hydrated dough, and a natural sourdough leaven, the Times reports. The slice shop is opening this fall in a building between Frankies 457 Spuntino and Franks Wine Bar, adding to the Franks’ Court Street empire in Carroll Gardens.

That empire has been evolving over the past year, including a shakeup that shuttered the team’s longtime steakhouse Prime Meats and the addition of the wine bar. For over a decade, the Franks have been a fixture in the neighborhood and helped shape the dining scene there.

The Times reports that this is not a financial partnership, and the Franks also told the Times that while the deal fell through with Corteo, they are still on friendly terms. The pizzeria — the latest slice shop to hit NYC — will open in September. Eater has reached out for more information.

• The Frankies Partners Will Open a Slice Shop [New York Times]